Last year, Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo – after their brief, but excellent run on Suicide Squad began work on another comic book title, specifically about the original Boy Wonder. Having never read any Nightwing comics, the initial volume of their run was my gateway and a great intro for anyone wanting to read Dick Grayson’s adventures in Blüdhaven. However, since Grayson is a member of the Bat-Family, he is roped into a crossover event that began during the main Batman title.
Part of the appeal of this particular run was that it was more about showing the domesticity of its eponymous hero than actually showing the spandex-wearing heroics, taking cue from Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye, as both titles have their own scene-stealing dog for the hero to look after. Tying in with the crossover event “Fear State”, Dick receives misleading information and incorrect directions from Oracle, ones Barbara Gordon didn't send herself, coming to the realisation that Oracle's system has been hacked. As Dick returns to Gotham, he is reunited with his family and together they must find the source of the mysterious Anti-Oracle's transmissions.
Being a change of pace from the initial issues of Nightwing – not least with Bruce Redondo is not involved in the interior art, but does draw the covers – you can tell that Taylor had to adjust to the COGS going on during this crossover. Along with the main event, which is about the Scarecrow wanting to control Gotham using fear, and the mayor’s mission to protect the city with his deal with the Magistrate, you have other titles coalescing with the narrative such as Batgirls, which actually has the conclusion regarding the Anti-Oracle conflict.
That being said, the three tie-in issues that Taylor have written are enough to sustain its own narrative without you having to read the rest of “Fear State”. This is largely down to the top-notch interactions Nightwing has with members of the Family, including a brief pair-up with Batman, who he proclaims Dick as his son. Whilst Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain jump into the fun and have a few one-liners, it is Dick’s relationship with Barbara is what’s emotionally driving these issues as she reclaims her mantle as Batgirl. Also, once you start throwing in Scarecrow’s fear toxin, which is not really a big deal, in how Taylor depicts it, but how it informs the rekindled romance between Dick and Barbara is heartwarming. As for the art itself, which is not as vibrant as Redondo’s, but Robbi Rodriguez’s sharp illustrations, along with Adriano Lucas’ colouring, allow for some cool visuals, specifically when someone’s cape spreads out like a bat’s wing.
After those initial issues, we move onto the first annual of this run, in which Nightwing teams up with Red Hood to investigate a series of murders by someone impersonating as the latter. Contrasting with this narrative, which is drawn by Cian Tormey, we get the Daniel HDR-drawn flashbacks that showcase the sense of brotherhood between Dick and Jason Todd. With Nightwing and one of the Batman annuals that he wrote, Taylor is interesting in exploring the dynamic of the Bat-Family from past to present, and considering the tragedies that these characters have been through, Taylor is always determined to give them a positive outcome, which is always touching.
Concluding the volume with Tini Howard’s issue of Batman: Urban Legends, in which Nightwing goes through his Christmas Carol, which is nowhere as effective as Lee Bermejo’s Batman: Noël, this volume is a successful change of pace for the series, though I’m hoping we get back to Blüdhaven, where the real fun is happening.