Nightwing #113: Higher and Higher

Nightwing #113 — written by Tom Taylor (and Marv Wolfman) with art by Daniele Di Nicuolo and Bruno Redondo, coloring by Adriano Lucas, and lettering by Wes Abbott — celebrates a legacy 300th issue with a story that blends the ongoing plotlines with an insight into how Dick Grayson celebrates his birthday. In true, selfless Dick-fashion, it’s a day where he can do things for other people with no refusal or complaints. This includes filling in for Barbara Gordon as Oracle while she gets a full eight hours of sleep, helping with an arms deal on theBlüdhaven seas, and even treating the Batfamily and the children of the neighborhood to pizza.

Each moment is a nice reflection of Grayson’s endless supply of optimism and care for the community, reinforcing the larger themes evident in this run. There’s the mentorship angle in his dynamic with Tim Drake and Damian Wayne’s Robins, the caring boyfriend side with Barbara, and the generous benefactor of the city inspired by the sum of money left by Alfred. In each beat, Taylor subverts sharp moments of grief to deliver moments of optimism and hope. It’s a crystallization of the subtle differences between Nightwing and the rest of the Batfamily, pushing him into a sphere more akin to Superman, to the point that Clark gets a moment to comment and express pride in the vigilante.

Taylor also does an excellent job of escalating the ongoing Heartless plot throughout those moments, weaving in clues to the shift in the serial killer’s MO. Heartless is now moving from random killings to preparing for a gang war, inspired by his new partnership with Tony Zucco. This blending of the plotlines makes for a dynamic legacy issue, which takes to heart the idea of both honoring the characters while moving them forward. So often with legacy numbering, there’s a default to turn the characters to the past and entrench them into a specific status quo. Instead, Taylor bypasses that to set-up the final stretch of the run with the escalation of Heartless’s villainous machinations.

Where the issue leans heavier into the reflective nature of a legacy issue is two specific pages towards the end, which are credited to Wolfman. After Dick and Barbara receive keys to the city thanks to their charitable actions, Dick takes everyone in the extended family out for pizza at recurring sight gag, Marv & George’s Pizza. The scene that unfolds is a touching tribute from Marv Wolfman to Dick Grayson (and by extension, George Pérez) indicating the pride that the two, along with Alfred, would have for the less action-oriented heroics from this run. The dialogue is a great encapsulation of the run’s ever-optimistic tone on the surface but offers a deeper, bittersweet meaning in the wake of Pérez’s not-too-distant passing.

The sequence also marks the shift in artwork for the issue, as Di Nicuolo hands the reins back to Redondo for the final stretch of the run. It is fitting that Redondo not only gets to illustrate the touching moment as the regular artist who worked in tandem with Taylor to relaunch this version of the character but also teases the final confrontation with a villain featuring his original design. Redondo channels a very natural, humanistic approach to the scenes, showcasing the people outside of costumes. The conversation between Dick and Marv is brimming with warmth and joy, in every detail from the tight yet confirmation blocking to the focused close-ups.

Switching from Di Nicuolo to Redondo feels organic and cohesive in the issue, the two styles feeling distinct yet unified when colored by Lucas. The palette blends the warm yellows and oranges from the pizzeria with the cool blue and grays of the docks/warehouses of Blüdhaven. It’s an excellent contrast that illustrates the dichotomy of Nightwing as a hopeful vigilante, operating in between the pulpy shadows of Batman with the bright costumes of the larger DC Universe. Without Lucas’s coloring in this issue, the art would be one-sided or clash against one another due to the two very distinct styles.

Di Nicuolo’s linework in the issue trades in a similar sense of emotion and expression-driven storytelling, but rather than lingering in the quieter moments, the action sells the art. Di Nicuolo is a master at displaying kinetic, fluid movement as Nightwing and Robin’s takedown of a series of goons between Dick Grayson visiting a variety of locations. There’s a sense of flowing momentum that gives way to a bounding pace that ensures the extended page count never drags. Paired with the leaping sense of action is a wide variety of gags and cameos, including some characters from Di Nicuolo and Taylor’s indie series, Seven Secrets, and a certain cursed high schooler from an acclaimed manga turned anime.