Writer Tom Taylor promised a puppy would join the cast of Nightwing when the DC Universe relaunches (sort of) in March with the start of the Infinite Frontier era and Taylor newly at the helm. And in a preview of March 16's Nightwing #78, we see the puppy's origin story.
Well, it actually isn't that cute because some Bludhaven a-holes are abusing the puppy, but Nightwing is there to save the day, even if the puppy isn't immediately grateful to Dick for the help.
Saving stray dogs might be how the new Taylor Nightwing era begins, but the writer has bigger plans, including exploring his relationship with Barbara Gordon and recognizing Dick belongs in the upper echelon of DC superhero hierarchy.
"Part of this is evolution, and part of this is just acknowledging that Nightwing belongs alongside DC's A-listers," Taylor told Newsarama about his plans.
"Dick Grayson has been a hero for eighty years. He's lived in the shadow of the bat for much of that time, but my favorite Dick stories are his own when he's the main man. When he's leading the Titans or the Justice League or just standing against it all as a lone vigilante.
"Our series is definitely about Nightwing. It's about why he's such a good hero and pushing that further. In the first issue, an opportunity is going to come his way which will test him in a way he's never been tested."
"Our series" meaning artist Bruno Redondo, colorist Adriano Lucas, and letterer Wes Abbott", whose work is all on display in the following preview pages, along with covers by Redondo and a variant cover by Skan.
Dick was of course Batman's first Robin and the greatest incarnation of Robin in DC history. Find out who else made the list and in what order.
