Nightwing begins with new villains and concerns for Bludhaven

Tom Taylor’s Nightwing ended with Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, and their dog Haly sitting on a scaffold under Bruno Redondo’s version of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night. It was a happy ending for the trio who defeated Heartless and kept Bludhaven safe. Dick Grayson’s goal to feed the hungry and house the homeless is another part of the happy ending. With a new writer taking over (the amazing Dan Watters), this writer wondered if the Boy Wonder would still fight for Bludhaven to improve and not just punch villains. In a word, yes.

Someone bombed a meeting of a group of criminals discussing their profits and partnerships. This forces Dick Grayson to tell Bludhaven’s Mayor (and his sister) Melinda Grayson-Lin what’s going on. As he enters the room, he sees Melinda meeting with the CEO of Spheric Solutions, Olivia Pearce.

Olivia met with Melinda to discuss the weapons she was providing to Bludhaven’s police department. The problem is Spheric Solutions makes weapons to take down superheroes. Melinda may not like it, but she has to work with Spheric Solutions to keep Bludhaven safe and get reelected. Of course, Nightwing investigates her warehouse to see what she's providing his city.

When Nightwing breaks into Spheric Solutions, he learns his suspicions are correct. The tech Oliva is giving police is overkill. Unfortunately, that's only a piece of the puzzle. Olivia is working with a new Nightwing villain who knows Dick Grayson's secret identity. Plus, he appears to be literally working Nightwing like a marionette.

Dan Watters (Destro) did two things to calm the fears of Nightwing fans. First, he acknowledged Dick's new focus in life like the Pennyworth Foundation. This should remain an important part of Grayson’s life. It shows another reason he’s not like Bruce Wayne. Yes, Bruce donates money to worthy causes in Gotham City, but it’s different with Dick Grayson. He’s showing up and proving that he’s more than a donor. He’s a man of the people.

Being concerned about Olivia Pearce’s tech making the police more dangerous is another part of his focus. He wants Bludhaven to be safe from everyone. That includes police officers who may become overzealous with their new weapons. Bludhaven is notoriously known for corruption. It's a smart bet that the Bludhaven police will hurt someone they shouldn't. Unfortunately, this is also a reflection of real life.

The second is the new villain. Comic book fans love it when they don’t see heroes fighting the same people. Do we enjoy Joker, Riddler, or The Penguin? Of course. They’re elite. However, there are always grand opportunities with someone different. In this case, the unknown vaudeville clown-themed character who's trying to turn Dick Grayson into something he isn't.

The clown antagonist teaming up with Olivia Pearce could have the ability to control or influence people. At the beginning of this issue, they used their powers to make Nightwing say something goofy in front of a bomb. If Nighgtwing didn't react quick enough, he would have died. We don't know the extent of their plan, but, when we do, Caped Crusades will be here to report it.

Nightwing No. 119 is written by Dan Watters with art by Dexter Soy

Are you excited about the new Nightwing creative team? Did you enjoy the previous writer and artists? We want to hear from you. You can email us at entertainment@fansided.com.