DC Comics’ Bludhaven has a brand new Nightwing – And he is more brutal than ever.

While the titular hero of Nightwing #117 is busy piecing together the mystery of exactly who is behind the cold mask of the serial killer known as Heartless, another hero is running from rooftops in the hopes of doing the very same. As it turns out, Dick Grayson isn’t the only Nightwing in town anymore. Instead, he is now Nightwing One, whereas Bruce Wayne has traded in his cape and cowl for the mantle of Nightwing Two, one which he seems to have no problem adapting to at a moment’s notice.

Written by TOM TAYLOR Art by BRUNO REDONDO Inks by CAIO FILIPE Colors by ADRIANO LUCAS Letters by WES ABBOTT Main cover art by BRUNO REDONDO Variant covers by BELÉN ORTEGA & ALEJANDRO SANCHEZ, BRUNO REDONDO, STEVAN SUBIC, JASON GEYER & ALEX SAVIUK, NICOLA SCOTT & ANNETTE KWOK, and SERG AGUÑA

Dick Grayson was recently attacked by his current nemesis Shelton Lyle, better known as Heartless, and left to be discovered in that very same costume by Bludhaven police. As such, everyone in the city now assumes that Dick Grayson is the one behind the string of gruesome crimes attributed to Heartless. Fortunately, Dick was able to escape from custody and, with the help of the rest of the Batman Family, has taken on a mission to both clear his name and bring Heartless to justice.

Heartless made his comic book debut in the pages of 2021’s Nightwing #78 by writer Tom Taylor and artist Bruno Redondo. As a child, Shelton Lyle grew up in an especially wealthy family, one which derived their fortune from the callous and coldly calculated practices of their companies. While Shelton’s parents were largely absent in most meaningful ways, his butler, Gerald Chamberlain, saw in the boy a similarly murderous streak. This was confirmed on the night Grayson’s parents died during their famous trapeze act, which kicked off Shelton’s lifelong obsession with not only Nightwing but also death and destruction.

Although this is the first time that Bruce Wayne has taken on the mantle of Nightwing, it is not the first time that he and Dick Grayson have traded places. Following Bruce’s apparent demise back in 2008’s Batman R.I.P. storyline, Dick decided that the legend of the Dark Knight needed to live on by any means necessary. To that end, he took up the mantle of Batman for himself, with Damian Wayne acting as his Robin. Dick would maintain his status as Batman for more than a year until Bruce made his miraculous and long-overdue return.

Nightwing #117 is on sale now from DC Comics.

Source: DC Comics