Nightwing is about to lose everything — and the Bat-Family is ready to sacrifice just as much so he doesn’t have to.

Nightwing #116 picks up shortly after the titular hero is arrested by the Bludhaven police, having been framed for the crimes of the serial killer known as Heartless. Of course, it isn’t long before Dick Grayson escapes custody and seeks out help from his fellow members of the Bat-Family, although he certainly wasn’t expecting the help they are offering. As it turns out, Bruce, Barbara, and everyone else are fully aware that the easiest way to clear Dick’s name is to give up his secret identity as Nightwing, along with all of theirs, to corroborate his story.

Written by TOM TAYLOR Art by BRUNO REDONDO Colors by ADRIANO LUCAS Letters by WES ABBOTT Main cover art by BRUNO REDONDO Variant covers by RIAN GONZALES, VASCO GEORGIEV, and TIRSO

Nightwing’s battle against Shelton Lyle, better known as Heartless, has been ongoing since the villain was introduced back in the pages of 2021’s Nightwing #78 by writer Tom Taylor and artist Bruno Redondo. Like Bruce Wayne, Shelton grew up in an immensely wealthy household, though not a particularly loving one. The turning point for Shelton came on the same night that Dick’s parents tragically lost their lives during their trapeze performance at Haly’s Circus, which unleashed the utter horror lurking just beneath the surface.

Rather than being mortified or shaken by the experience, Shelton was enamored by the Graysons’ deaths, as was his family butler, Gerald Chamberlain. Seeing a kinship in their proclivities for violence, Gerald helped Shelton rise through the ranks of both the corporate world as a pharmaceutical manufacturer and through the underworld as a serial killer. While Shelton’s efforts as Heartless were frequently hampered by a heart condition, which required him to undergo numerous transplants using the organs harvested from his victims, the villain found a new sense of stability after stealing the superpowered heart of Roland Desmond, better known as Blockbuster.

Nightwing has long been associated with the city of Bludhaven. Yet his return to the locale full time only took place in the oversized Nightwing #100 by writer Tom Taylor and a bevy of artists including Bruno Redondo, Scott McDaniel, Rick Leonardi, Eddy Barrows, Javier Fernandez, Mikel Janín, Karl Story, Eber Ferreira, Caio Filipe, Joe Prado, and Adriano Lucas. Rather than just moving himself, however, Nightwing has brought the DC Universe’s premier super team along for the ride, as the Titans have made Bludhaven their new home as well.

Nightwing #116 is on sale now from DC Comics.

Source: DC Comics