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Nightwing is one of DC Comics’ oldest characters, debuting in Detective Comics #38 (1940) by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. This was where he arrived as the first Robin, Batman’s loyal teenage sidekick, and the first major superhero sidekick in comics. After his Silver Age debut, he eventually moved out of Batman’s shadow by creating the Teen Titans with his friends Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and more. In Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (1984) by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Dick took on the new role as Nightwing, finally moving on from his role as Robin, the well-known Batman sidekick, becoming his own character.
Since he took on the role of Nightwing, Dick Grayson has become his own man and has often proved he is an even better hero than Batman. Here is a look at Nightwing’s best comic book storylines, ranked by impact.
10) “Get Grayson”
“Get Grayson” is a storyline from Nightwing #87-91 (2016) plus Superman: Son of Kal-El #9 (2022) by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, and Geraldo Borges. This storyline shows how different Nightwing is compared to Batman. While Batman used his money to build his arsenal, Nightwing used the money that Alfred Pennyworth left him in his will to build homes for the unhoused of Blüdhaven. However, a crime lord named Blockbuster wants to take out Dick Grayson before he can help too many people. He ends up needing Jon Kent’s Superman and the Titans’ help. This really showed how much Nightwing had grown, becoming a community-based crimefighter rather than one who rules by fear.
9) “Nightwing Must Die!”
“Nightwing Must Die!” is a storyline from Nightwing #16-21 (2016), a Rebirth era story by Tim Seeley and Javier Fernandez. This story brings in a villain from Grayson’s days as Batman, Professor Pyg, who teams with Dr. Hurt and a doppelganger evoking the Deathwing identity by kidnapping Dick Grayson’s girlfriend, Shawn Tsang, forcing Nightwing on a globe-spanning chase that takes him to France. This had Nightwing team with Damian Wayne’s Robin to fight the three villains. This Nightwing storyline brings back Grant Morrison’s Batman Incorporated villains to confront Dick with the trauma of his time as Batman.
“Night of the Owls“
“Night of the Owls” is part of Batman’s “Court of Owls” storyline, and it shows how Dick Grayson is connected with the elite secret Gotham City group. Collected in Nightwing #8-12 and #0 (2011) by Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows, the Court of Owls awakened its Talons across Gotham, and Nightwing is hunted by the assassin Saiko. This is where he learns he was once meant to be inducted as a Talon himself, and he soon learns Saiko is a familiar face. This gave Nightwing direct, personal stakes in the New 52’s biggest Batman event and rewrote Dick’s origin with Haly’s Circus to include a sinister Court connection.
7) Nightwing: “Traps and Trapezes”
“Traps and Trapezes” was a story told in Nightwing #1-7 (2011) by Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows, which was Dick Grayson’s debut in the New 52. This was the first series where Dick returned to the role of Nightwing after Bruce Wayne returned from the dead and retook his role as Batman. Dick also rejoins Haly’s Circus, and a mysterious assassin named Saiko attacks him. This was the storyline that played out right before “Night of the Owls,” and it re-established Nightwing as a solo lead in DC after his time working with Damian Wayne as Batman and Robin.
6) Batman & Robin (Grant Morrison)
“Batman Reborn” was a storyline told in Batman and Robin #1-6 (2009) by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. This saw Dick Grayson give up his role as Nightwing and become Batman after Bruce Wayne seemingly died in Final Crisis. He then took on Damian Wayne’s Robin in a partnership that was better than Bruce Wayne’s Batman ever shared with his son. This was the storyline where Batman and Robin fought Professor Pyg, the Dollotrons, and later the assassin known as Flamingo. This cemented the fact that Dick Grayson was quite possibly a better Batman than his mentor, and it was Damian Wayne’s coming-of-age story.
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5) “The Lost Year”
Nightwing #133-137 and Nightwing Annual #2 (2007–2008) by Marv Wolfman, Marc Andreyko, Joe Bennett, and Jamal Igle sees Wolfman return to Nightwing stories after his landmark work on the New Teen Titans. This was an arc that ran for a year and followed Dick Grayson tracking former ninja-gang associates Liu and Metal Eddie. It also focused on his break from Batman and his relationship with Barbara Gordon and Starfire. This showed the year between him quitting his role as Robin and his joining the New Teen Titans, showing exactly how he went from Robin to Nightwing for the first time.
4) “Brothers in Blood”
Nightwing #118-124 (2006) by Bruce Jones and Joe Dodd was part of the DC Comics One Year Later event. This took place after Infinite Crisis, when Nightwing moved to New York City and discovered that Jason Todd was back, and Jason was wearing his own Nightwing costume, bringing a more brutal aspect to the hero. Dick contended with Jason Todd’s violent Nightwing while battling the metahuman crime lords known as the Pierce Brothers. This was a great story because Dick had to deal with defending his legacy, proving his moral superiority over the second Robin. This was also important for Todd, as it framed his antihero arc moving forward.
3) “A Knight in Blüdhaven”
Nightwing #1-8 (1996) by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel was the launch of the first solo ongoing series for the former Robin. This was the series that sent Dick Grayson to Blüdhaven, as Batman sends Nightwing there to investigate 21 gangland murders, and he confronts entrenched corruption, the rising crime lord Blockbuster, and the crooked cop, Dudley Soames. This was the series that made Blüdhaven Nightwing’s signature city, moving him away from Batman and Gotham City and away from the Teen Titans. This started Dixon’s incredible 70-issue run on Nightwing, which made him a huge solo star.
2) “Leaping Into the Light”
“Leaping Into the Light” is the storyline from Nightwing #78-83 (2021) by Tom Taylor with art by Bruno Redondo during DC’s Infinite Frontier relaunch. Alfred Pennyworth dies, and his will reveals he is a multi-millionaire and leaves all his money to Dick Grayson. This is when Grayson chooses to use his inheritance to help Blüdhaven’s unhoused population, although he also finds a serial killer named Heartless stalking the city. Dick ends up working with Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl and Tim Drake as a new mayor named Melinda Zucco rises to power. This series won the 2023 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series, with Redondo winning Best Cover Artist, and it returned Nightwing to his role as a leading DC hero.
1) “Nightwing: Year One”
The best Nightwing storyline in DC Comics is “Nightwing: Year One,” which ran in Nightwing #101-106 (2005) by Chuck Dixon, Scott Beatty, and Scott McDaniel. This story shows what Dick Grayson did after Batman fired him as Robin, and he sets out to find a new identity, while working in Metropolis and encountering Deadman. He ends up taking on the role of Nightwing thanks to a story Superman told him. While “The Lost Year” told a version of this story, this was the definitive modern origin story of Nightwing and showed how Dick Grayson grew out of Batman’s shadow and became more than just a sidekick hero.
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