Nightwing, Vol. 1: Leaping into the Light by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo
DC Comics
Publication Date: December 14, 2021
ISBN-13: 9781779512789
Leaping Into the Light is the first collected edition of Tom Taylor’s current run on DC Comics’ Nightwing. After surviving a gunshot wound in the head and developing amnesia, Dick Grayson, former Robin and sidekick to Batman, is back and once again fighting crime in Bludhaven as the vigilante Nightwing. After coming into a significant inheritance, Dick wants to use the money to help the citizens of Bludhaven, and decides to create a charitable foundation for the city. However, old enemies resurface as well as a powerful new one, and Dick Grayson, along with his persona of Nightwing, finds his life threatened, while learning surprising information about his family and his past.
Tom Taylor crafts a story even new readers to Nightwing and DC Comics can jump right in without any prior knowledge of the character or the franchise. Familiar secondary characters show up to please long-time fans, and new characters are also introduced who become vital to the story. Bruno Redondo’s artwork is colorful and realistic, and captures all the feelings and emotions the characters go through. Taylor does not shy away from making Nightwing as “regular” a person as he can be, for a superhero. Nightwing is serious about fighting crime and making Bludhaven a safer place, but he also struggles with everyday situations that make him human: his love life is complicated, he adopts a puppy without knowing what he is getting into, and he deals with balancing friends and family. Taylor adds enough humor throughout so that the story is not as dark as its many counterparts in DC Comics.
Fans of Nightwing will also enjoy Batgirl of Burnside by Cameron Stewart and Brendan Fletcher, while Lost Carnival by Michael Moreci is a good start for those wanting to read more about Dick Grayson and his origins. Older teens who are fans of the show Titans on HBO Max or The Flash on the CW will also find appeal in this new Nightwing series.
—Jacqueline Bush
Other Nominated Titles:
- Demon Days: The Treasury Edition by Peach Momoko (May 24, 2022)
- A-Okay by Jarad Greene (November 2, 2021)
- Deadpool: Samurai, vol. 2 by Sanshiro Kasama and Hikaru Uesugi (June 14, 2022)
- So Much for Love: How I Survived a Toxic Relationship by Sophie Lambda (May 3, 2022)
- Salt Magic by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock (October 12, 2021)
- My Love Mix-Up! vol. 2 by Wataru Hinekure and Aruko (January 3, 2022)
The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.
Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.
