Dick Grayson

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This article is about the DC Comics hero and former sidekick of Batman. For other DC Comics characters that have, at some point, used the name of Nightwing, see Nightwing.

Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He is Bruce Wayne's first ward (later on adopted son), and the original Robin, the Boy Wonder, before evolving into the superhero Nightwing. Invented by Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared as Robin in Detective Comics #38 (May 1940).

The youngest in a family of acrobats known as the "Flying Graysons", Dick watched his parents killed by a mafia boss to extort money from the circus that employed them. Bruce Wayne, secretly Batman, took him in as his legal ward.

Throughout Dick's adolescence, Batman and Robin were inseparable, but, as Dick grew older and spent more time as the leader of the Teen Titans, he took on the identity of Nightwing to assert his independence (other teenaged heroes filled in the role of Robin). His Nightwing persona was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez, and first appeared in Tales of the New Teen Titans #44 (July 1984).

As Nightwing, Dick Grayson leads the Teen Titans and later the Outsiders. In an eponymous series, launched in 1996 and continuing at present, he became the protector of Blüdhaven, Gotham's economically troubled neighboring city.

As Robin, Dick Grayson has appeared in most other media adaptations of Batman. The is the only one thus far to portray his evolution into Nightwing. Independent of Batman, Grayson has appeared as Robin in the Teen Titans animated series of the 2000s, which portrayed Nightwing as a version of Grayson from the future.

Fictional character biography

Origin

For many years, Grayson served as Batman's sidekick, Robin. He was first introduced in Detective Comics #38 (1940) by Batman creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane. The debut of Robin was an effort to soften the darker character of his mentor, originally a dubious, nightstalking vigilante. DC Comics also thought a teenaged superhero would appeal to young readers, being an effective audience surrogate.

The name "Robin, the Boy Wonder" and the medieval look of the original costume were inspired by the legendary hero Robin Hood, as well as the red-breasted American Robin, which paralleled the "winged" motif of Batman.

Young Dick Grayson was born on the first day of spring. His mother nicknamed him "little Robin". Little did she know how prophetic this term of endearment would be in her son's life.

He was an eight year-old half-romany circus acrobat, the youngest of a family act called the "Flying Graysons" of the Haly's Circus. Dick joined the act at a very young age, having been trained in acrobatics from birth. Before one appearance in Gotham City, in which the Flying Graysons were the main attraction, they were asked to pose for a photo opportunity with the Drake Family, including their young son Tim Drake. From that time on, Tim's one and only hero in the world was Dick.

While on tour in Gotham, he overheard "boss" Tony Zucco, a well-known and feared crime-lord, threaten the performers unless the circus's owner paid extortion money. The owner refused, and that night Dick watched in horror as his parents' high wire snapped, sending them hurtling to their deaths, all while many of Gotham's elite watched on. Young Grayson felt responsible, because he didn't warn his parents in time.

Shortly after the tragedy, the millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne rescued Dick from an uncaring juvenile services system. Frustrated by the lack of attention from his new guardian and the mystery still surrounding his parents' death, Grayson sneaked out of Wayne Manor one evening to solve the crime on his own - only to stumble into Batman, who was also investigating the murder. They succeed in revealing Zucco´s complicity, but he died of a heart attack before his arrest.

Seeing a reflection of himself in Dick; first as a sharp-minded athlete, and most importantly, that young Grayson could temper compassion with a thirst for justice, Batman not only revealed his identity as Bruce Wayne to the boy, but also made the young orphan the offer of a lifetime: the chance to become his crime-fighting partner. Dick chose the name Robin, and his training began.

Robin's origin had a typological connection to Batman's in that both witnessed the crime-related deaths of their parents, creating an urge to battle the criminal underworld. This provided an inseparable brotherly bond and understanding between the two.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, DC Comics portrayed Batman and Robin as a team, deeming them the "Dynamic Duo", and rarely published a Batman story without his sidekick, although stories entirely devoted to Robin appeared in Star-Spangled Comics from 1947 through 1952.

Bruce taught Dick fighting techniques and detective skills for a grueling six months. Finally, he had to pass a final test: "The Gauntlet". Dick had to elude the Dark Knight on the streets of Gotham for one night (from sundown to sunrise) without any outside help. He succeeded, simultaneously bringing Gotham gangster Joe Minette to justice. Grayson took to the streets as Batman's full-fledged partner in crime-fighting: Robin, the Boy Wonder.

Dick enjoyed his first year as Robin, regarding the job as an adventure until a confrontation with Harvey "Two-Face" Dent served as a rude awakening for the young hero. The villain had captured the new District Attorney and Batman, and had each suspended from a hangman's noose in a "double gallows death-trap". Robin, in trying to save the D.A., used a batarang to cut the rope of the noose. It worked, but he didn't account for Dent's obsession with the number two: it was a two-fold trap, and the floor gave way, dropping the D.A. into the water, where the man drowned. Robin was unable to prevent his death, and received a beating at the hands of Two-Face; a beating witnessed by Batman, still tied up on the platform trying to free himself. Eventually, Batman was able to free himself and apprehend the villain. This event, however, scarred the young crime-fighter, and haunts him even today. Rather than see Dick be further endangered, Batman "fired" his partner, sidelining the Boy Wonder for awhile.

Teen Titans

In 1964, The Brave and the Bold #54 introduced a junior version of the Justice League of America; an all-star superhero team of which Batman was a part. This team was led by Robin and included other teenaged sidekicks, such as Aqualad (sidekick of Aquaman) and Kid Flash (sidekick of the Flash). Together, they stopped the menace of Mr. Twister.

Later, the three sidekicks joined forces with Speedy and Wonder Girl in order to free their mentors in the JLA from mind-controlled thrall. They decided to become a real team: the Teen Titans. By virtue of the tactical skills gleaned from Batman, Robin is swiftly recognized as leader before the Titans disbanded some years later.

In 1969, writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams returned Batman to his darker roots. One part of this effort was writing Robin out of the series by sending Dick Grayson to the Hudson University and into a separate strip in the back of Detective Comics. The Boy Wonder appeared only sporadically in Batman stories of the 1970s.

In 1980, Grayson once again took up the mantle of Robin as the leader of the Teen Titans, now featured in the monthly series The New Teen Titans, which became one of DC Comics' most beloved series of the era.

Emancipation

Dick continued his adventures with Batman, and began attending college at Hudson University. Robin started to take on solo missions as well, and found himself to be a capable crime-fighter. Shortly afterward, the mysterious Raven summoned Dick Grayson, and several other young heroes, to form a new group of Titans. Robin assumed leadership, and moved out of the shadow of the Batman.

Dick realized at that point that he had grown up: he no longer relied on Batman, and he and the Dark Knight disagreed on crime-fighting methodology. Robin's newfound independence and Titans' duties in New York left less time for his former commitments in Gotham. He also dropped out of Hudson after only one semester.

Dick also rediscovered his self-worth among the Titans. Batman, however, was less than pleased. He informed Grayson that if he no longer wanted to be his partner, then Dick would have to retire as Robin. Furious, hurt, resigned, and confused, 18-year-old Dick Grayson left Wayne Manor. Helping him through this difficult time were his fellow Titans, including Starfire, a beautiful alien Dick had fallen in love with. He handed over leadership of the Titans to Wonder Girl, and took a brief leave of absence from the team.

Nightwing Begins

Year One

In Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity, the maturing Dick Grayson grew weary of his role as Batman's young sidekick. He renamed himself Nightwing, recalling his adventure on the Kryptonian city of Kandor, where he and Batman met the local hero of the same name.

Nightwing: Secret Files & Origins #1 and Nightwing: Year One tells the full Post-Crisis version of how Dick Grayson gave up his identity as Robin and was inspired by Superman's tales of an ancient Kryptonian hero named Nightwing. This tale retroactively erases the notion that anyone else before Grayson and Bette Kane ever held the titles of Nightwing and Flamebird, except for the birds and the legendary figures named after them.

Uncertain what to do with his new-found independence, Dick considered giving up fighting crime, he couldn't imagine his life any other way. Turning to someone he knew would understand, Dick asked Superman what he should be, if not Robin. In reply, Superman told a tale of long ago on Krypton, about a man who was cast out of his family, just like Dick. He dreamed of a world ruled by justice, and set out to protect the helpless as Nightwing. Dick then decided to honor the legendary Kryptonian by renaming himself Nightwing.

In an adventure in which all of his Titans teammates were captured by Deathstroke the Terminator, and delivered to the H.I.V.E., Dick revealed his new identity of Nightwing and helped to free them with the help of Jericho. Nightwing had finally moved out of the shadow of the Bat, and would lead the Titans through some hard times. He endured brainwashing at the hands of Brother Blood, his relationship with Starfire would suffer due to her marriage of state, he would be deeply affected by the fact that Batman trained a new Robin (Jason Todd) only for him to be killed at the hands of the Joker (see also: ).

Titans

Feeling hurt and betrayed, Bruce and Dick would remain at odds with each other for some years. While serving with the New Titans, he was searched out by a teenage Tim Drake, who had only one goal on his mind, for Nightwing to return to Robin. It was Dick's refusal to return to the role that started Tim down the road toward becoming the new Robin. After weeks of persuading and proving his potential, Grayson then returned to the Batman to plead Tim's case, with help from Alfred. Due to their arguments and the realization that the Batman needs a Robin, Tim Drake becomes the third Boy Wonder.

Later on, various members of the Titans were abducted by a rogue Jericho and the Wildebeest Society. This adventure affected the team immensely. The group entered into tumultuous times, where members came and went, longtime friends were maimed or destroyed; although Dick persevered through it all, and remained the heart and center of the team. After these events, Nightwing adopted his second costume.

However, his relationship with Starfire became strained, and problems in Gotham demanded Nightwing's attention. Impulsively, he proposed marriage to her. The two wed, but the ceremony was interrupted by Raven, now reborn as an evil avatar of her father, Trigon. Her brutal attack on Starfire triggered changes in Dick and Kory's relationship. She was implanted with a demon "seed" which caused her to leave Earth and go on a spiritual journey.

Knightsend

Meanwhile, in Gotham, Bruce Wayne had left the mantle of Batman to the unstable Jean Paul Valley (Azrael). Dick intervened with new Robin Tim Drake, and when Bruce returned to Gotham, he brought Valley down and reassumed the mantle of Batman. When Grayson returned to the Titans, he found there to be changes. The government interceded, placing Arsenal, the former Speedy, as leader of the team. Nightwing stepped aside and left the Titans, concentrating on problems in Gotham City.

Still recovering from his broken back, Bruce asked Dick to substitute for him as Batman for a time. He accepted. During this time, Dick was able to confront Two-Face and lay some demons to rest. He also established a wonderful partnership with Tim. Bruce eventually returned to Gotham to reclaim his role as Batman. For the first time in a long time, Bruce and Dick began to heal their strained relationship. Bruce's respect for Grayson was at last obvious.

Nightwing series

In Nightwing: Alfred's Return #1 (1995), Nightwing travels to England to find Alfred, who had resigned from Bruce Wayne's service following the events of "KnightSaga". Before returning to Gotham City together, they prevented a plot by British terrorists to destroy the undersea "Channel tunnel" in the English Channel.

In the Nightwing miniseries (September 1995 to December 1995, written by Dennis O'Neil with Greg Land as artist), Dick briefly considers retiring from been Nightwing forever before family papers uncovered by Alfred reveal a possible link between the murder of the Flying Graysons to the Crown Prince of Kravia. Journeying to Kravia, Nightwing (in his third and current costume) helps to topple the murderous Kravian leader and prevent an ethnic cleansing, while learning his parents' true connection to the Prince.

Blüdhaven

In 1996, following the success of the miniseries, DC Comics launched a monthly solo series featuring Nightwing, written by Chuck Dixon with art by Scott McDaniel, in which he patrols Gotham City's neighboring municipality of Blüdhaven. This allowed him to be close enough to Gotham to be part of the Batman Family, and far enough as well to have his own city, adventures and enemies.

At Batman's request, Dick journeys to this former whaling town-turned-industrial center to investigate a number of murders linked to Gotham City gangster Black Mask. Instead, he finds a city racked by police corruption and in the grips of organized crime consolidated by Roland Desmond, the gargantuan genius Blockbuster.

With a defenseless city to call his own, Nightwing decides to remain in Blüdhaven until Blockbuster's cartel is broken. He takes a job as a bartender to keep his ear to the ground and works closely with Oracle in an effort to clean up the town. Blockbuster places a sizable contract on Nightwing's head shortly thereafter, while Grayson plys the unscrupulous Blüdhaven Police Inspector Dudley Soames for information on the kingpin's dealings. Also during his time in Blüdhaven, Nightwing helped training a violent but enthusiastic street fighter who called himself Nite-Wing.

Titans Reunited and No Man's Land

After Nightwing settled in Blüdhaven, a galactic threat came to earth, reuniting former members of the Titans together to save their former member, Cyborg, and prevent him from putting the Earth in jeopardy. They came into conflict with their mentors and friends in the Justice League, but were able to come to a truce and save Cyborg while preserving the safety of the planet. After this adventure, the group decided to re-form, with Nightwing as their leader.

Meanwhile, Dick had joined the Blüdhaven Police Department force in efforts to rid the city of its corruption from the inside. On the personal side, Dick and Barbara's once flirtatious Robin/Batgirl relationship was changing. When Gotham was quarantined from the rest of the United States and became a virtual "", Nightwing was sent to secure Blackgate Prison. Afterwards, Dick recuperated at Barbara's clock tower, and the two grew even closer, entering a romantic relationship.

Some time after No Man's Land had ended, the JLA had disappeared on a mission to locate Aquaman and Atlantis. Before they vanished, Batman instigated a contingency plan, in which a handful of heroes would be assembled to create a new JLA. Nightwing was chosen to be leader until original JLA were found and Dick returned to the reserve list.

Graduation Day and the Outsiders

For several years, Nightwing led various incarnations of the Titans and became the most respected former sidekick in the DC Universe. When a rogue Superman android killed Lilith and Troia, it tore apart both Young Justice and the Titans. At Troia's funeral, Dick declared he was tired of seeing friends die and he disbanded the team. A few months later, Arsenal persuaded Nightwing to join a new pro-active crimefighting team: the Outsiders, who would hunt villains, acting as co-workers rather than an extended family. He reluctantly accepted.

Outsiders writer Judd Winick has taken a more Batman-like approach with Nightwing as team-leader, making him refusing any other kind of relation with his teammates than the direct work. This decision was justified by Dick's being frustrated about "sending friends to their deaths".

Death of Blockbuster

Dick played a key role in exposing the corruption in the Blüdhaven P.D., but continued as a police officer even though he had achieved his original goals. He pushed himself to his limits, spending days as a police officer and nights as Nightwing, straining his relationships. The line between his work as a police officer and as a vigilante began to blur, and ultimately his friend and superior officer Amy Rohrbach (knowing his secret identity) was forced to discharge him from the force rather than allow him to continue using questionable methods.

Meanwhile, Blockbuster's vengeance campaign escalated as he wrongfully blamed Nightwing for the death of his mother. Now knowing his secret identity, the criminal kingpin masterminded a lethal fire at the Haly's Circus after luring Nightwing there, then bombed Dick Grayson's apartment complex, killing most of its residents.

Blockbuster had beaten down Grayson both physically and emotionally. When an exhausted Nightwing confronted the villain, he was at his lowest ebb. Blockbuster promised to continue killing anyone to enter Dick's life. The timely arrival of the vigilante Tarantula turned the tide; she shot Blockbuster dead at point blank range. Nightwing could have stopped her but did not act. Suffering a panic attack, Dick fled to the rooftop, where he broke down, begging for Bruce's forgiveness. Catalina offered him a shoulder (and the rest of her body) to cry on. For a time afterwards, Nightwing was overcome with depression, but eventually shook himself out of it, and took responsibility for his actions (or rather inaction). Dick realized that Tarantula's desire to be a hero and occassional heroic actions merited some degree of mercy, but did not excuse her actions. After giving Tarantula a chance to turn herself in, she tried to escape instead, and Nightwing was forced to apprehend her. Desiring penance for his part in Blockbuster's death, he turned himself in to the police as well. However, Amy Rohrbach felt that the world needed Nightwing free, and falsified a cover story that prevented him from being charged.

Nightwing's inaction has became a source of tremendous guilt for the young hero. But Blockbuster's demise ended his stranglehold over Blüdhaven once and for all. Dick had destroyed the police corruption and removed the greater part of organized crime from this city, but not the way he had wanted to. He left the role of Blüdhaven vigilante, apparently for good, with Robin and Batgirl as his replacements.

Homeless, Grayson moved to New York, where he worked closely with the Outsiders. However, after an event in which "insiders" threatened both the Outsiders and the newest incarnation of Teen Titans, Nightwing deemed that the teams had gotten "too personal" and quit.

Infinite Crisis and 52

Still in a crisis of conscience, Dick adopted a new villainous persona of Renegade in order to infiltrate Lex Luthor's Secret Society of Super-Villains. He allied himself with his long-time enemy Deathstroke in order to keep the Society's hands away from Blüdhaven. He also began training (and converting) Deathstroke's daughter Ravager.

Deathstroke betrayed Nightwing when Blüdhaven was destroyed by the Society. They dropped the supervillain Chemo on the city, killing 100,000 people. Dick tried to rescue survivors but was overcome by radiation poisoning, only to be rescued himself by Batman. Nightwing confided that he let Blockbuster die and Batman told him that he has to move beyond that. Inspired by his former mentor, he proposed to Barbara Gordon, who accepted with a kiss.

Batman then entrusted Nightwing to alert other heroes about the danger posed in the Crisis. Dick flew to Titans Tower, but the only hero who answered his call was Superboy (Conner Kent). Together along with Wonder Girl, they located and attacked Alexander Luthor's tower (the center of the Crisis), only to be repelled by Superboy-Prime. Prime was ready to kill Nightwing when Conner intervened, sacrificing himself to destroy the tower, ending the destruction of the Universe.

During the Battle of Metropolis, Nightwing suffered a near-fatal injury from Alexander Luthor when he attempted to save Batman's life. Originally, the editors at DC were intending on having Dick actually killed in Infinite Crisis, as Newsarama revealed from the DC Panel at WizardWorld Philiadelpia:

Following the Infinite Crisis, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Tim Drake spent time retracing Bruce Wayne's original journey around the world in his quest to become Batman (see also: 52).

One Year Later

One year later, Dick Grayson has returned to New York (his previous homebase with the Teen Titans) in order to find out who has been masquerading as Nightwing. The murderous impostor turns out to be the resurrected former Robin, Jason Todd. It is still unknown why, but apparently Dick and Barbara Gordon split up (see Personal life below). He is also the leader of the Outsiders once more.

New writer Bruce Jones is working in Grayson's "new life", with a new city to protect, new enemies like the Pierce Brothers, and new love interests. Also, writer Marv Wolfman [link] (co-creator of the Nightwing character) and artist Dan Jurgens [link] are currently working on a four-part story arc, starting with issue #125 of the ongoing series.

Personal life

Dick's personal life has always been subordinated to his duty. He has several good friends, like his fellow Titans Arsenal, Tempest, Flash and Troia, and has acted as an older brother figure to the third Robin, Tim Drake. Having been in the capes-and-tights game since childhood, he has either befriended, led, or made acquaintance with nearly every costumed hero in the DC Universe.

His relationship with his adoptive father Batman has been a rocky journey, often seeming to hit bad patches more often than good ones, but in crucial moments, it is always clear that Dick's loyalties lie with Batman and vice versa, and there is a deep respect between the two. Nightwing was quite devastated when he thought Bruce had died fighting Azrael.

Dick's parents left him a trust fund that Lucius Fox turned into a small fortune. Although it is not comparable with Bruce Wayne's wealth, it has been enough for maintaining his Nightwing equipment; for purchasing the rights to Haly's Circus, saving Dick's former home from financial troubles; and for secretly buying the apartment building at 1013 Parkthorne Avenue when its residents faced eviction. This address was also the home of the retired hero Tarantula (John Law).

Although DC Comics has never stated Grayson's religion so far, the Nightwing comic books have shown dc Talk CDs and a New International Version Bible in his quarters, evidences that suggest he may be a non-practicing Christian. [link]

Dick's good looks and sensitive nature have always made him prolific in matters involving women, though he remains the only one of the original Titans that has never had a child. As a teenager, he maintained a tenuous friendship with Flamebird (Bette Kane), despite her unrequited feelings for him. Donna Troy, the original Wonder Girl, has also known him since childhood, and the two are particularly close and not afraid to admit that they love each other as family. As a student at Hudson University, he had a relationship with fellow undergraduate Lori Elton, the daughter of a police chief and went on to live in Blüdhaven, where he dated Bridget Clancy, a Chinese girl with an Irish name from his neighborhood. He had a brief tryst with Selina Kyle (Catwoman), although it never blossomed beyond their initial advances, mostly because of Grayson's reluctance. For a time, he also had a brief affair with the Huntress, Helena Bertinelli, and a controversial encounter with the femme fatale, Tarantula.

Dick's longest romantic relationship was with the alien princess Starfire; they were a couple for several years and were even engaged to marry, but due to their teammate Raven's sinister transformation, their relationship dissolved. Recently, Grayson briefly rekindled his affair with Kory, spending a night with her after leaving the Outsiders. In the "Titans Tomorrow" storyline, the future Batwoman told Starfire that she would have a wonderful future with Nightwing.

Despite all of this, Dick has always had strong romantic feelings for Barbara Gordon (Oracle, this world's first Batgirl), whom he has also known since he was a child. After years of flirting, they finally started dating, but the relationship fell apart due to Nightwing's obsession in defeating Blockbuster. The two remained close friends with instances of lingering romantic tension. Recently, Grayson and Barbara Gordon reconciled, and Dick punctuated the moment by dropping to one knee and proposing to Barbara. She slipped the ring on her finger and gave him a tearful kiss.

However, as revealed in the One Year Later storyline, Dick has ended up in New York and the two have apparently separated. This is made all the more clear by a scene in which Dick wakes up (after his first night in the city) with Cheyenne Freemont, a closet meta-human famous fashion designer with an equally famous reputation for her romantic liasions. The pair have begun having a casual and purely sexual relationship, which clearly has a 'no strings attached' agreement.

Skills and abilities

Dick Grayson possesses the normal human strength of a 5'10", 175-pound man who regularly engages in intensive physical exercise. His detective and martial arts skills are second to Batman's, making him one of the greatest crime fighters alive. He is a master of a half dozen martial arts disciplines with an emphasis on Aikido and Escrima, and was rigorously trained by the Dark Knight in everything from escapology to criminology, fencing, stealth, disguise, and numerous other combat/non-combat disciplines.

Grayson is a prodigious natural athlete, possessing a peak human level of agility/acrobatic skills, and is the only person on Earth who can do the quadruple somersault (formerly one of three, the other two being his parents). Having had the finest education as Bruce Wayne's ward, he speaks with fluency in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese, and has some knowledge of Romany. He is also a brilliant and experienced strategist with superlative leadership skills, having served as leader to the Titans, the Outsiders, and even the Justice League. Additionally, Dick's efforts to remain in contact with other heroes have made him a master at rallying, unifying, and inspiring the superhero community, a skill in which he has surpased his mentor.

Equipment

Nightwing's current costume is made of a version of the Nomex fire-resistant, triple-weave Kevlar-lined material. It is an excellent protection against damage, and is also light sensitive, darkening when there is more light in the area. The mask, in the form of his symbol, is fixed in place with spirit gum, and includes a built-in radio transmitter/receiver and Starlite night-vision lenses.

His gauntlets and boots each contain eight compartments in which he can store items. They have a self-destruct feature built into them, similar to the ones in Batman's utility belt, and, as another security measure (especially when the hero is unconscious), the suit contains a one-use-only taser charge, which automatically emits a low-amperage electrical shock when someone attempts to tamper with either the boots, gauntlets, or both. Each gauntlet's sections can contain a wide array of equipment, such as sonic or smoke pellets, modified batarangs (wingdings), knockout gas capsules and throwing tracers. Like the gauntlets, his boots could carry vital elements like flares, a rebreather as protection against any airborne noncontact toxins, a mini-computer equipped with fax, modem, GPS and a minidisk rewritable drive. Other items were lock picks, a first aid kit, a mini-cellphone, antitoxin assortment, signal flares, wireless listening devices and a small halogen flashlight.

He also carries a pair of escrima sticks made from an unbreakable polymer that are wielded as both offensive and defensive weapons, and can be thrown to knock out an enemy. Some depictions have displayed this tool with the mechanism to shoot a grappling hook attached to a swing line (like Daredevil's billy clubs), while in other instances, he is seen using a "line gun" like the one Batman currently uses.

Since coming to New York, with the One Year Later storyline, Grayson has added to his basic costume design a black utility belt. This change, along with his new long haired look, gives him an appearance similar to that of his counterpart in the Teen Titans animated series.

Nightwing bibliography

After a 4-issue miniseries, and as commented above, in 1996 DC launched a monthly solo series featuring Dick Grayson as Nightwing, that still continues as of 2006. He has also starred in several miniseries and one-shots. This material as been collected as follows:

Title	Material collected
Pre-series graphic novels
"Ties That Bind"	Nightwing: Alfred's Return #1, Nightwing #1-4 (miniseries)
Regular series graphic novels
"A Knight in Blüdhaven"	Nightwing #1-8 (regular series)
"Rough Justice"	Nightwing #9-18
"Love and Bullets"	Nightwing #1/2, 19, 21-22, 24-29
"A Darker Shade of Justice"	Nightwing #30-39, Nightwing Secret Files & Origins #1
"The Hunt for Oracle"	Nightwing #41-46, Birds of Prey #20-21
"Big Guns"	Nightwing #47-50, Nightwing Secret Files & Origins #1, Nightwing 80 Page Giant #1
"On the Razor's Edge"	Nightwing #52 & 54-60
"Year One"	Nightwing #101-106
"Mobbed Up"	Nightwing #107-111
"Renegade"	Nightwing #112-117
Other graphic novels
Nightwing/Huntress	Nightwing/Huntress 4-issue miniseries

Prestige one-shots

• Nightwing: The Target
• Batman/Nightwing: Bloodborne

Ongoing series writers

• Chuck Dixon, from 1996 (issue #1) to 2002 (issue #70) [also 2005 Nightwing: Year One arc with Scott Beatty, issues 101-106]
• Devin Grayson, from 2002 (issue #71) to 2006 (issue #117) [excepting issues #101-106, written by Dixon and Beatty]
• Bruce Jones, from 2006 (issue #118) to current date.

In other media

• Actor Burt Ward played Dick Grayson/Robin in the 1960s Batman television series, which further made Robin and Grayson inseparable parts of the Batman mythos.

• In some South-American Spanish-language dubs and translations, Dick Grayson is named Ricardo Tapia.

• Dick Grayson/Robin was played by actor Chris O'Donnell in the 1995 movie Batman Forever and its 1997 sequel Batman and Robin. In this continuity, Grayson's parents were murdered by Two-Face during a similar sabotage in the annual Gotham Circus. At one point in the movie, he even suggested Nightwing as his codename, though this was little more than an homage to the comics. Robin's costume in Batman and Robin is similar to that of Nightwing, except that it has a cape, nipples, and the emblazoned logo is a deep red instead of blue.

• Dick Grayson's most notable TV appearances were on The New Batman Adventures where, as in the original series , Dick was voiced by actor Loren Lester. The Emmy Award winning Batman: The Animated Series episode "Robin's Reckoning" contains an origin story for Robin. In this series, the Robin costume Grayson wears is identical to Tim Drake's original uniform. Another episode, "Old Wounds", explained that Dick (then still Robin) had come to blows with Batman over the Dark Knight's controlling nature and increasing ruthlessness, and that Grayson had left Gotham as a result. He returned years later as Nightwing, and, though he worked with Batman several times over the course of the series, never fully reconciled with his former mentor.

• Batman Beyond, another TV series in the DC Animated Universe, implies that Dick is still alive and bitter some fifty years later.

• Nightwing has a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Grudge Match", apparently now having moved to Blüdhaven to start his own career.

• Dick Grayson has also made a cameo on the original Justice League series, appearing very briefly in the episode "The Savage Time", where he is seen sharing an intimate moment with Barbara Gordon. Alternate versions of Tim Drake and Cassandra Cain are also seen.

• Grayson (as Nightwing) is one of the four playable characters in .

• Nightwing also appeared briefly in the Teen Titans animated series in the episode "How Long is Forever?" as the future identity of Robin (another argument in favor of the theory that the animated Robin of the Titans continuity is really Grayson). He also made an appearance in the Teen Titans Go! comic series based on the show. [link]

• Grayson (2004) is a fan film trailer for a nonexistent movie about Dick Grayson.[link]

• Dick (as both Robin and Nightwing) is expected to appear in the season 4 of The Batman series.[link]

See also

• Batman
• Robin
• Nightwing
• Batman Family
• Teen Titans
• Outsiders

External links

• [DC Comics - Nightwing]
• [DC Comics - Nightwing Secret Files & Origins]
• [DC Comics - Outsiders]
• [Titans Tower Biography]
• [Dick Grayson's Bibliography]

 

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