Warning: Spoilers for Nightwing #123
There are plenty of reasons to believe thatNightwingandBatmanare alike based on their history as the Dynamic Duo, but a major upgrade to Dick Grayson’s costume has proven that the two vigilantes couldn’t be more different. Despite training under Batman’s guidance, Nightwing has made a name for himself as a hero beyond his mentor’s shadow, and this costume change highlights that distinction in a clever way.
InNightwing#123 by Dan Watters, Dexter Soy, Veronica Gandini, and Wes Abbott, Dick Grayson answers a call from the Flyboiz gang’s mutated members in hopes of recruiting them to his case. As he investigates their mysterious whereabouts,Nightwing activates his costume and reveals that it can now glow in the dark.
This innovative feature allows Nightwing to navigate the darkness with ease, but beyond that surface-level functionality, there’s a thematic significance to the light he casts.While Batman embodies darkness, Nightwing aims to represent light, and the visual of his costume glowing reflects that key difference in their heroic pursuits.
Nightwing’s Costume Upgrade Sets Him Apart From Batman in a Big Way
By Glowing in the Dark, Nightwing Chooses Not to Operate in the Shadows
As a vigilante, one ofBatman’s signature tacticsinvolves using shadows to his advantage to remain hidden and get the jump on unsuspecting opponents. His dark costume lends itself well to this strategy, as there are countless scenes throughout DC Comics where Bruce Wayne emerges from the shadows with his cape wrapped around him to conceal him from enemy lines of sight. Because Dick Grayson was taught much of what he knows from Batman during hisyears as Robin, one might assume that he’d handle criminals in a similar fashion. However, Nightwing’s costume update separates him from that style of vigilantism.
If Nightwing Hadn’t Joined Batman Way Back When, DC Had Dark Plans For the Hero
DC Comics reveals life could have been really different for Nightwing with a much darker path, way back when he was Batman’s very first Robin.DC Comic
Rather than using his costume to stay hidden at all times, Nightwing has altered its design so that it can light up when he needs help seeing his surroundings.This illustrates how his fighting style and overall approach to superhero work doesn’t align perfectly with Batman’s. Though they both typically operate under the cover of night, Dick is willing to emit light even if it potentially compromises his position. This isn’t a weakness, either, as it helps him be visible to those he intends to help and therefore less frightening to those he wants to talk to without jumping straight to violence.
Nightwing Represents A Light in the Darkness With His New Look
Batman Is The Night, While Nightwing Would Rather Be A Light of Hope
Nightwing’s previous award-winning runby Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo kicked off with an arc entitled “Leaping Into the Light”, a name that ties into the character’s core concept of bringing light to the crime-ridden city of Blüdhaven. Batman, on the other hand, famously refers to himself as “the night” inBatman: The Animated Series. As much as Dick respects Bruce, he’s chosen to represent something more innately hopeful to the people he protects. As he dons a costume that can glow in the dark,Nightwingquite literally shines a light in the darkest places, setting himself apart fromBatman.
