Dick Grayson is no longer Batman and I’m fine with that. It was a neat little experiment that featured several interesting dynamics but I missed Nightwing. Writer Kyle Higgins gets the task of bringing Nightwing back and this first issue really starts things off with a bang. Dick’s stint as Batman is quickly addressed then put behind him and the action begins, and we get a lot of action. We also get some great looks at Dick, from his present day mindset to his continued struggles with his past. Higgins writes Dick very well and the character carries himself in a serious and mature way, perhaps due to his time as Batman. There’s also a great sequence with Dick meeting some old circus friends which not only connects him to his past but helps him deal with some deep emotional wounds. All of this works well to develop Dick and give him a greater depth for new readers. We also get a new villain that is one of the coolest looking bad guys I’ve seen in a while. Sure he borrows a little from Wolverine but I loved him. There’s just a lot to like here.

Even better than the story is the incredible art work of Eddy Barrows. It only took Barrows a couple of pages to completely draw me in. His slick realistic style is gorgeous to look at and it’s only made stronger by a sharp attention to detail. His action scenes are fast paced and electric and the fight sequences have a hard-hitting and almost brutal choreography to them. I was particularly enthralled with the beautiful final pages and the intense battle battle with Dick’s newest villain. The issue is also helped by some creative and cleverly constructed page layouts. It gives the book an energy and vivacity that’s missing in so many comics today.

Kyle Higgins has given Dick Grayson fans a reason to be excited. This is a well written and well structured issue that is given even more life by some incredible artwork from Eddy Barrows. I do wish a little more attention would have been given to Dick’s time as Batman but overall it’s hard to take issue with the direction of this series. If you’re a fan of Nightwing then you should enjoy this first entry.