Review of Nightwing #118 Comic

Is Nightwing #118 Good?

What a dud!? I had my suspicions that years worth of languishing and promises that Heartless would be brought to justice in a satisfying way would be worth the wait, but no. Writer Tom Taylor gives you speeches and a few tugs on the heartstrings but ultimately shows that the big invention of Tom Taylor’s run, Heartless, was nothing but a low-level villain that never deserved the attention he received. Let’s agree that Heartless’s true name is Forgettable.

When last we left Dick Grayson in Nightwing #117, he overcame his fear of heights with the help of Deadman. What was the cause? At first, the fear was chemically induced. The fear persisted when Dick remembered that a last-minute schedule change meant that he was the one targeted for death by Tony Zucco, not his parents. Years of repressed guilt somehow became a problem out of the blue.

In Nightwing #118, Dick returns to Bludhaven, armed with the knowledge of Heartless’s true identity and the strength of the Bat Family surrounding him. The issue begins with Tony Zucco being taken into custody after the police receive video evidence that Zucco killed the flying Graysons. On the way to the police station, one of the cops in the front seat of the squad car turns his gun on the driver to set Zucco free.

Tom Taylor gets his final issue off to a wonky start. Didn’t Zucco already go to jail for the murder of the Graysons? This isn’t new information. I don’t know why Tom Taylor thought this was a big deal to hang a major plot point on, but okay.

Meanwhile, Heartless sends out the word to his (indentured) followers that it’s time to take down Haven with bats and bulldozers. He’s warned not to exert himself because his heart, taken from Blockbuster, is close to failing. Heartless sends out a televised broadcast, still proclaiming himself to be Dick Grayson, warning the citizens of Gotham to get out of his way while he destroys Haven.

Again, it’s not clear why Taylor hung a critical part of this finale on an easily disprovable charade. There are multiple pieces of data to show that Dick Grayson wasn’t anywhere near the many Heartless killings, but it seems Taylor believes the people of Bludhaven are simply dumb.

The Bat Family scours the city to find the children Heartless took hostage as leverage (why didn’t they do that earlier?) while Dick heads out to confront Heartless in broad daylight in front of a crowd of citizens. The confrontation immediately disproves Heartless’s claim of being Dick Grayson, and when Dick receives a call that the children are safe, Dick loudly announces the discovery to everyone present, which gives every crook on Heartless’s side the freedom to turn on Heartless.

In other words, all the weak rationale and reasons that kept Heartless in control were nullified in seconds with just a teeny bit of effort, confirming how weak Taylor’s setup was, to begin with.

Heartless is now surrounded by an angry mob, and he somehow manages to run away with no resistance or injury. Dick gives chase alone because none of the gang members or criminals whose lives were upended were angry enough to follow.

The issue ends at the docks with a speech about standing up to bullies, multiple deaths, and a heartfelt goodbye at a grave site.