The original sidekick who became his own man, Nightwing, and the many creators who have worked on his stories, has consistently run into the same problem again and again: finding a way to get out from under Batman’s shadow. It looks like writer Dan Watters, with artists Denys Cowan and Norm Rapmund, may have found the perfect answer to the problem.

Starting with Nightwing #136 (in stores now!) Watters, Cowan, and Rapmund will begin a series of single issue stories that see the former Robin get weird with it. It all starts when a new super-highway that was supposed to turn Blüdhaven into the next big city ends up being haunted, and only Nightwing can figure out exactly what is happening to the town he loves.

Along the way, Nightwing will call in old friends, and even a certain bat-eared mentor, to help him investigate the things that go bump in the night, be they ghosts, ghouls, or extraterrestrials.

Exploring Urban Folklore Gives Nihghtwing His Own Path To Follow

One of the biggest obstacles a character like Nightwing faces is breaking away from his roots to become his own hero. Dick Grayson started off as Robin and became Nightwing in the 1980s, but the character still has to contend with people, both in the DC universe and in the real world, seeing him as Batman’s protégé.

One reason for this is that Nightwing’s superhero career isn’t all that different from Batman’s. Nightwing sometimes leads the Titans, who are akin to a younger version of the Justice League, which Batman sometimes leads. Nightwing mainly fights street level criminals, just like Batman. And, most importantly, Nightwing is, and always will be, part of the Bat-Family.

By opening Nightwing’s world to adventures in urban folklore, it gives the character his own little piece of the pie that isn’t really connected to Batman. Sure, Bats has had plenty of adventures that deal with vampires and ghosts and demons, but those aren’t the types of tales he is usually associated with. Nightwing can become that figure in the Bat-Family, and in the DCU in general.

Dan Watters And Denys Cowan Are The Perfect Team For This New Take On Nightwing

Dan Watters is still relatively new to comics. His first work, Limbo, with artist Caspar Wijngaard, came out in 2015. Since then, he has made a name for himself by writing a Shadow miniseries for Dynamite, a Doctor Who series for Titan,and DC’s Lucifer. He also worked with Ram V on Detective Comics.

His past work makes one thing clear: Watters likes writing about the supernatural as well as mysteries. Nightwing already has the detective chops for a good mystery story, but with Watters adding the supernatural to his series, it instantly makes his run stand out from previous takes on the character.

DC has plenty of magic users who investigate the supernatural, but there isn’t really a regular person to take on that job. In other words, Watters has the opportunity to turn Nightwing into DC’s very own Kolchak: The Night Stalker. And, if that is the plan, it can open a whole new world of stories for the DCU in general.

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The concept also connects well with Nightwing’s past. A former circus performer, Dick Grayson spent his early years watching performers fake the impossible and make audiences believe in the unbelivable. His knowledge of how fake psychics read people or how magicians’ plant cards can all play into how he handles researching the urban tales of Blüdhaven.

After all, is the new super-highway actually haunted? Or is there a more down to earth explanation for what people are experiencing. The only way fans will know for sure is to read the stories. It also helps that Watters’ run on Nightwing so far has been great.

While Dan Watters has just finished his first ten years writing comics, artist Denys Cowan is a legend in the field with decades of experience. Cowan got his start working for DC in 1980. Throughout his amazing career, he has worked on the biggest characters and helped create some iconic stories, including co-founding Milestone Comics and co-creating Static, Icon, and Hardware.

Outside of Milestone, the character Cowan may be most associated with is DC’s Question. Working with writer Dennis O’Neil and fellow artist Rick Magyar, Cowan helped turn Question into a fan favorite, winning two Eisner Awards for his work on the book.

Cowan’s experience means that he knows how to really take a script to the next level and add something special to it. His art on the Black Label series The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage, written by Jeff Lemire, shows how Cowan’s style is still evolving as he constantly challenges himself to try something new and exciting.

Cowan’s art style perfectly captures the late-night dirty noir feel that every good detective and urban myth story needs. A master of the form, he is sure to bring something special to his time on Nightwing.

A New Direction For Nightwing Fits With DC’s Current Directive

For fans of DC Comics, it’s been clear that ever since Marie Javins became editor-in-chief, the company has been moving in an exciting direction. Javins appears to be trusting the creators to do their jobs and, in turn, DC is going through something of a renaissance. The Absolute line has been a massive success, and the mainline of DC books are more exciting than they have been in a long time.

It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that this new direction for Nightwing is coming in the middle of DC’s “Next Level” initiative that sees the publisher starting new series starring Lobo, Batwoman, Zatanna, and, at long last, the Legion of Super-Heroes. And each Next level series is taking the characters in new directions, exciting fans along the way.

Created By

Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan, Marv Wolfman, George Perez

Alias

Dick Grayson

Alliance

Teen Titans, Titans, Outsiders, Justice League, Batman Inc., Birds of Prey, Young Justice

Race

Human

Franchise

D.C.