Writer: Tom Taylor
Art: Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas, Wes Abbott, Jamal Campbell
ON SALE 4/20/21
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES | FC | DC
As we finally get to issue two of the much-celebrated Nightwing book by Tom Taylor, is it up to par with issue one, or will it suffer from the much-maligned issue two let down?
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The first thing I noticed when I looked at the cover was the sign for Dixon Motors. Not a huge deal at all, but I love it when the artist, Bruno Redondo in this case, pays homage to some of the past creators by sneaking easter eggs like this in their work. He also does it multiple times in the first few pages. In art by showing previous Nightwing costumes, and in the signage. Small touches that go a long way. 
After a bit of looking back and some self-realization by Dick, our issue begins tugging at the heartstrings right away with Babs and the puppy, now known as Haley. Not my name choice in the vote, but I still like it. Facial expressions by Barbara are done so well that words aren’t needed. The colors again are top-notch as the late afternoon sunlight fades to a pinkish hue. That mixed with the blues and purples give this book something a lot of DC books desperately need. Some color! Everything in this isn’t so dark and dreary! Naptime for the pup leads to food time for Dick and Babs. They head out to get some pizza. Babs quickly reminds Dick that money isn’t an issue. 
I do wonder how Dick can bend his pinky finger like that though. Neither of mine bend that way without other fingers bending too. Minor nitpick for sure, but it’s an interesting way to signal a number 4! A quick history lesson on the city of Bludhaven leads Dick to ponder where to focus his efforts with his newfound fortune. He also throws quite a bit of shade Batman’s way. Just a quick sentence but Batman’s name in bold print certainly draw attention to it. Dick decides to buy pizza for those in need which leads to our villain making his/her first appearance of sorts. Our cover hints at the name of the villain I’m guessing too! Interestingly enough a boneheaded move by Dick leads to us finding out the Bat-family has a group chat. And again, the facial expressions are worth the cover price in themselves!
And while Dick dons the Nightwing costume with some upgraded tech, we quickly see that Bludhaven is in a sad state. The mob’s presence, the lack of a trustworthy police force, and homeless kids for starters. Dick finally decides what he wants to do with his fortune, and it firmly places entrenches him Bludhaven for what I hope is a long long time with Taylor writing!
Final Thoughts:
Taylor doesn’t show all his cards yet, and I love the slow burn approach. It feels like he’s super confident that he’s in this for an extended run and is setting things up in a relaxed, non rushed manner. The chemistry between Dick and Babs is obvious and extremely well written. The art and colors by Redondo and Lucas bring the story to life. And while this isn’t as good as issue one, it’s one heck of an issue two. I wonder how long before DC wants to double ship Nightwing??!!