13 Best Nightwing Comics To Read Before The Game Comes Out

Dick Grayson is the former Robin, & the first ward of Bruce Wayne, Batman. Dick is a unique, beloved, & important character in the DC mythos. Gotham Knights provide fans with a new look at Nightwing, an integral character in the Batman family.

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After many years of training & differences, Dick Grayson left the shadow of Batman, & the mantle of Robin behind to become Nightwing. An incredible acrobat, more hopeful than his adoptive father. Dick Grayson has been in comics since the 40s, & there’s an endless supply of great stories that would help fans better underst& his purpose in the upcoming video game Gotham Knights.

Updated November 18, 2022, by Jake Fillery: Now that Gotham Knights has released, audiences may be craving more stories from Nightwing. Dick Grayson is the perfect proof that a hero is not defined by their tragedy, nor by their superpowers. Dick Grayson was just an ordinary kid. As far as ordinary kids go they are in a trapeze act. Sadly, Dick’s parents were killed when the Flying Grayson’s act went wrong. Bruce Wayne took in the boy & adopted him as a ward. However, Bruce gained so much more than a ward, he gained a son & the shining example of a superhero. The best Nightwing graphic novels always involve the character shining through. Dick Grayson has since been on many adventures & evolutions. Even Gotham Knights Nightwing has something to prove. From losing his identity & going by the name ‘Ric’ to even have his identity exposed & forced to work as a secret agent. There are plenty of great Nightwing comics & the best Nightwing comics.

13/13 Battle For The Cowl

Battle for the Cowl is perhaps the best build-up toward what a Gotham Knights sequel could look like when it comes to having the heroes of Gotham City battle it out to be the one & only Batman. It’s a mesh of Batman lore, & brings together characters like Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, & Damian Wayne, as they all try & turn Gotham into what they believe it should be.

Only Dick Grayson truly knows how to h&le the burden & mantle of being Batman, yet, he finds himself struggling to accept that responsibility. It’s a great look into not only the mindset of Dick Grayson in the events of Bruce’s death but how he presents leadership among companions gone array.

12/13 Grayson Issue 12

Dick Grayson has been on quite the journey through the DC Universe. Yet, perhaps none are more emotional than when Grayson took the character home. This specific issue of Grayson seeks to return Dick Grayson to his family after they discover that Dick faked his death a year prior. Something that Bat Family tends to do a little too often.

This emotional reunion provides fans of Nightwing a plethora of content for the character, celebrating his past with plenty of speech bubbles from previous comics, with past interactions from Dick Grayson & other favorite characters like Damian Wayne. It solidifies the relationship that Dick Grayson has, & how important he is to the Bat Family.

11/13 Robin: Year One

Year One titles in DC Comics can always be hit or miss, but Robin: Year One is certainly a hit. This comic has an interesting & dark cynicism on Dick Grayson, & what forged him as not only Robin but into the Nightwing that audiences know & love. The character goes through much in this origin story, as it brings so many fresh ideas to the table.

When it comes to Robin: Year One, it’s a comic fan of Nightwing should check out, as they should see his beginnings as not just a hero, but as a human being. It’s a rather optimistic story about a child growing up into something greater, even with the lingering darkness around him.

10/13 Nightwing: Night Of The Owls

As part of DC’s reboot, The New 52, this comic is perfect as an entry point for players that are curious to learn more about both Dick Grayson, & one of the five enemy factions in Gotham Knights, The Court of Owls. The comic has Nightwing facing undead assassins of the court, & discovering his connection to them.

Although it does not offer much in service of Dick Grayson’s character development, it is a great look into his relationship with Gotham City, the Batfamily, how he can h&le himself in a fight, & perhaps how he will play in Gotham Knights.

9/13 Batman: Prodigal

Taking place after the infamous events of Batman: Knightfall, Bruce Wayne is still recovering from having his back broken by Bane. He approaches his first ward, Dick Grayson, & asks him to don the mantle of the Batman.

It’s interesting to see one of the earliest depictions of Dick Grayson taking up his father’s legacy. It’s a personal story of how Dick feels about taking on the challenge, of becoming The Batman. Yet in classic Dick Grayson fashion, he gives it his all.

8/13 Nightwing: Leaping Into The Light

This comic is a continuation of The New 52 line, & DC’s rebr&ed Rebirth series is a great way for new fans of Nightwing to drop in & check the character out. This volume serves as a great story, with lots of well-thought set-ups for later down the line.

It features Dick Grayson back in his adoptive city, Blüdhaven. It’s great to see Dick Grayson working with members of the Batfamily, like Batgirl, another playable character in Gotham Knights. This comic is great for underst&ing certain relationships these characters have with one another, & how co-op might work.

7/13 Batman: Hush

Regarded by some fans as one of the most essential Batman comics, Batman: Hush features a new villain, wrapped in a b&age of mystery. The comic can serve as a great entry point for new readers, as it establishes a lot of Batman characters & lore, including the city itself, something Gotham Knights should explore.

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This comic delves into Bruce’s caped relationship with Dick & features them working together. It shows how much Bruce cared for his ward, & how he was one person of a minor few that he could entirely trust with everything.

6/13 Nightwing: Freefall

The bodies of fallen & defeated villains Open to strangely disappear, luring Nightwing into an unraveling mystery that features Talia Al Ghul, & the ghastly Dr. Creighton Kendall. The eerie undertones & use of teamwork with his family make for a great read.

This comic prominently features Tim Drake as Robin, pairing up with Nightwing. It’s always a great dynamic to see the sons of Batman together. These two characters are the protagonists in Gotham Knights, so seeing their relationship as older & younger brothers is a dynamic that the game will capitalize on.

5/13 Nightwing: Year One

Taking place at a point in Dick Grayson’s life when Batman fired him as Robin, this coming-of-age comic has Dick Grayson finding his place in the superhero world as his own person with his own identity. He seeks guidance & advice from heroes like Superman & Deadman, & it helps him to become the hero he is today, with his combat style unique to his gameplay in Gotham Knights.

It’s great to look at this comic from the outlook of Gotham Knights, where we see Dick Grayson return to Gotham City after the death of Batman. Will he remain as Nightwing, or take up Batman’s mantle?

4/13 Nightwing: The Great Leap

Nightwing enters NYC, the Huge apple, in an attempt to stop one of Batman’s most infamous adversaries, Two-Face. It’s up to Nightwing to keep the city from falling into the two h&s of this number-crazed madman & former district attorney.

Related: Gotham Knights: Complete Nightwing Gameplay Breakdown

This comic lines up well with Gotham Knights, as it is set after the events of Batman’s supposed death. Nightwing battles with the loss of his father & mentor, as well as the inner turmoil about himself dealing with Batman’s rogues. There is a lot of heart in this comic about Dick Grayson.

3/13 Batman: Black Mirror

As one of the final stories in the DC Universe that is before the reboot, this features Dick Grayson as Batman. He is comfortable in the cowl upon taking his father’s mantle, & there is a lot of detective work in this comic. It’s also written by Scott Snyder, co-creator of the Court of Owls, a villain group that Gotham Knights focuses on.

Grayson’s time as Batman is something that this comic gets right. It shows a world where Dick is the new Batman & provides an important reading into what awaits the character in Gotham Knights if Bruce Wayne is truly dead.

2/13 Batman: Dark Victory

Batman & Robin have a great history together, spanning across comics, animated shows, films, & games for well over 80 years now. What Dark Victory serves as is a re-telling of that origin. It’s a story that involves how Bruce Wayne met Dick Grayson, & how the young boy became a ward to Gotham City’s most famous philanthropist, Bruce Wayne, & a sidekick to Gotham City’s most feared vigilante.

Readers of this comic can expect a greater underst&ing of the relationship & history between Bruce & Dick before entering into the fray to avenge Batman in Gotham Knights.

1/13 The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract

A rare feature in comic books is to see characters not just grow mentally, & into stronger characters, but physically grow into adulthood. What The Judas Contract features are the classic Teen Titans, a great team for their own game, growing up into mature adults, & it reflects in the more serious battles & consequences they face.

The team is led by Nightwing which shows how great of a leader he is. It wouldn’t be surprising if Gotham Knights featured Dick Grayson leading the Batfamily in their crusade. Dick underst&s the importance of friendship & sacrifice, & this comic brings a mature edge to the Titans.

Gotham Knights is currently scheduled to release on October 25 for PC, PS5, & Xbox Series X/S.

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