‘Nightwing 2021 Annual #1’ Review

Writer: Tom Taylor / Artists: Clan Tormey, Daniel HDR, Raul Fernandez, Rain Beredo, and John Kalisz / DC Comics The Nightwing 2021 Annual #1 is here, which means we get some double-sized Grayson action this week. I’m not gonna lie. I didn’t even realize the annual was coming up, but that’s probably because I never look at solicitations. So, that’s on me.  This Nightwing 2021 annual took my favorite approach: a single, long-form story. A lot of times annuals are filled with multiple shorts by a few creative teams, and those are cool too, but I like being able to dig into a 40-plus page comic and just take in a story that’s got more breathing room than usual. While we didn’t get Nightwing back in Blüdhaven dealing with the Heartless problem, we did get a return of my favorite aspect of this book: its heart, heat, and hands.  The story in this annual revolves around Red Hood doing what he does best, beating people senseless. But this time, he’s out murdering people in cold blood, which forces Nightwing to have to stop him before he can kill again. 

But it’s never that easy, is it? Red Hood claims someone is out impersonating him, so the two Bat Brothers go out to find the culprit. And that’s what the book ultimately winds up being about: two brothers.  As they search for the real killer, Taylor weaves in and out of the past and present to tell a larger story about brotherhood, acceptance, and growth.  This is why I love Tom Taylor so much and regard h…