Nightwing #3

Part of DC's 2012 New 52 line, Nightwing #3 pulls Dick Grayson back to his circus roots with a cover that says it all — Haly's Circus looms behind a cast of performers including a strongman, a red-haired woman, a knife-wielding clown, and other troupe members, while Nightwing himself leaps above them all against a moonlit sky. The tagline "You can't escape your past… you can't escape your family" perfectly frames the tension visible in every figure on this Eddy Barrows cover. Writer Kyle Higgins and artists Barrows and Eduardo Pansica bring a moody, grounded energy to "Past and Present" that makes this issue a compelling chapter in Dick Grayson's New 52 journey.