Nightwing #4
Nightwing (Vol. 3) #4 is a key connective tissue issue from the opening arc of DC's New 52 relaunch of the title, advancing the 'Traps and Trapezes' storyline that reestablished Dick Grayson's solo identity after his years as Batman. The issue is notable for pairing Nightwing with Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) in a joint investigation — a reunion that carried emotional weight given both characters' shared history — and for deepening the mystery of the assassin Saiko and the dangerous implication that Nightwing's dual identity has been compromised. Within the broader New 52 context, it helped define the tone and character dynamics that Kyle Higgins would build on throughout his thirty-issue run, making it an important early chapter for collectors following the series as a whole.
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The issue was produced by series writer Kyle Higgins, with interior pencils and inks handled by Trevor McCarthy — a departure from regular series artist Eddy Barrows, who supplied the cover. Higgins had been announced as the New 52 Nightwing writer following his collaborative work with Scott Snyder on Batman: Gates of Gotham, and this issue falls within the first collected trade paperback, 'Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes,' which gathered issues #1–7. The New 52 relaunch had brought Dick Grayson back into the Nightwing costume after his stint as Batman, and editorial mandates required the series to anchor his identity firmly to Haly's Circus while setting up the Court of Owls crossover on the horizon.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published December 21, 2011, with a cover date of February 2012; part of DC's New 52 line launched after the Flashpoint event.
- Written by Kyle Higgins; interior art by Trevor McCarthy; cover by Eddy Barrows and Rod Reis.
- Story titled 'South Beach Connection,' set partly in Miami (with Haly's Circus) and partly in Gotham City.
- Features the villain Spinebender, a shape-shifting thief who impersonates Nightwing during a confrontation with Batgirl (Barbara Gordon).
- Develops the ongoing subplot that assassin Saiko has deduced that Dick Grayson and Nightwing are one and the same — a threat with implications for the entire Gotham vigilante network.
- Introduces and develops Raya Vestri, Dick's circus love interest, whose role grows into a significant plot thread across the arc.
- Collected in Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes (2012, ISBN 978-1401237059), the first New 52 trade for the series.
- Part of Nightwing Vol. 3, which ran from 2011 to 2014 and ended at issue #30 after Dick's identity was outed to the world in the Forever Evil event.
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Reprinted in Batman - The Dark Knight #4 (2012), Nightwing #1 (2012), Batman Giant #4 (2018)
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