Release: April 2026 | Writer: Dan Watters | Artist: Denys Cowan | Inker: Norm Rapmund | Colorist: Francesco Segala | Letterer: Wes Abbott
*Nightwing #137 SPOILERS ahead!*
After the deadly pile up, Nightwing is battling internal demons. But can he put those to the side to stop snipers who are stationed on the bridge?!
DEADLY ROADS
After the incident on the highway last month, Nightwing is mentally tortured. He can’t sleep, and with the news blaming him for the deaths, he’s beginning to believe them.
There are other things happening on the Blüdhaven bridge that need his attention, like a skeleton being buried up from the ground. If that’s not bad enough, then a woman is shot in the head while trying to leave the back seat of her ride. The whole bridge is on lockdown—no one can leave and no one can enter. But it’s not just one active shooter; there are two of them keeping the bridge sealed off.
Commissioner Sawyer obviously needs assistance with this and wants answers. Even though the city is turning against him, she turns to someone she knows she can still trust in Nightwing. But Nightwing isn’t alone in this investigation.
Batman begins scanning the area for a potential sniper location that could target the bridge. While Nightwing scopes out another area of the bridge, Batman finds a place that would be perfect for a sniper and he busts through the window. Sadly, the sniper knew they would be found and left.
Luckily, they aren’t bright, and their two cars can be seen on the move.
This is where Nightwing takes matters into his own hands, standing in the middle of the bridge, knowing what may come next.
A shot rings out toward Nightwing’s head, but it only grazes his cheek. The shooter missed on purpose, and since he saw where the muzzle came from, he’s heading right toward where the shooter now is.
Chasing her down into the building she was on top of, Nightwing begins questioning her. Seeing that the gun she used was a Romanian gun, there aren’t many people who could get their hands on something like that. So he begins asking her about Raul Ruscova, who was the architect of the Blüdhaven Bridge.
These snipers are trying to kill someone that means something, after their father told them that the bridge “needed to be built with a soul or else it would take many.”
Nightwing questions whether the six lives they’ve already taken on the bridge weren’t enough.
Before realizing they mentioned a sacrifice, not a meaningless death. And the reason she is trying to miss her shots is to protect someone on the bridge because her brother won’t stop this bloodthirsty mission set up by their family.
Her brother is looking through his crosshairs at Batman, who is an open target. He’s calling out to his sister, but she’s not answering. Finally, after telling her over their walkie-talkie that he may have to shoot Batman, Nightwing begins talking to him. The body that was dug up on the bridge was the catalyst for this. If they didn’t do this, then they wouldn’t need to have a sacrifice to keep the bridge protected.
After talking him down and explaining to him that his sister wanted to be caught, the shooter lowers his rifle. The person the woman was trying to protect was her husband on the bridge, who is a construction worker.
A job well done for the good guys here. But Batman isn't ready to leave just yet.
He cares for Nightwing after everything that's been going on. He tells him that what happened wasn't his fault. It was something that was out of his control. While Nightwing tries to make heads or tails of the situation with this witch woman, Batman tells Nightwing that he needs to get some sleep. He needs to clear his head of everything that's going on.
Batman eventually leaves him to face something he can't run away from. The mystery of this witch woman, and what exactly is her reason for being here?
Final Thoughts:
Nightwing's trauma is taking a toll. The weight of his guilt from the accident is outweighing his rational thinking. Giving him an edge in what he does next. Standing on the bridge and willing to bank on taking a sniper shot is both courageous and reckless. A great example of Nightwing's mental state as he struggles.
I'm always happy for a Batman appearance in Nightwing! This time it felt like it was done in way to explain Nightwings mental situation even further. With someone on the outside looking in, trying to help him. This part of Nightwing is darker than what we got before, this feels almost more real than anything we've read since Dan Watters took over and I love it.
Overall Score: 8/10