Release: May 2026 | Writer: Dan Watters | Artist: Denys Cowan | Inker: Norm Rapmund | Colorist: Francesco Segala | Letterer: Wes Abbott
*Nightwing #138 SPOILERS ahead!*
Nightwing has become a tortured soul. How will he fare with Blüdhaven’s court system breathing down his neck while a reported demon kills cattle on a farm?
REACHING OUT FOR HELP
A farmer is trying his best to save the animals on his farms. He talks to himself complaining how these gangs are coming in and ruining these animals in ways that people couldn't even imagine.
When he goes to finally handle one with a shotgun to teach them a lesson, he's met with a demon crowding over the body of one of his cattle, eating from its carcass before lunging at him.
With Barbara in prison at Supermax, Nightwing is struggling more than usual. With everything going on with the crash and the witch, without his rock with him to keep him sane, he's losing it almost. Not getting any sleep, sleeping in an apartment the size of a closet, he isn't the same Dick Grayson we know. And it only gets worse.
Ms. Eastbourne is looking to take Nightwing to trial. On the charges of negligence and manslaughter due to his pileup that caused nine deaths. And Nightwing agrees with them. He feels like he deserves whatever punishment is brought on him for this. But before he can handle that, along with multiple people reporting the same witch woman, he needs to follow a lead he has. A farmer who reported an attack at his farm, something real out of the ordinary.
When Nightwing arrives he's told of a demon on this man's farm. A devil that Nightwing is able to obtain a blood sample from and learn what it really is. And there's one person that he is eager to notify about this.
When Starfire arrives, he tells her that he tested the blood sample on this farm and discovered that the Psions are back here on Earth. The same Psions that kept her a prisoner for six years. Expecting a different response, she seems to...not care. She claims to be past that point in her life and appreciates him for telling her. Nightwing's guilt of the last few weeks is catching up and his former girlfriend can see the pain in his eyes.
Kori asks him how he's doing, and he begins to tell her about what he's going through. Before they finish their conversation, a Psion lunges at them and Nightwing moves her out the way to save her. Seeing a Psion again triggers an anger within her and begins burning the being who retreats back into the woods.
Luckily this is before he can get back to his ship and escape. But his trail leads them right to it in the meantime for them to get inside of and research. A recording of a creature plays, explaining how their body is not sentient, their consciousness is uploaded to the ship and needs to be put back into the body. Starfire decides to nuke the consciousness and wipe it from the ship.
Knowing the ship was damaged upon landing, she's putting the consciousness out of it's misery since it's no longer salvageable.
Before leaving, Starfire and Nightwing have a close moment. She tells him that reliving his pain over and over again is no way to live and Nightwing makes a decision.
What is the decision?
To turn himself in and speak to Ms. Eastbourne about his side of the story. His side of what happened on the bridge that day before they decide to take him to trial.
The witch of Blüdhaven continues walking the road, but this time a car pulls up that knows exactly who she is and has something that she's looking for. Promising a chance to help her.
Final Thoughts:
The plot continues to thicken for Nightwing as he's reaching his breaking point. At this point of the story, Nightwing has come to a crossroads. Face what is being thrown at him legally head on, or continue to hide from his emotions.
Seeing him and Kori have some one on one time was nice as a Titans fan growing up, but it was even more interesting to me how he turned to her first when Babs is locked up as a form of comfortability and a shoulder to lean on in a time of need. The age old war of Team Kori or Team Babs will never die. I love the horror turn this book has taken for this story. The Psions showing up as these feral demonic creatures was a really horrifying presentation. That is primarily thanks to Denys Cowan amazing art work that he's providing for this series.
The world around Nightwing is illustrated in a way that perfectly fits Dan Watters' theme that he's going for. Its truly a dark and depressing place to be living in right now. So many questions are still left open that are yet to be explored in this phenomenal series.
Overall Score: 8/10