Nightwing The New Order #1 offers a new vision of the future: A world where there are no superpowered heroes, in which these “weapons” have been neutralized. Who’s the hero that has become the face for this law and order? Dick Grayson, a.k.a. Nightwing. Having become the leader of a government taskforce called the Crusaders. Dick leads the peacekeeping mission to keep all the superpowered folks in check and the streets safe. Of course, no utopia is what it seems and no savior stays safe for long in these kinds of stories. Nightwing will become the target of his own Crusaders. On the run he will be forced to ask help from those he’s betrayed and hunted: the last metahumans of the DC Universe!
Kyle Higgins returns to the character he spent the early years of the New 52 era bringing to the forefront. After having worked with Dick Grayson, both as Batman in Gates of Gotham, then in one of the better critically received New 52 sagas, he also wrote the Batman Beyond title for a while. All of that’s to say that writing possible futures of the DC Universe is nothing foreign for this creator. On some level it feels a bit like we have the making of a classic Elseworlds tale. But unlike Superman Red Son, this is not so much an alternate history but rather in the vein of Kingdom Come, a peek into the possible consequences for a world that gives into fear. And if that latter comparison seems far-fetched, please remember that recently Batman himself in Dark Nights: Metal #1 had visions reflecting an aspect of that tale.
These kinds of “what ifs” are something that DC has excelled at in the past and they seem more willing lately to explore again. What makes Nightwing: The New Order #1 so exciting is that we see such a story from an unlikely viewpoint. Dick is arguably the most well liked person in the superhero community. Despite surviving rumors of his intended death in a certain Crisis even a decade ago, he’s the epitome of a hero. What changes his course? How do these Crusaders come to be? Who will we geek out seeing tweaked versions of in this possible time to come? Let the fun (speculation) start!
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