Review by Ian Keogh

The Battle for Blüdhaven’s Heart begins with Tom Taylor underlining the difference as he sees it between Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. Batman will always look to the bigger picture and knows not everyone can be saved, while Nightwing is more idealistic and if someone’s life is in danger he’ll step in, no matter the circumstances.

That parallels what Dick has done with his inherited money, investing in improving Blüdhaven as seen in Get Grayson, and this is despite the obstacles thrown in his way by a crooked administration and Blockbuster, who’s pulling the strings. The volume title obviously refers to Dick prodding away at institutionalised corruption, but there’s another meaning as Taylor reintroduces a killer with an especially repulsive habit. So far Heartless has seemed unpleasantly confident and remorseless, but not a villain who should trouble Nightwing unduly. What’s revealed here shifts the ground.

Bruno Redondo once again provides phenomenal creative art, maximising the potential of what Nightwing does, yet also bringing an attractive gloss to scenes where it’s only civilians. A chapter drawn by Geraldo Borges is decent superhero art, but without the extra sparkle of Redondo’s imaginative viewpoints.

Taylor matches that imagination, coming up with surprising twists, the best when a decisive battle between Nightwing and Blockbuster looks to be on the agenda. If you want to be picky, Blockbuster as he is here too greatly resembles the Kingpin, but Taylor’s working with the version established over decades of Nightwing stories. There’s also a rather silly sequence with the Electrocutioner. Instead, though, consider how it’s nice to see optimism such an integral part of a superhero series when particularly in titles related to Batman desperation and despair are more regularly the order of the day. There’s more in The Leap.