The end of Nightwing is nigh! Previously, Dick Grayson took his Pennyworth Foundation to Gotham in hopes of enticing potential donors. Regrettably, hecklers and a mysterious fire outbreak derail the event. Of course, this is all apart of the sinister designs of Nightwing's arch nemesis Heartless and his parent's killer, Tony Zucco. Let's examine the long awaited continuation of Tom Taylor's "Fall Of Grayson!"

Deep Seated

Surprisingly, Shelton Lyle has nurtured a grudge for decades. In his first appearances in Nightwing #78, #79, #80, and #81, Heartless establishes a consistent m.o of tearing families apart and picking on the weak. Most of all, Shelton discovers a primal hatred for Dick. The hatred runs so deep that Lyle unsettlingly expresses admiration for Zucco's handiwork in killing Dick's parents. In fact, it is his primary inspiration for his Heartless persona in the first place. Moreover, Lyle spitefully watches his nemesis succeed over and over throughout the entire run thus far. All the while, Nightwing heroically foils his schemes time after time while Heartless plans his downfall in the background.

Somehow, Heartless has never known Dick Grayson and Nightwing were the same person. Ironically, he hates them both separately, but equally. Though fairly common in comic books, there is no way an obsessive like Lyle never saw the similarities. Nonetheless, Grayson survives accusations of Heartless' crimes in their first encounter. Although Grayson had an alibi back then, now Lyle's master plan is to frame him again in the interest of symmetry. This time, Heartless lucks into the right angle to frame both foes with one story. Conveniently Lyle is unbelievably lucky not to have triggered the "Big Bird Extraction Protocol" from Nightwing #82 while enacting this plan.

Fear Of Falling

Picking up immediately where the last issue left off, Grayson and the Bat-Family do their best to evacuate the burning building. While Babs, Bruce, and the others co-ordinate the evacuation, Lyle is able to isolate Grayson with a simple plea for help. Personally, I find it hard to believe that a former Batman like Grayson would succumb to basic trickery. Even if Taylor implies Grayson's compulsion to help is his blind spot, there is no excuse for Bruce or the others letting everything unfold with no suspicion. Especially coming from a snake like Shelton Lyle! On a similar note, neither Bat-men have solved Grayson's newfound fear of heights. Because his fear has become a liability, it feels like something Grayson should've been taking seriously from the beginning.

There are a finite amount of new things I can say about Redondo's art on this title. For one, the book continues to benefit from the gorgeous collaboration between Redondo, Adriano Lucas, and Wes Abbott. The lettering alone is wild, expressive, and imaginative. Even when using big bold yellow sound effects for silly things like clicking a keyboard. Secondly, Lucas' trippy yet distinct color palette never misses a beat. Especially, the Spiderverse-like imagery evoked on the panels when Grayson is under the influence. Redondo's use of disorienting POV shots in the rooftop sequence and the quiet hospital epilogue to the fall in issue #114 are excellent highlights. Negatively, I don't like how much Zucco looks too close to the Penguin on some panels.

Recommended If...

• The "Falling Grayson" storyline interests you.
• You've been reading Nightwing long enough to catch the references.
• You don't mind reading another mildly generic frame job story.

Overall

Not much happens in this issue, but it was a pleasure to read. On a positive note, I appreciate the thematic parallels Taylor uses to harken back to the beginning of this storyline. Specifically, visual symmetry like the repeated use of fire to a metaphorical choice like framing Grayson again, makes this feel full circle. Even if Shelton's plan is a bit too basic, there is enough to suggest quite a bit of thought went into this plan. However, something like this going off in Gotham without Batman's signature paranoia kicking in is extremely unrealistic. Still, part two does an effective job of setting up the destruction of Grayson's name and still has my attention for now.

Score: 7.5/10

DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.