Alas, Tom Taylor ends his tenure on Nightwing with the final chapter of Fallen Grayson. After framing Grayson for murder, stealing his identity, and blackmailing the city, Heartless and Nightwing finally confront one another! Of course, Taylor must reconcile each and every loose end in this storyline. Let's see if he sticks the landing. (Yes, I will spam this “Fallen Grayson” pun over and over without shame).

Warm Bid Adieu

First of all, Tom Taylor has done a marvelous job in keeping Nightwing fairly consistent for so many years! Not many writers get the opportunity to define a character for so long without drawing due ire. However, that isn't to say it has gone without flaw. On the contrary, Nightwing readers regularly criticize the flanderization and superficiality Taylor brings to the character. On one hand, the positive tone and attitude brought to the book transforms Grayson into a beacon of hope. Which isn't a bad thing. However, it may reflect how simple and rounded off the character has become in recent times.

Notably, Redondo's instantly recognizable illustrations are part of the book's long lasting charm and style. Although his once unique bag of tricks gets predictable and repetitive, while retaining its clean, awe inspiring creativity. Nonetheless, Adriano Lucas is easily the star of this issue, bathing each panel in gorgeous, aesthetic hues, and cel-shaded values. Regrettably, due to the hurried writing of the finale, the lettering appears unusually cluttered. While it is somewhat forgivable, the pacing of the illustration suffers as an additional result. Understandably, wrapping up a massive storyline in but so many pages is difficult, but falls short of the expectations of a competent five chapter plan.

Where The Heart Is

With a character like Heartless, it is impossible to “have your cake and eat it too.” The more powerful and dominant Shelton Lyle became, the more likely Taylor was going to have to write him off. Instead of an organic set up and demise, Heartless feels like the threat of a good idea rather than one that comes to fruition. For instance, Heartless wrecks Grayson's reputation and says “come get me,” but never amounts to a challenge for the hero. Honestly, none of his actions ever imperils Grayson for long. In fact, Dick virtually ignores him, goes on vacation, Google's him, takes a walk in the park, finds the kids, then kicks his pathetic ass.

Then, there's the Gerald problem. Back in the Nightwing 2022 Annual, Taylor reveals Shelton's origin story, implicating his sociopathic butler Gerald's responsibility for his cybernetic dependency on hearts. Yet, Gerald behaves as if it wasn't his idea in the first place, and whines about Shelton's heart failure. Regardless, Nightwing uses the true nature of Blockbuster's supposedly superior heart as a big “gotcha moment.” Truthfully, even if blood type supposedly doesn't matter to a cyborg, a gorilla heart is a pretty silly thing to believe will grant more strength. Not to mention, the gimmick runs out of steam and makes him look stupid anyway.

Dick Move

If the Bat-family and Titans weren't assembling every other issue, I would appreciate seeing them all working together to find the children. Weirdly enough, Taylor actually underutilizes his supporting cast. Similarly, Bitewing has been one of this run's omnipresent mascots, but Haley's inclusion just feels like fan service for fan service sake. In spite of this, Taylor briefly attempts to use the dog to garner dramatic tension. When that isn't enough, Taylor attempts to shock readers by making Heartless kill another Nightwing rogue. While sounding like an accolade, it is an underwhelmingly artificial way to give Heartless a legacy to be proud of.

Lastly, Dick's nonsensical journey falls short of satisfaction. For one, right after trying to paint Grayson as a saint, he lets someone die on purpose anyway. Jarringly, after giving a “the difference between me and you” monologue, he uncharacteristically gloats in a “that's what you get” speech. Worse still, Grayson threatens to erase all evidence of Lyle's existence, even though he needs to bring Lyle to justice to clear his name. Worryingly, Taylor handwaves the murder accusation with a literal walk in the park, as if it explains his escape and arrest. In fact, no one questions Dick's stunt in the park, or him brazenly changing into Nightwing in broad daylight. Albeit, asking for a little bit of verisimilitude or self-awareness in a DC Comic book is a mistake in itself.

Recommended If...

• You've dedicated yourself to reading Tom Taylor's Nightwing to its conclusion.
• You're a fairly positive reader with an open mind.
• Hoping to see some cool artwork.

Overall

For all of its flaws, Nightwing #118 and the run in general is a safe story. To its detriment, it introduces and resolves its ideas with overly simple conveniences or contrivances. I gave Fallen Grayson the benefit of the doubt, hoping to see the son of Batman rise to the challenge, but in the end he shrugs it all off. Maybe that's a strength of the character. During the totality of this era, the character has become a somewhat sickeningly positive role model and family friendly hero. Perhaps what bothers me about it is how, even when he's on the run for homicide, it strips away any sense of conflict. Overall, Taylor made a fun, comforting book, at the cost of smoothing over his depth of potential.

Score: 6.5/10