Saiko reveals that he was groomed to be a Talon in the Court of Owls. Where does Nightwing stand in all of this?
The Good
I've been thinking since Saiko has appeared, "man that guy looks a bit like a member of the Talon." Well, this issue confirms that Saiko was indeed groomed to be a part of the Court of Owls. I love seeing these two books tie in together.
That's not all that's revealed, spoilers ahead. Dick Grayson was supposed to be in Saiko's place to become a Talon, but Bruce took him away. Also, the Talon that Bruce was fighting was actually William Cobb, Dick's great-grandfather.j Because of some of the metals the Talon are using, they don't really age and they have advanced healing powers. There are so many jaw dropping moments in this issue, and every single one is a fantastic addition to the book.
This is how tie-ins should be done. I was a bit confused after I read Nightwing because I felt I needed to read Batman first, but there is no need for that. Both of these books give you the same information. You don't need to read both either. However, the four pages of info in this issue are extended to eight pages in Batman 7. Either way, you get the same info, but both work very well with each other.
If this doesn't excite you for the upcoming story line, nothing will. Not only is it an amazing stand alone issue, but it really opens the doors for the next story, and you know as a reader it's going to tie back into Batman.
The Bad
It really helps to be reading Batman to understand this book a bit better, since Batman has spent the past 6 issues dealing with the Court of Owls. However, you can still just read Nightwing alone and have a complete grasp of what's going on, but reading Batman as well just makes the impact and reveal so much better.
It's not really bad, but this is the first time I can remember loving a Nightwing book since the Mobbed Up storyline pre-One Year Later.... Wait... They both have the same color schemes... Am I being brainwashed to prefer a Nightwing in red?
The Verdict
Man, this book was epic. Is this the single best issue of Nightwing I've ever read? Yes. The minor things I didn't like about this book, like the small fact that it really helps to read Batman to get the full impact, are something I can easily overlook because of the pure awesomeness of this issue.
I love the fact there's three big reveals here, not just one. This adds so much more to the character, and makes you wonder "what if Bruce never adopted Dick," which is something most fans rarely think about. I'm very excited for the upcoming storyline and I think the is the perfect example for how two books should tie into each other.
Overall, I highly recommend this book. Now, it may not be the best place to start, so pick up at least issues 5 & 6, and try out the current Batman series as well. It's worth the money and you'll love it.