Warning: spoilers for Nightwing #92 ahead!
The creators of Nightwing, Marv Wolfman and the late George Pérez, were given a sweet tribute by DC Comics. During the duo’s epic New Teen Titans run in the early 1980s, Dick Grayson permanently shed his Robin persona, adopting a new costume and a new name: Nightwing. Wolfman and Pérez were the masterminds behind his evolution, and in Nightwing #92, the pair make a brief cameo, one that takes on extra poignancy in light of Pérez's passing. The issue is on sale now in print and digital.
Dick Grayson, the first Robin, set the template for all sidekicks that would follow; later, he and some of his fellow kid sidekicks came together to form the Teen Titans. In the early 1980s, Marv Wolfman and George Pérez revived the Teen Titans concept, introducing exciting new characters such as Cyborg, Raven and Starfire, to the team. The book was a smash hit with critics and fans and was DC’s best-selling title for many years. In 1984’s Tales of the Teen Titans #44, Grayson, feeling he had grown beyond the Robin name and identity, chose a new outfit, and took the name Nightwing. Since then, he has gone on to become one of the moral centers of the DC Universe, respected and beloved by his peers.
None of this would have been possible without Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, and the pair gets a moving shout out in Nightwing #92, written by Tom Taylor, illustrated by Bruno Redondo, colored by Adriano Lucas and lettered by Wes Abbott. Nightwing and Batgirl, in their civilian identities, are on a date in downtown Bludhaven, Nightwing’s home town. In recent months, Nightwing, with money left to him by Alfred Pennyworth, has helped spearhead a revitalization of Bludhaven. The results are all around them: a bustling downtown, where people enjoy themselves at a street fair. As Nightwing and Batgirl stroll through the fruits of their labors, readers see a food truck at the fair, named “Marv and George’s Pizza.” Inside the truck, waving to passersby, is George Pérez, complete with one of his trademark shirts, while Marv Wolfman sits outside, all smiles.
Without the contributions of Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, there would have never been a Nightwing, and this issue acknowledges this fact. While Wolfman and Pérez had many creative triumphs in their career, either working together or separately, New Teen Titans will always be a high point for both creators; not only did Wolfman and Pérez’s run give us Nightwing, but other iconic characters as well, such as Raven, Deathstroke and Terra. The tribute is a perfect shout out to two of comics’ most influential creators, who revitalized Dick Grayson, making him into the fan-favorite he is today. This is not the first homage to Wolfman and Pérez either, as the two also appeared as themselves in an episode of Teen Titans Go! George Pérez’s recent passing makes the tribute a bittersweet one.
Marv Wolfman and George Pérez are one of the greatest writer/artist pairs in comics history. The two breathed new life into Dick Grayson, turning him into Nightwing, and let him grow and evolve, and now DC Comics has paid them the perfect tribute.
Nightwing #92 is available now from DC Comics.