Despite being one of Batman's oldest allies, Nightwing is breaking away from the Dark Knight's preferred way of fighting crime. A post from Nightwing writer Tom Taylor confirms that the decision to move Dick's crimefighting to the daytime as opposed to Batman's nighttime is an intentional one. The move highlights Dick's continuing journey to elevate Nightwing from a standalone hero to a symbol of hope.
Bruce Wayne brought a young Dick Grayson into the superhero life after he witnessed his parents' murder at Haly's Circus. He trained the boy up and put him on a new path as Robin, the Boy Wonder and the two fought for years keeping the streets of Gotham safe from colorful rogues such as Joker, Riddler and Two-Face. Of course, as Dick grew, he decided to eventually break out on his own and become his own hero, Nightwing.
While Nightwing is still a valued and reliable member of the Bat-Family, his current writer is confirming that the hero is taking the steps he needs to in order to continue growing. Many fans have noted in the current Nightwing book from Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo that unlike Batman, Dick Grayson has been spending much more time fighting crime in the daylight. On Twitter, a fan tagged Taylor in a tweet, noting that it's felt natural despite Grayson's history of following in Batman's steps and being mostly active at night. Taylor confirmed that this was a deliberate choice and that it was hinted at in the title for the first volume of Nightwing, "Leaping Into The Light." In Taylor and Redondo's Nightwing, Dick Grayson has very much become a more public facing hero than his former mentor. Stationed in Bludhaven, Nightwing has taken it upon himself to improve the city, not just as a costumed hero but in his private life as well. Using the fortune left to him by Alfred Pennyworth, Dick has begun a number of public works projects aimed at improving the lives of Bludhaven's citizens.
Dick's decision to be a more visible hero fits with his ideas on how to best improve his city. Unlike Bruce, who uses his secret identity to create fear in hearts of criminals, Dick is trying to instill hope in the citizens. By taking on criminals such as Blockbuster in broad daylight, Nightwing continues building the confidence his people need to make Bludhaven a better place. Fighting crime from the shadows may stop evil when it appears, but leaping into the light helps foster a growing community to drive out criminal elements altogether.
It seems to be working as Dick Grayson has become more beloved than he's been in years. Shying away from Batman's shadowy methods may be the best thing Nightwing's done in a long time.
Source: Tom Taylor