Warning! Spoilers ahead for Robin #5
In the latest issue of DC Comics' Robin, Dick Grayson's Nightwing explains what makes Damian Wayne so unique as a Robin (and it's not just because he's Batman's biological son). In the issue, the Lazarus Tournament is about to begin as a literal deathmatch to determine the greatest fighters in the DC Universe, and Damian has entered the lethal contest. However, several members of the Bat-Family (all of them former Robins) have come together to track down the rogue Robin and bring him home. That being said, Damian's interaction with Nightwing in particular is much less tense than with the other Robins, serving as an incredibly heartfelt moment between the two "brothers" who've been through quite a lot together.
In recent issues of Robin from writer Joshua Williamson and artist Gleb Melnikov, Damian has gone rogue, seemingly leaving the mantle of Robin behind to rejoin his mother and grandfather's League of Assassins once more as Heir to the Demon. However, the discovery of the secret sect known as the League of Lazarus and their tournament draws Damian's attention to a new case to be solved, and he's apparently reclaimed his title as Robin as well in this new issue (while still being estranged from Batman).
Now, Robin #5 sees the tournament about to begin, though all the former Robins have arrived in Corto Maltese to bring Damian home. Consisting of Nightwing, Red Hood, Tim Drake's Robin, and Spoiler, what follows is a race across the rooftops where Damian effectively evades his family members' attempts to catch him. However, Dick Grayson ends up face to face with Damian, offering a birthday gift while also communicating that he understands Damian's current decision to forge his own path apart from Batman and Gotham City. Furthermore, Nightwing also points out what makes Damian so unique as Robin and what motivates Grayson to put so much faith and trust in him: Damian was Dick's Robin first back when Nightwing took on Batman's mantle while Bruce Wayne was temporarily dead.
Following this touching and heartfelt moment between the two brothers, Nightwing actually allows Damian to go and rejoin the tournament on Lazarus Island, much to the confusion of Red Hood, Tim Drake, and Spoiler. However, Nightwing encourages them to let Damian walk his own path and fight his next fight on his own, just like they all once did. Furthermore, the fact that the bonds formed between Dick and Damian during Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin series are being maintained in the continuity is really fun and truly heartwarming to see.
It's interesting to think about what might have been had Nightwing elected to keep Damian as his Robin despite Bruce Wayne's eventual return, an idea that he had genuinely thought about. Likewise, a big part of why Damian isn't currently with Batman at the moment is due to Bruce's lack of emotional availability and his absence when Damian needed him most after the death of Alfred. In contrast, Dick Grayson is much more available on an emotional level by leaps and bounds. In any case, it seems as though Damian's time apart will potentially make him a better Robin as he figures out who he is (Nightwing certainly seems to think so). Fans will just have to wait and see how Damian Wayne fares in the Lazarus Tournament when it finally begins in the next issue of Robin coming in September.