Nightwing is one of the hottest books in the DC Universe thanks to the talents who’ve chronicled Dick Grayson’s adventures over the years. But the title’s already high standards have gone through the roof with its latest arc, starting with Nightwing #136 and continuing in this week’s issue #137, which has seen legendary artist Denys Cowan joining writer Dan Watters on a tale that promises to ground Dick and his city in intriguing new ways. We caught up with Cowan and Watters recently, and they told us how they’re making Blüdhaven’s streets a little bit meaner…

Dan Watters

What's the elevator pitch for the next Nightwing storyline?

We’re taking it back to street level, in a really serious way, and leaning into who Nightwing is as a detective, as a guy who’s been raised by the World's Greatest Detective but is more empathetic than Batman. He thinks in terms of people's emotions and their motivations rather than the hard facts of the case. That's how he solves crimes. But we're also putting Nightwing through his own extremely stressful event that kicks off the whole storyline, which is eating him with guilt throughout the arc. So, there’s a lot going on there.

That empathy you're talking about seems to be what’s made the character such a favorite over the last few decades.

Yeah, absolutely. The fact that he can do everything Batman can do, but he isn't burdened the same way. He grew up with people. He grew up knowing he was loved. That's what Batman gave him that Batman didn't have. People love everything that works about Batman, and Nightwing gives them that but with a slightly more human element.

What’s informed the street level perspective you’re taking with the character?

I've written a lot of stories about Gotham, and I've been in Blüdhaven for a minute. But as a Brit who's moved to the U.S., I have started experiencing other kinds of cities that are more alien to me than Gotham is because Gotham's a very European-style city. So, part of this arc is me writing about going to places like Philadelphia or LA. Driving cities, something that I'm not as accustomed to, and I find compelling and strange and isolating in a slightly different way to a city like Gotham. That's part of what I'm interested in writing about.

I thought I had a handle on America before I moved here and then realized I didn't. I still don't think I do. But now I know more of what I don't understand. It's just very compelling for me to think about and talk about and write about. So, I hope that comes through in the book.

How has it been collaborating with Denys Cowan?

It's been an absolute dream. When [editor] Jess Berbey said to me, “Why don't we ask Denys Cowan if he wants to join us?” I was like, “You can ask him. There's no way in hell he's going to draw this.”

I was over the moon when he said yes. The Question is one of my favorite comics. It's one of the books that made me want to write comics. Every page that we get now is just astounding. We also have a great ink team, color team. It's such a pretty book and everyone's on the same wavelength with it. It feels like such a smooth collaborative process. I'm so excited about the book, so proud of it and how it looks. I couldn't ask for more.

How far ahead are you planning?

We released issue #136 in March, and I've just sent the outline in for issue #149. We're quite far in advance in terms of knowing where this story goes. It's a very episodic storyline we're telling, so every issue has its own story. There's a mystery in each issue as well as the larger mystery we're telling.

Denys Cowan

Dan has said you're both taking a street level approach to Nightwing. Is it in the tradition of your classic run on The Question?

Well, that's why they asked me to come on and join this excellent group, because they wanted that Question kind of vibe. When I heard that, I was frankly going, “What does the Question, in that world, have to do with Nightwing? I don’t get it.”

From what I knew of Nightwing, which wasn't a lot, I just knew he used to be Robin. Well, how does that have anything to do with the Question? Then when I saw the material that they wanted me to do, when I got Dan's wonderful first script, for issue #136, I realized it was a totally different direction from what I had seen in the stuff they had sent me. It was a darker book with a different kind of tone, so it was easier to plug into that part.

Having never drawn the character, having never really thought about him, I was able to do my version of his world. That's why the Question vibe came up, because that's something they wanted and that's something I could bring. But I didn't know how until I started doing it.

Can you whet our appetite for this next storyline?

It really focuses on Blüdhaven, where Nightwing lives. As with Hub City and the Question, we wanted to make the city a character that was vital to who Nightwing was, what he is now, and what he's going to become. In order to do that, there's a whole mythos about the city. There's a whole history to this city that’s never been explored, but Dan is exploring it. We're able to see how it affects everyone there, including Nightwing.

I like to say that every issue we've done is a mini movie. It really is 22 pages of a complete story, but it's also part of a larger story. So, you can read any issue and get a lot out of it, not necessarily having read the others. But if you read the others, you'll get a much fuller experience.

Is there a freedom in redesigning Blüdhaven, since it’s not as well known as Gotham?

Yeah, we get to build it from the ground up. Some people know more about Blüdhaven than I ever will, because it's been around. But I don't remember any visual thing about it that’s really distinct. It’s not Gotham City. They haven't made video games about it. There are no movies that feature Blüdhaven. So, I have a chance to make it up and invent that world from scratch.

Dan usually provides references about specific things that he likes embedded in the script. Sometimes they're architectural things. He'll give me visual cues that help in the design and help in the look. My job is to give him what he's looking for, and to plus it—to get that out of his head and onto the page for people.
 

Nightwing #137 by Dan Watters, Denys Cowan, Norm Rapmund and Francesco Segala is now available in print and as a digital comic book.