DC Comics Rebirth Spoilers & Review: Nightwing #17 With A Grotesque Deathwing, Multiversity & New Robin For Batman?

Spoilers, Top Story

DC Comics Rebirth Spoilers and Review for Nightwing #17 follow.

Notice that the preceding cover is a take on the New 52 era’s Nightwing #1?

Anyhow, the DC Comics Rebirth Deathwing finally encounters Nightwing (the first Robin Dick Grayson) and Batman’s current Robin (his son Damian Wayne).

Interestingly this Deathwing moves and sounds like Dick Grayson / Nightwing.

In battle Deathwing tears a gasp in Nighwting’s forward that…

…either allows him to have a “Hypertime” or “Multiversity” sense where he looks into alternate Earths or just causes him to hallucinate. (As an aside, from left side to right side, that appears to the original 1990’s Deathwing, an adult Robin as a member of the Justice Society in the 1970’s, Talon and the Elsworlds’ Thrillkiller Robin.)

In the midst of the battle, Damian Wayne Robin has been trapped by Deathwing, but another Robin takes on Deathwing?

Damian Wayne / Robin frees himself from his confines and he tries to have Nightwing / Dick Grayson snap our of his delirium. His Multiversity sense kicks in and we see various versions of Damian Wayne / Robin or Nightwing is hallucinating again. (From left side to right side, that appears to be Damian Wayne’s first appearance as an assassin, future Damian Wayne as Batman 666, current Damian Wayne, hipster Damian Wayne from somewhen, and the first appearance of Damian Wayne as Robin.)

Nightwing snaps out of it and he and Robin assist faux Robin as Deathwing loses and retreats.

We learn that this new Robin believes himself to be Damian Wayne / Robin, but is really a kid named Danesh who has been grotesquely augmented and manipulated by…

…Professor Pyg!

So…

A pretty engaging issue. I’m hooked on this Deathwing and curious who he really is. Am also intrigued by Nightwing’s visions; are they hallucinations or Multiversity / multiverse / hypertime visions? Mysterious, dramatic and action-packed story with grainy art that suits the story. I couldn’t name all the versions of the Damian Wayne / Robin in the visions, but that didn’t impact my enjoyment of the issue. 8 out of 10.

John is a long-time pop culture fan, comics historian, and blogger. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief at Comics Nexus. Prior to being EIC he has produced several column series including DEMYTHIFY, NEAR MINT MEMORIES and the ONE FAN'S TRIALS at the Nexus plus a stint at Bleeding Cool producing the COMICS REALISM column. As BabosScribe, John is active on his twitter account, his facebook page, his instagram feed and welcomes any and all feedback. Bring it on!