As “Night of the Owls” finally descends upon Gotham City and the Batman family, Nightwing #8 serves as a prelude that shows the promise of major ramifications and revelations throughout this crossover event.

This issue prominently features a back story for a Court of Owls assassin, a Talon, which is irrevocably linked to Nightwing by blood, but because of a supposed betrayal, this Talon is out to kill Dick Grayson.

One must acknowledge the talents of writer Kyle Higgins and his understanding of the history of Dick Grayson’s character. Since the beginning of his run on NIGHTWING, he has truthfully rendered Nightwing as an intelligent, competent, and fully realized character of moral fiber. Higgins’ has shown us exactly what Gotham means to Dick Grayson and Nightwing alike, and vice versa, but now he brilliantly shows us what Gotham means to a Talon.

The strengths of this book’s storytelling does not end with Higgins’ writing. Eddy Barrows’ art is unconstrained beauty. And Rod Reis’ color palette is masterful. He creates distinct moods and tones which not only accentuates the story, but breathes life and emotion to this book.

This is far from a contrived crossover tie-in. This is a natural progression to Dick Grayson’s character and story. It is important to note that although “The Court of the Owls” may be a Batman-centric tale at its core, if the quality of this issue can be replicated crossover wide there is little doubt that outcome of this event will felt for years to come, especially for characters such as Nightwing.

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