Debut Issue of Nightwing’s New Dog Sidekick Sells Out

Potential spoilers for Nightwing #78 ahead!

Nightwing has a new direction at the dawn of Infinite Frontier, one that has resonated with fans, and thanks to a solid creative team and a clever marketing ploy, issue #78 is heading back for another printing. This will give readers a chance to meet Nightwing’s new canine friend and get their hands on a new variant cover.

The issue is part of DC’s Infinite Frontier publishing initiative. Spinning out of the events Dark Nights: Death Metal and Future State, Infinite Frontier serves as a “refresh” for the DC Universe, sending iconic characters is new directions. So far, readers have watched The Flash join the Justice Incarnate, and Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad invade Earth-3. Many of these books have also received new creative teams. These reinvigorated titles have proven popular with readers, drawing critical acclaim and huge sales. In just one week of release, Nightwing has proven to be one of the most popular, thanks to a strong creative team as well as a fun promotional gimmick involving Nightwing’s new dog. Fans who missed out on the magic the first time can now experience it thanks to a second printing, with an all-new cover.

A press release from DC reveals that Nightwing #78 was so popular that the publisher is giving fans even more. The issue, by the new creative team of writer Tom Taylor and artist Bruno Redondo, sees Nightwing and Barbara Gordon, who is now semi-retired from the role of Batgirl, return to Nightwing’s old stomping grounds of Blüdhaven. The two saved the life of a small, three-legged stray dog, and Nightwing reluctantly takes the pup home. The dog, nicknamed “Bitewing” by the fan community, has proven especially endearing and DC has set up a special poll on their DC Universe Infinite platform between now and March 30, allowing fans to help formally name the dog by picking between four options: Haley, Shadow, Blue, and Hope.

The buzz around Infinite Frontier has been strong, and the fan response to Nightwing’s new direction has kept it going. Part of the initiative’s goals is to set new directions for DC’s most iconic heroes, and Nightwing, who has been through the wringer more than once over the last few years, finds his by going backwards—back to Blüdhaven and back to Barbara Gordon. Yet it never once feels like a retread, but instead a reminder of everything that makes Nightwing a great character in the first place—and saving the life of a helpless dog shows this. Taylor and Redondo understand what drives Nightwing, and fans have responded.

The second printing of Nightwing #78, by the regular creative team of Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, and colorist Adriano Lucas, and featuring a brand new cover by Redondo, will be on sale April 27.

Source: DC

About The Author

Shaun Corley
(1377 Articles Published)

Shaun Corley is a pop culture enthusiast living in the Pacific Northwest. After stints in both customer service and academia, he’s turned his attention to writing about comic books–his lifelong passion. He is a graduate of Radford University, with a degree in English. When not reading comics, he enjoys spending time with his fiance and their dog.

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