Nightwing #139 - DC Comics

NIGHTWING No. 139, August 2026

Arguably coming across more like a televised crime drama than a comic book thanks to the soap opera police procedural tone of its narrative, Issue One Hundred And Thirty Nine of “Nightwing” surely held the attention of much of its audience. In fact considering just how closely the titular character is shown working alongside Blüdhaven’s autopsy specialist it’s easy to forget that a Judge has actually supplied the authorities with an arrest warrant for the masked vigilante, ; “I used to work as a pathologist in Gotham. Assisted Batman a few times back in the day. How far have you gotten?”

In addition, Dick Grayson’s investigation into one final unnamed corpse definitely leads the original Boy Wonder down a route few bibliophiles will have seen coming. True, the Catholic priest Bruce Wayne’s heir meets during a stormy night does appear to be particularly insightful – quickly deducing that the millionaire is really the Teen Titan whilst taking his confession. But the notion that the white-haired 'Man of God' is responsible for the cold-blooded murder of Nightwing’s final ‘sodden corpse’ definitely comes straight out of the blue, as does the costumed crimefighter's desperate plea for “an excuse to let you go free.”

Finally, this twenty-two-page periodical’s aforementioned opening in which the city’s “new prosecutor” boldy announces that she believes Grayson’s alter-ego to be a liar and a killer makes for a compulsive read, with the lady's fury at the hero daring to be “seen fraternizing with Superman” genuinely being palpable. Furthermore, it seems very clear that Miss Eastbourne’s contempt for the original Robin is already blinding her to just how thoughtful the man actually is – something which is shown when she brazenly declares he probably doesn’t even know the victims’ names who died in the recent pile-up on the super-highway, and Nightwing unthinkingly lists them off in his mind.

Lastly, Denys Cowan’s gritty-looking pencils really seem to suit this style of storytelling, with all the various sub-plots being pulled together by Francesco Segala’s sombre choice of colours. Of particular note is the sheer arrogance shown upon Miss Eastbourne’s face when she contemptuously makes her statement to the media which should make most onlookers instantly despise her, and definitely look forward to the solicitor’s fall from grace in an upcoming edition.

The regular cover art of "NIGHTWING" #139 by Jorge Fornes