Nightwing's best girl gets her very own Year One in the upcoming Nightwing 2022 Annual, which explores the life of the happy three-legged pitbull puppy Haley -- better known as Bitewing.
Written by Tom Taylor with art by Eduardo Pansica and Julio Ferreira, Nightwing 2022 Annual dives into Haley's first year alongside Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon, who have reignited their on-again, off-again relationship in the current Nightwing series and are caring for the pup together. Aside from Haley's backup tale, the annual also features a main story about a villain wearing a platinum mask named Heartless, who collects the hearts of his victims and also appears on the annual's cover.
Who Is Bitewing?
Nightwing met Haley in Nightwing #78, which kicked off Taylor and artist Bruno Redondo's ongoing run on the series. A group of thugs were chasing after Haley, kicking her around like a ragdoll and throwing rocks at her when Dick came to her rescue. Dick told the thugs that their idea of fun disgusted him and, after the head of the gang pulled a gun on him, a fight ensued. After roughing up the thugs, Dick approached Haley and she instinctually bit him in response, causing him to reflect on the tough nature of Blüdhaven and how it compared to Gotham City. "Blüdhaven doesn't have the madness of Gotham...it's just cruel," he said. "And the problem is cruelty teaches cruelty... This poor girl has come through a lot and doesn't trust anyone. I remember that well."
Dick intended to drop Haley off at the Blüdhaven pound, but Barbara Gordon visited him, fell in love with the puppy and talked him out of it. She pointed out, "You're so well-known for turning your back on innocent creatures in need. The second she came through that window, this became her forever home. Just accept you have a fur baby now, Dick Grayson."
Barbara gave Haley the name Bitewing shortly afterward. Haley has since become a fan-favorite mascot for Nightwing and a frequent star on variant covers for the series, even donning her own version of Dick's standard blue domino mask from time to time. While dogs have been associated with the Bat Family in the past -- notably Ace the Bat-Hound, who debuted in 1955's Batman #92, and Titus, a Great Dane who first appeared in 2011's Batman and Robin #2 -- Bitewing is the first canine to belong to Dick Grayson specifically.
Nightwing 2022 Annual goes on sale Nov. 29 from DC Comics.
Source: DC