'Batman': Did DC Comics Just Kill a Major Sidekick?

To say that Batman has bad luck would kind of be an understatement. Deep, personal losses seem to be as iconic to the character as is his cape, cowl, and the Batcave and things lately have been particularly rough, with his marriage to Catwoman falling apart and his recent crisis of faith and now it looks like he might just have lost another sidekick.

WARNING: Spoilers for Batman #55 beyond this point. You've been warned.

With the trial of Victor Fries/Mister Freeze over and Bruce Wayne/Batman trying to get beyond his issues of faith as well as the collapse of his romantic relationship, Dick Grayson/Nightwing was back. While Dick's attempts at cheering Bruce up may not have worked all that well, the interaction between the pair in Batman #54 was a solid reminder of just how well the two heroes are paired and the strong personal relationship between them.

It also turns out that Batman #54 was a set up for yet another tragedy for Bruce Wayne. Throughout Batman #55 we continue to see Nightwing and Batman patrolling Gotham, but we also see KGBeast quietly show up. As you might guess, that's not a good thing for the Dark Knight, especially since the last time we saw KGBeast, he was hired by Gotham's crime lords to hunt him down in All-Star Batman. This time, though, it's not exactly Batman that the villain is gunning for.

It's Nightwing.

Batman and Nightwing respond to the Bat Signal and are standing on the roof of the Gotham City Police Department talking with Commissioner Gordon when KGBeast, using a sniper rifle he purchased by sidestepping background checks, shoots Nightwing in the head. The issue closes with Gordon calling for help, but things looking pretty bleak for Dick -- and Batman whose record with sidekicks is notoriously bad.

But...is Nightwing really dead? Probably not. It's likely that the events of Batman #55 will carry over to the upcoming Nightwing #50. There's an arc in that title that will see Nightwing "die" leaving only Dick Grayson. There's even been teaser art showing Dick with a scar on his head in roughly the same place where he's seen to be shot. With that in mind, what's likely here is that Dick will survive the shooting but will lose his memory in the process. While on one hand that is a relief as Batman won't have another dead former Robin to grieve, if Dick really does lose his memory entirely, Bruce will lose someone close to him just the same.

It's a loss that couldn't come at a worse time for Bruce as he is continuing to struggle and, if the Mister Freeze situation is any indication this could very well be bad news for the villains of Gotham as well.

What do you think Nightwing getting shot will do to Batman? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Batman #55, written by Tom King with art by Tony S. Daniel, is available now.