After fourteen issues of carefully escalating tension, Dan Watters finally detonates his long game. Nightwing #132 is the explosive culmination of the Cirque du Sin storyline and one of the most powerful chapters in Dick Grayson’s modern history. Brutal, emotional, and visually stunning, this is an issue that doesn’t just push the narrative forward it violently shatters the hero’s status quo.

If the previous issue foreshadowed tragedy, this one floors the accelerator. And Dexter Soy proves he’s operating at the absolute peak of his artistic form.

Nightwing at the Edge

Nightwing-Prime remains in critical condition at Titans Tower after the kryptonite attack. The boy’s fragile state destabilizes Dick completely. This is no longer the composed leader trying to “do things by the book.” When Oracle informs him of more missing children and the recurring Zanni drawings, something inside him snaps.

This isn’t an investigation anymore. It’s a hunt.

Watters masterfully pushes Dick toward darkness without stripping away his humanity. We see Bruce’s intensity in him but filtered through Grayson’s empathy. This is the “first son of Batman” at his most unsettling: focused, relentless, and terrifyingly determined.

The Showdown with Olivia – Personal and Symbolic

When Nightwing crashes through the window of Olivia’s office, the scene bursts with raw energy. She’s wearing an inverted red version of his suit, complete with an upside-down bird emblem. The symbolism isn’t subtle it’s a declaration of war.

Olivia Pearce reveals that Dick’s previous suit tracked all his movements, allowing her through a neural link to perfectly replicate his fighting style. It’s a brilliant concept: a villain who not only understands the hero psychologically but has literally copied his body mechanics.

And Dick? He ignores her villain monologue. He only wants one thing Zanni.

Their duel races across rooftops and onto a speeding train. The choreography here is pure adrenaline. Soy draws Nightwing with incredible presence elastic, menacing, almost predatory. It’s one of the coolest portrayals of Dick in years.

Olivia – A Dark Reflection of Robin

Then Watters plays the card that leaves your jaw on the floor.

As a child, Olivia placed herself inside a deadly trap to lure Robin, believing it was his duty to save her. The heroes never knew she was there. The trap worked and instantly decapitated her.

What we’ve been seeing all along was something far worse.

The scene where Olivia begins peeling the skin from her face is among the most horrifying moments in the series. Beneath the mask lies a rotting visage. And then Zanni peers out from inside her skull and crawls out through her mouth.

This is full-blown horror.

Watters crafts one of the best hero–villain dynamics in recent memory. Olivia is simultaneously a child still asking for help and a twisted adult manipulator. “Do you like the red? I thought I could be Flamebird.” It’s master-level psychological provocation designed specifically to break Dick.

And that was the plan all along.

The Public Execution of a Reputation

When a news helicopter floods the scene with light, Zanni visible to Dick but invisible to cameras uses a traditional slapstick to manipulate reality. The viewers at home see only one thing: Nightwing standing over the mutilated body of a girl in the pouring rain.

And when Dick touches Olivia, her head snaps clean off.

Live television. A hero turned murderer. The children who adored him watch in horror.

This isn’t a cheap twist. Watters has been building toward this for months. Zanni has systematically dismantled everything Dick stands for. Now he destroys his reputation in the most spectacular way possible.

The music of the Cirque du Sin echoes across the city.

Nightwing has walked directly into a perfectly laid death trap.

Zanni – The Best Nightwing Villain in Years?

Zanni is elusive. Sometimes he manipulates reality like a god. Sometimes he feels like an angel of death. Other times, he resembles a grotesque clown straight out of a nightmare. And that ambiguity is precisely what makes him terrifying.

Neither Dick nor the reader truly understands what he is. And how do you fight something you can’t comprehend?

He may very well be the most compelling Nightwing antagonist in a long time.

The Art – Absolute Top Tier

Dexter Soy reaches new heights here. The backgrounds are rich with detail, the action fluid, the panel composition cinematic. Rain, city lights, helicopter beams every element reinforces the mood.

Zanni is drawn as larger than life, dominating panels even when he should technically be average height. It’s a subtle but brilliant artistic choice.

The face reveal? Pure illustrative horror.

This may be the best-looking issue of the entire run.

Is This Watters’ Best Issue?

Yes.

Without question.

Fourteen issues of buildup culminate in an explosion that was worth the wait. Watters proves he can not only construct complex intrigue but also deliver a satisfying, shocking climax.

If the following issues maintain this level, we may be witnessing one of the strongest modern Nightwing runs.

Final Thoughts

Nightwing #132 is dark, shocking, and emotionally devastating. Horror, psychological drama, and high-impact action merge into an almost perfect package.

It’s the kind of comic that leaves you sitting in silence for a moment.

And then desperately needing the next issue.

Pros

+Phenomenal Olivia twist

+Zanni as one of the best Nightwing villains in years

+A fierce, emotionally raw Dick Grayson

+Stunning, cinematic artwork by Dexter Soy

+A satisfying payoff to long-term buildup

+Stakes raised to a devastating personal and public level

Cons

– The horror elements may be too intense for some readers

– One joke (“holy Batman”) slightly undercuts the tone

– Some side plots (like Titans Tower) still need fuller resolution

Score: 9/10

Dark, shocking, and masterfully executed. One of the strongest issues of Watters’ run and potentially one of the most memorable Nightwing stories in recent years.