Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940, Dick is the original and most popular incarnation of Robin, Batman's crime-fighting partner – together known as the Dynamic Duo.

Since then, as Bruce's eldest son, Dick has taken on an older brother figure to his male successors as Robin – tearaway Jason Todd, teenage prodigy Tim Drake, and trained assassin Damian Wayne, who is also Batman's biological child.

Teen Titans establishes many of the character's most significant partnerships, including with his best friends Wally West (Kid Flash), Donna Troy (Wonder Girl), and Roy Harper (Speedy), and his other longtime romantic interest, the alien princess Starfire.

[14] In the stories that followed tended to feature Grayson reckoning with themes of identity, family, loss, history and legacy, as he established himself as a different kind of Batman; more concerned with inspiring hope than fear.

During this period, Dick Grayson as Batman also features as the leader of the Justice League, joined by former Titans and Outsiders teammates Donna Troy, Jesse Quick and Jade, in a run by the writer James Robinson.

Dick Grayson is re-established as Nightwing following DC's Flashpoint crossover event, after which the publisher relaunched all of its titles and made alterations to its continuity as part of an initiative called The New 52.

[16] His origin story remains the same (Bruce Wayne takes him in upon his parents' murder by Zucco) except that Dick prodigiously talented at reading body language, allowing him to deduce Batman's secret identity upon their first meeting.

[18][19] Following the event, Dick decided to keep Haly's Circus in Gotham and plans to invest in turning an abandoned amusement park into their new location without Bruce's money.

He works with Sonia Branch, the daughter of Tony Zucco, the crime boss who murdered Dick's parents, into getting a loan for this plan by investing his entire trust fund despite being a high-risk due to Saiko's recent attack.

The problems arise because of the guilt Sonia feels towards her father's actions[19] and many members of the circus are afraid for their lives because of the previous disasters and accuse Dick Grayson of being a flake, making it hard for those who choose to stay.

[22] Written by Tim Seeley and former CIA counter-terrorism officer Tom King, the career change for Dick Grayson comes from the urging of Batman himself, who convinces him to remain dead to the world.

After the storyline, Dick meets with the restored Batman, assuring Bruce that, unlike Mother, he never forced his ideas on them, but simply gave them all an example that they chose to emulate while avoiding following it so exactly that they became like him.

When the Court of Owls plant a bomb inside Damian Wayne, they can blackmail Dick into officially joining their organization, although all sides are aware that Grayson intends to try and use his new position against them.

[25] Starting with the DC Rebirth relaunch in 2016, Dick returned to being Nightwing with his black and blue costume, his Spyral contacts having wiped all global evidence of his dual identity and the bomb removed from Damian.

[39][40] Returning to his role as Bludhaven's protector, Grayson is informed by Barbara Gordon that he has been bequeathed a fortune by Alfred Pennyworth, accumulated during his years of service to the Wayne family.

Tom King Mikel Janín Frau Netz was characterized by her intelligence and skills as a scientist, having invented the nanite technology used by Spyral and having given up her dreams of singing to follow in her father's footsteps.

Tom King Mikel Janín While initially appearing to be Dick's ally, she later impersonated him as she goes about killing other spies around the world, gaining the attention of the Syndicate and secretly implicating Grayson.

Tom King Mikel Janín Having been disturbed by the supernatural and extraterrestrial findings and conspiracies witnessed during her tenure in T.H.E.Y, she would come across an opportunity to arm humanity against conflict by experimenting with Paragon's stomach, an enhanced organ that contained the powers of the Flash.

In the Grayson title, Kathy (real name Katrina "Luka" Netz) has since stepped down from her role as "Headmistress" and inherited the codename of Agent Zero to act as the secret spymaster and leader of Spyral behind the scenes.

Seeing an opportunity to have Dick Grayson in her ranks, she allowed Minos to assume the role of Director in Spyral, knowing his actions would eventually concern Batman and the now outed Nightwing.

[25] Over time, Dick Grayson became a master of at least a half dozen martial arts styles with an emphasis on Savate while also favoring Arnis (Escrima)[51] and is considered second to Batman in terms of fighting abilities.

[52][54] His fighting ability and potential is enough to have garnered praise from other fellow martial artist and fighters such as Lady Shiva,[19] Deathstroke[55] and Ra's al Ghul, the latter whom bestowed the "Detective" title to in response to his defeat in a sword duel by Grayson.

[61] As a former apprentice to Batman, Dick Grayson is highly intelligent and is considered a world-class detective, possessing knowledge on forensic science and criminology while holding an advanced degree for the former.

Although it is not comparable to Bruce Wayne's wealth, it has been enough to maintain his Nightwing equipment, purchase the rights to Haly's Circus (saving Dick's former home from financial troubles),[66] and secretly buy his former Blüdhaven apartment building at 1013 Parkthorne Avenue.

Specifically tailored to his style of fighting, Nightwing's costume had fewer body-armor inlays than Batman's, anticipating a decreased need for shock absorption and an increased capacity for motion.

The third costume, with its stylized blue "wing" across his shoulders and extending to his hands, coloring his two middle fingers over a black bodysuit, made its first appearance in Nightwing: Ties That Bind #2 (October 1995), and was designed by the cover artist Brian Stelfreeze.

Their relationship was passionate and relatively easygoing for the next four years until New Teen Titans #17 (February 1986), where Kory was called back to her home planet Tamaran and forced into a political marriage with the Tamaranian prince Karras.

In the Elseworlds mini-series JLA: The Nail, Dick Grayson (as Robin), along with Barbara Gordon (as Batgirl), is tortured to death by the Joker with his Kryptonian gauntlets, driving Batman temporarily insane after he witnesses their ordeals and demise.

In the comic book continuation of the television series Smallville, Dick is Barbara Gordon's boyfriend, who becomes her successor as Nightwing and Batman's replacement partner after she becomes a Blue Lantern.

Unlike previous depictions, Dick was never Bruce Wayne's ward and protégé as Robin and has referred that he was a former circus acrobat-turned-police officer before becoming Batman's new partner, in the ranks of detectives within the Gotham City Police Department.