Nightwing #81 finally sees Nightwing’s new canine partner Haley receive a codename that fits absolutely perfectly.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Nightwing #81 by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas & Wes Abbott, on sale now.
Ever since she first appeared in Nightwing #78, the three-legged puppy lovingly nicknamed “Bitewing” has captured the hearts of comics fans. Though a fan poll decided that her name would be Haley, many fans still refer to her by her other name, and it seems now the Bat-Family will too.
After Nightwing faced down his newest adversary, Heartless, his new canine companion was worried about him. Barbara Gordon and Tim Drake told him this and in doing so coined Haley’s superhero codename, Bitewing. Dick can’t help but admit that Bitewing is a great name for his new friend but feels the need to remind everyone that her name is Haley. Dick’s present company points out that everyone in the room has two names (three in Barbara’s case) and so Bitewing is essentially Haley’s Bat-Family codename.
Haley isn’t the first pet the Bat-Family has had. She isn’t even the first dog. The very first Bat-Family pet was Ace the Bathound. Ace was created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff following the popularity of Superman’s dog, Krypto, and first appeared in 1955’s Batman #92. Though Ace didn’t appear too often, the character has proved popular over the years. The second Bat-Family dog came during Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleeson’s run on Batman and Robin. Titus, a great dane, was a gift from Bruce to his son, Damian. Damian initially didn’t want Titus but soon bonded with the dog, which may have inadvertently turned Dick Grayson’s former Boy Wonder into an animal lover.
Damian has had a number of pets since he got Titus. Though some are part of non-canon comics, like Jerry the Turkey from Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs’s L’il Gotham, the majority of them have been part of DC’s main continuity. Two of these pets were introduced during the New 52 run of Batman Inc. by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham. Batman Inc. #1 introduced the unforgettable Bat-Cow. Damian saved the cow whilst out on a mission, announced he was now vegetarian, and dubbed the cow Bat-Cow. The second pet, introduced in Batman Inc. #6, was a cat gifted to Damian by Alfred. Damian named the cat Alfred Pennyworth after Alfred in a move that wouldn’t cause any confusion in the Batcave.
The final Bat-Family pet of note is Goliath, Damian’s pet Dragon Bat. Created by Patrick Gleason for the Robin: Son of Batman series, this large winged creature was Damian’s first pet. Though he had to leave baby Goliath when he went to Gotham, when Damian returned he found Goliath all grown up and considerably larger. Goliath accompanied Robin on many of his “Rebirth” adventures, including with the Teen Titans.
With Dick Grayson’s former Robin being the reason why so many pets call the Batcave their home, perhaps Damian’s love of animals has rubbed off on his former partner. Though Nightwing insisted that he wasn’t going to keep his new canine companion, she now has a name and a secret identity too. Bitewing is here to stay and she’ll find no better home than with her new partner Nightwing.
About The Author