Nightwing 2022 Annual (Volume 4) #1 is an issue of the series Nightwing 2022 Annual (Volume 4) with a cover date of January, 2023. It was published on November 29, 2022.
Synopsis for the 1st Story
Decades ago in England, a nameless killer boards a ship bound for America, fleeing trouble in London. On the journey he meets a man named Gerald Chamberlain, who is heading to Gotham City to take a job as a butler for the wealthy Lyle family. He murders Gerald and steals his identity, then travels to Gotham to take the job with the Lyles, planning to win their affection and become a beneficiary of their will, then murder them for the money.
"Gerald" meets the Lyles: Charles, a cutthroat insurance executive who made billions denying payments to people who needed them; and Jane, his high-strung wife. He also meets their young son Shelton, a silent, seemingly emotionless budding psychopath who he recognises as a kindred spirit. Gerald is given sole responsibility for raising Shelton, as his parents are unable to control him; however, where Shelton's parents see a burden, Gerald sees him as a miracle. Gerald tries to nurture Shelton's psychopathic impulses, believing that he is a visionary in contrast to his banally greedy father. He takes him to slaughterhouses and the zoo at feeding time to see animals be eviscerated.
One day, Gerald takes Shelton to Haly's Circus. As usual the boy is impassive until suddenly trapeze artists John and Mary Grayson fall to their deaths. While everyone else is horrified, Shelton smiles. On the drive back home, Shelton is more animated than he has ever been, excited not only at seeing two people die, but also the pain of the people left behind, especially their son Dick Grayson. Gerald warns him not to tell anyone else, especially his parents, how he felt, as they will not understand. Shelton realises that Gerald does understand, and has the same impulses he does. From that moment they have a lasting bond.
After the day at the circus, Shelton comes out of his shell, becoming talkative and seemingly sociable. As he grows older he learns to use his good looks and charm to manipulate people, becomes popular at school and even manages to fool his parents into believing he has outgrown his violent tendencies. In reality however, he is still the same cruel boy he has always been. He becomes a bully and leads other teenage boys in victimising weaker kids. When Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson stand up to him, Shelton lets his mask slip and mocks Dick over the death of his parents, resulting in Dick knocking out his teeth.
Convinced that Shelton really has changed, the Lyles rewrite their will to leave everything to him. With Shelton's future assured, Gerald attempts to kill them by sabotaging their helicopter. However, to his horror, he discovers that Shelton is on the helicopter as well after it takes off. When it crashes he runs to the wreckage and pulls Shelton out, alive but severely injured and on the brink of death. Shelton's heart begins to fail but fortunately, Charles Lyle's heart is still intact, so Gerald forges an advanced directive to donate Charles' heart to his son. After the operation, Gerald spends days in Shelton's hospital room waiting for him to regain consciousness. When he does, Gerald tells him that his parents are dead and it is just the two of them now, to which Shelton simply replies "Good".
Over the next decade, Gerald and Shelton use his money to replace his damaged body parts with cybernetics, and create the persona of "Heartless". Shelton prowls the streets at night, murdering innocents and creating orphans to relive the moment when he saw the Graysons die at the circus.
In the present day, Gerald prepares to transplant Blockbuster's giant, super-strong heart into Shelton's chest, which will allow him to use his cybernetics to their full potential without risking heart failure. Gerald tells Shelton he couldn't be prouder of him if he were his own son, and Shelton replies that as far as he is concerned he is Gerald's son.
Appearing in the 1st Story
Featured Characters:
- Heartless (Shelton Lyle) (Real identity revealed) (Flashback and main story) (Origin)
Supporting Characters:
- "Gerald Chamberlain" (Flashback and main story) (Narrator)
Antagonists:
- Nightwing (Dick Grayson) (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
- Barbara Gordon (Flashback only)
- Blockbuster (Roland Desmond) (Flashback and main story) (Appears only as a corpse) (Cameo)
- Charles Lyle (Single appearance) (Dies in flashback)
- Flying Graysons (Flashback only)
- John Grayson (Dies in flashback)
- Mary Grayson (Dies in flashback)
- Gerald Chamberlain (Single appearance) (Dies in flashback)
- Jane Lyle (Single appearance) (Dies in flashback)
Locations:
- Atlantic Ocean
- United States of America
- Bludhaven
- Gotham City (Flashback only)
- Haly's Circus (Flashback only)
- England (Mentioned only)
- London (Mentioned only)
Items:
- Blockbuster's Heart
- Heartless' Gun
Vehicles:
- Lyles' Helicopter
- Ship
Synopsis for "Night Out"
Dick and Barbara Gordon go out, leaving Haley alone. While they are gone she fantasises about being the costumed hero Bitewing and saving her owner from supervillains.
Appearing in "Night Out"
Featured Characters:
- Bitewing (Haley the Dog/"Haley Grayson") (Also in a dream sequence)
Supporting Characters:
- Barbara Gordon (Also in a dream sequence)
- Dick Grayson (Also in a dream sequence)
Antagonists:
- Catwoman (In dream sequence only)
- Catwoman's Henchmen (Single appearance) (In dream sequence only)
- Mister Freeze (In dream sequence only)
- Poison Ivy (In dream sequence only)
Other Characters:
- Super Pets (In picture only) (Cameo)
- Ace the Bat-Hound (In picture only) (Cameo)
- Krypto the Super-Dog (In picture only) (Cameo)
- Mayor Zucco (In dream sequence only) (Cameo)
- Justice League (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Items:
- Giant Robot (In dream sequence only)
- Cryo-Suit (In dream sequence only)
- Mister Freeze's Ice Gun (In dream sequence only)
Concepts:
- The Green (Mentioned only)
Synopsis for "The Lesson"
Jon Kent accidentally injures someone in a fight and asks Nightwing to teach him how to fight without hurting people. Dick agrees but quickly finds that the Bat-Family's training methods are ineffective for someone with powers. He realises that Jon's fear of harming others is holding him back and so teaches him an acrobatic move to disarm someone safely, using a much gentler teaching method than Batman used on him.
Appearing in "The Lesson"
Featured Characters:
- Nightwing/Robin (Dick Grayson) (Flashback and main story)
- Superman (Jon Kent)
Supporting Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth (Flashback only)
- Batman (Bruce Wayne) (Flashback only)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Robin (Damian Wayne) (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Bludhaven
- Gotham City (Flashback only)
- Batcave (Flashback only)
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Heartless' story continues in Nightwing (Volume 4) #99.
- The "Night Out" story takes place before the events of Nightwing (Volume 4) #90.
- "The Lesson" story takes place after the events of Superman: Son of Kal-El #9.
See Also