Nightwing's Beach "Costume" Turns Up the Heat (But It's Missing 1 Feature Fans Love)

Summary Nightwing's latest swimsuit cover fails to showcase his famous backside — but it's still a fun homage to Dick Grayson's playfulness.

Despite the playful and energetic depiction, Nightwing's rear is oddly obscured in the image.

The absence of Nightwing's celebrated rear is at odds with DC's history of leaning into the meme.

Ever the showman, Nightwing is as eager as ever to show off in DC's latest round of swimsuit variant covers. However, fans of Dick Grayson won't be able to help but notice that, this time around, readers have been sadly robbed from seeing the best butt in all of the DCU.

Belén Ortega's swimsuit variant cover for Nightwing #117 puts Nightwing on full display, showing off his athletic physique as he vaults over a tree to kick at a beach ball, the picture of summer fun. Ortega's cover is one in a series of swimsuit variant covers that will be featured in a number of DC releases throughout August 2024.

NIGHTWING #117 (2024) Release Date: August 21st, 2024 Writers: Tom Taylor Artists: Bruno Redondo Cover Artist: Bruno Redondo Variant Covers: Bruno Redondo, Stevan Subic, Serg Acuña, Jason Geyer and Alex Saviuk, Belén Ortega While Dick connects with the ghost of his past, “Nightwing” takes to the streets to defend his honor. But how can he be in two places at once? And what shocking revelation does Dick learn when confronted with the truth behind his parents’ deaths? The “Heartless” saga continues in the penultimate chapter of this celebrated run!

The cover perfectly captures Nightwing's relaxed and playful energy, but only depicts Nightwing from the front. While still a flattering image, this is an odd choice for a pinup-style Nightwing cover, considering that Dick Grayson has the most famous rear end in all of DC.

Related Even Nightwing's Haters Admit He's Got An Amazing Butt Nightwing's butt is so famous in DC Comics that not even Grifter in Batman: Urban Legends #5 can deny that it is a great addition to his character.

Nightwing's Swimsuit Variant Cover Is Missing His Greatest Asset

The History of DC's Greatest Butt

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Nightwing's fantastic backside is a well-known meme among the DC fan community, to the point where DC Comics even posted a picture of it in 2022 to celebrate National Superhero Day. Gail Simone, Nicola Scott, Doug Hazlewood, Jason Wright, and Travis Lanham are credited with sparking the meme back in 2009 with Secret Six #9, in which Nightwing poses with his glutes on full display after breaking up a fight between Bane, Catman, Ragdoll, and some goons. Since then, it's rare to see a pinup or playful moment involving Nightwing that doesn't highlight his rear end.

While certainly a playful subject, the hubbub around Nightwing's rear is a reversal of decades of male gaze and the sole objectification of female characters in comics. While there are comparatively fewer examples of male bodies being presented in a titillating light, characters like Nightwing and Captain America (who, thanks to his portrayal by Chris Evans in the MCU, brought "America's ass" to thousands of Avengers fans) show how comic readers welcome the admiration (and sexualization) of the male physique, especially when it's done with a self-referential air.

Nightwing's Butt Was Meant to Be Celebrated

Nicola Scott's 2022 Swimsuit Variant Cover for Nightwing #95

Ultimately, this is all to say that after years of celebration, it's a mild disappointment to see a swimsuit cover for Nightwing that obscures rather than accentuates his backside, especially after previous swimsuit covers have leaned into the meme. The swimsuit cover for Nightwing #117 is still fantastic, and a wonderful display of Nightwing's character, energy, and physique; but DC knows how beloved Nightwing's rear has become, and it's a shame to see them miss such a wonderful opportunity to show him off.

Nightwing #117 is available August 21st from DC Comics.