Nightwing's Sidekick Is the Perfect Tribute to His Name's Unlikely Origin

screenrant.com:

Everyone knows Nightwing is the former Boy Wonder Dick Grayson, but how many are aware of the origins of his name as a Kryptonian hero? In fact, Grayson’s recent adoption of his dog Haley winds up paying tribute to the original Nightwing in a roundabout way.

Although Dick Grayson adopted the moniker “Nightwing” after outgrowing his little green Robin booties, the legacy of the name goes back much further than that. The first Nightwing to appear in DC Comics goes back to 1963’s Superman #158, in which Superman and Jimmy Olsen shrink down to visit the bottle city of Kandor. While there, the two don a pair of costumes obviously inspired by Batman and Robin, and begin fighting crime as Nightwing and Flamebird. When the time came for Grayson to strike out on his own, the former Boy Wonder took inspiration from Superman and Olsen’s time in Kandor, and took the name Nightwing as a tribute to the Man of Steel.

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In his own series, Dick Grayson’s Nightwing has recently adopted a pitbull puppy named Haley. Grayson’s also taken to calling her his sidekick, giving her the nickname of “Bitewing.” While adorable, this also pays tribute to the original incarnation of Nightwing in a rather roundabout way. The original Nightwing and Flamebird had their own crime-fighting pooch named Nighthound. A telepathic dog kept in a Kandorian kennel, Nighthound made his first and only appearance in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #69. The story sees enemies the Superman Revenge Squad causing havoc in Kandor. Superman and Jimmy Olsen shrink down to investigate, and find themselves up against the telepathic dog. However, Nighthound saw the goodness in Jimmy Olsen’s heart, and ultimately