1st Appearance of Nightwing: Tales of the Teen Titans #44

Dick Grayson first takes the Nightwing identity in Tales of the Teen Titans #44, cover-dated July 1984, after he retires as Robin (Wikipedia). The issue is part of "The Judas Contract" storyline by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez and also carries the origin of Deathstroke (PriceCharting). Dick himself is much older: he first appeared as Robin in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940), created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson (Wikipedia).

The name is older than Dick Grayson's use of it. In Superman #158 (1963), Superman calls himself Nightwing while fighting crime inside the bottled city of Kandor, with Jimmy Olsen as his partner Flamebird (Wikipedia). If you are after Dick Grayson's Nightwing, the book you want is Tales of the Teen Titans #44, not Superman #158.

PriceCharting values for Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (1984), based on recorded sales, retrieved September 25, 2026:

• Ungraded: $37.25
• CGC 4.0: $40.00
• CGC 6.0: $50.00
• CGC 8.0: $70.00
• CGC 9.2: $90.00
• CGC 9.8: $285.89

On eBay's product page for the issue we saw 161 listings, most raw copies asking roughly $35 to $70 (September 2026). Because 1984 copies survive in good numbers, grade matters more than scarcity here: a 9.8 is worth about three times a 9.2.

Dick Grayson got his own Nightwing comic in 1995. Wikipedia lists a four-issue miniseries from September to December 1995, written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Greg Land, followed in 1996 by a monthly series. PriceCharting dates the ongoing Nightwing #1 to October 1996 and lists it at $22.48 ungraded, $89.00 in CGC 9.2 and $242.60 in CGC 9.8 (retrieved September 25, 2026). Check the cover date and the indicia to tell the 1995 miniseries from the 1996 ongoing.

Dick Grayson has been played in live action by Burt Ward in the 1960s Batman series and film, by Chris O'Donnell in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, and by Brenton Thwaites in Titans (2018), where he moves from Robin to Nightwing (Wikipedia).

• Indicia: the small print on the first page or inside cover gives the title, issue number, date and publisher; reprints and facsimiles say so there.
• Cover price and barcode: a price or barcode that did not exist in the cover year means a later edition.
• Paper: decades-old newsprint tans at the edges; bright white pages on an old date are a warning sign.
• Restoration: color touch, trimmed edges and replaced covers are common on expensive keys; a grading service such as CGC or CBCS can detect them.

Shoot the front cover flat and straight on in even light, then the indicia and the back cover. Make sure the words Tales of the Teen Titans and the number 44 are both readable; the New Teen Titans and Teen Titans titles are different series. ComicLens reads the title, issue number and cover art from the photo, and there are free scans every day; the indicia photo settles most reprint questions.

Research and drafting were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed on this page. Prices are the figures shown by the named source on the date given; they change with the market.