Death of the Family is underway and Joker has targeted those closest to Batman. We've seen some of what Joker has been doing in the pages of BATMAN but soon he will be turning his attention to Dick Grayson/Nightwing.
We had the chance to ask NIGHTWING writer Kyle Higgins some questions specifically about the Death of the Family tie in issues in 15 and 16 and what the future holds for the series.
Comic Vine: So far in Death of the Family (in other titles), we haven't really seen too much death. Will we be seeing death in NIGHTWING?
Kyle Higgins: With Joker's interaction with Nightwing, there will be plenty of death. You will see death in issue #15 and then more death in issue #16.
CV: Dick's been trying to make the Haly's Circus work, will this be something he continues to try to do?
KH: Well, that depends on issue #16. Haly's Circus, I don't want to give too much away here, holds a special place in Dick's heart. It's a connection to who he used to be. It's also his way of holding onto a place in Gotham, bringing light to a very dark place in the city in the present day. Dick's not going to be giving up on Haly's Circus anytime soon. It's definitely something we'll be dealing with, especially with the events in issue #16.
CV: Dick has a strange relationship with Sonia Zucco because of her past, is she a character you will continue to develop?
KH: Oh yeah. I've been a fan of Sonia since Scott [Snyder] introduced her in his epic run. I think she's really a testament to one of Dick's greatest strengths in my opinion. He's not someone to dwell on the past. He's progressively looking forward. Sonia takes this ability to have interactions with in a business and social sense. His ability to have that and be okay with it and not just view her as the daughter of the man that killed his parents I think is a testament of what makes him so unique in the DC Universe.
CV: What about Raya? Will we be seeing more of her after her betrayal in issue #7?
KH: The end of issue #14 features her in a very prominent way. It's a safe bet to say she will be factoring into upcoming issues of NIGHTWING in a very big way, in a very significant way.
CV: Because of the New 52, what sort of relationship does Dick have with Joker? Dick doesn't seem to have the same sort of grudge that Barbara or Jason would have.
KH: I think that's actually what makes Joker so scary. The fact that Dick has seen what Joker has done to Jason and Barbara, Dick is not going to be taking Joker lightly. Having gone through these big experiences with the fallout of Barbara being shot, Jason dying, even as Joker's been terrorizing Batman the past few years, Nightwing is very much on guard.
CV: Joker is really Batman's nemesis. Will you be giving Nightwing his own?
KH: Yes. We actually have plans coming up as a result of this arc. The way the book is going to be…there's going to be a lot of changes coming to the book as a result of issue #16. There's things that Joker is putting Nightwing through. The way that Nightwing chooses to deal with said events and the fallout that happens will be the start of things to come. It'll be kind of a new direction. There are some characters coming up that I'm hoping will resonate with readers as far as creating a new dynamic between Nightwing and them that will build over time in a rivalry. Very much in the same way as Batman has his Joker, we have plans going forward to build some very serious threats for Nightwing.
CV: With Dick and Jason in Gotham because of Death of the Family, will there be any time to talk about Starfire? Any plans for a crossover anytime soon?
KH: [laughs] No. All Starfire conversation will be put on hold. I don't know if Dick knows that Jason and Starfire are hanging out. That conversation will be tabled for another day.
CV: What is Nightwing's greatest strength?
KH: I think Nightwing's greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. I've said this before, he's a character who is in constant motion both emotionally and literally. Being able to move on from things that hurt him, past tragedies, is something that is very desirable. I wish I could do that. But at the same time, something we saw in issue #0, if you keep moving on from things, that's actually a big negative as well.
CV: Would Nightwing ever go back to the disco costume?
KH: Nightwing will never go back to the disco costume. No.
Be sure to pick up NIGHTWING #15 on December 19, and issue #16 on January 23, 2013.