http://wheremonstersblog.blogspot.ca/2012/11/episode-223-with-kyle-higgins.html

In a recent Podcast with Kyle Higgins, he hints at the future of Nightwing!

"Issues 17-18 are the fallout of the Joker story, and after that I don't think I can say; It's Exciting! I don't know when they will announce it, but when they announce it, it will be surprising! When you see why it happens you'll not only understand it, but you'll cheer for it to happen."

What could it be?

Maybe Bruce asks Dick to raise Damian?

Maybe he takes the mantle of Red Robin if Tim dies in Death of the Family?

Anyone have any ideas?

Why would he go back and take the red robin mantle?! Robin>red robin>nightwing>batman That's like batman saying he fancy being nightwing! Maybe red robin become nightwing tho but def not the other way around

How is this a hint at all?

"Something will happen. It will excite you."

Since the name of the book is Nightwing, I doubt he will take another moniker. If someone does die in DOTF, I bet that it will be Tim solely based on the fact that he doesn't have his on going.

@The_jackolantern: I hope he doesn't either. I was just throwing out ideas.

I hope the big announcement is Deathstroke in the book! I just didn't want to jinx it.

They aren't going to kill tim that would make the nerds go spaz.the hate would be to much. @nighwingdg Kyle Higgins would make deathstroke badass again. I hope your right

I really do think that anyone who wants Dick to "grow out" of his identity as Nightwing really doesn't understand the character at all....Dick taking over as Batman wasn't a step forward...it was a step backward...it would be the same if he were to take the Red Robin mantle

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/12/03/dc-comics-villains-month-the-prankster-in-nightwing/

If this is it, it's kinda disappointing

@Vitacura said:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/12/03/dc-comics-villains-month-the-prankster-in-nightwing/

If this is it, it's kinda disappointing

Theyre doing a Villains Month? I guess Riddler and Reverse Flash debut the same month then, right?

@JLDoom:I'm not sure. Here are more details but nothing about Reverse Flash and something not definitive about the Riddler. http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/11/29/dc-comics-brings-on-the-bad-guys/

@Vitacura: Interesting... thanks for the link!

@danhimself said:

I really do think that anyone who wants Dick to "grow out" of his identity as Nightwing really doesn't understand the character at all....Dick taking over as Batman wasn't a step forward...it was a step backward...it would be the same if he were to take the Red Robin mantle

So much this

Im not sure what should be the direction.

What I know is that they do need one.

They had some good stories (saiko) but it seems as though as soon as the book picks up momentum ..it screeches to a halt because of a batman tie in.

Don't get me wrong I loved NOtO & am currently enthralled by DotF but they really do cause harm to the bat family books as it relates to telling their own tales.

If it it isn't him reconnecting with his old friends, like Wally, Donna or Cyborg, after whatever hell the Joker is going to put him through then I honestly can't say I would be excited about it. As long as he is still isolated in that little corner of Gotham barely interacting with anyone then I am not going to be that impressed.

Also him getting the Prankster as his "villain" if true is kind of disappointing. He just seems like a bad knockoff of the Joker and Riddler, who Batman is fighting/about to fight.

^YES! Get Donna and Wally back into the universe and I won't complain about anything for a good while.

Hmmm. Very interesting.

..a Superman villain..

Paragon in a different incarnation was also a Superman character.

@Vitacura: no that would be incredibly disappointing. The one chance to give Nightwing a villain he deserves and its the Prankster?! if thats the case, then i will not be picking that up

@wessaari: I was thinking the same thing; What a let down. I really don't see people rushing to the stands to pick up Nightwing vs. the Prankster.

@Nightwingdg said:

Maybe Bruce asks Dick to raise Damian?

Maybe he takes the mantle of Red Robin if Tim dies in Death of the Family?

Anyone have any ideas?

I do believe ppl have better ideas

That is so vague that it is nearly impossible to guess. I don't even have a clue.

@arnoldoaad: I would hope so. I was just throwing things out there for discussion. It must be surprising, and we would cheer for it. I personally would hate it if he became Red Robin, but I know some comic fans have a hard-on for Nightwing to be Red Robin.

I figured a Nightwing and Robin(Damian) book would be a surprise too and I'm sure a lot of people would be happy for them to have a book together.

i really dont think they would take Nightwing from his identity and give him Tim's i just dont see how they would justify that at all. ( would it go like this " hey the Joker killed Tim.... Sooo i'm just going to take his costume because i am so sick of being an established and original hero") Like that?

Writers have tendency to think anything we do is going to be exciting.

I dont think that Dick will be killed or change his moniker.

I really don't see him becoming Red Robin and then by proxy become a member of the Teen Titans.

@BatWatch said:

That is so vague that it is nearly impossible to guess. I don't even have a clue.

This.

Higgin's isn't really giving anything to go by, so we aren't in a great position to speculate.

I'd like to see Nightwing go to train with Shiva......

@vernierhawk001: thats a very interesting thought, and i think i would like to see that

@LuigiBat said:

@BatWatch said:

That is so vague that it is nearly impossible to guess. I don't even have a clue.

This.

Higgin's isn't really giving anything to go by, so we aren't in a great position to speculate.

I'm going to guess, just on instincts and common sense, that Dick will continue to be Nightwing. There will be some emotional fallout, but he is still going to be the same basic character a year after Death of the Family.

@vernierhawk001 said:

I'd like to see Nightwing go to train with Shiva......

@wessaari said:

@vernierhawk001: thats a very interesting thought, and i think i would like to see that

I can't think of how that would happen...unless my theory about Dick killing Joker comes true, but otherwise, I can't see Grayson training with a murderer.

@The_jackolantern said:

Why would he go back and take the red robin mantle?! Robin>red robin>nightwing>batman That's like batman saying he fancy being nightwing! Maybe red robin become nightwing tho but def not the other way around

lol

James Gordon Jr was a great villain in The Black Mirror for Dick. This should be revisited. Kyle talked a lot about Nightwing not having a Joker equivalent, James is really the best option and never was a Bruce-Bat villain. The Court of Owls with Cobb and Calvin Rose could be explored more. He hints at a few things being explored within that series as wel.

He really hinted at the Talon book about finding the remaining Talons and eliminating them. Maybe the Talons prevail and Nightwing makes it his personal mission to wipe them out. That would be a really great story and would really establish His Great Grandfather William Cobb as his Nemesis.

Ok, I'm getting really excited.

@BatWatch: Dunno....I'm trying to figure out about what Shiva's cryptic words meant.

Also, what if whatever happens at the end of DOTF pushes him in the direction of doing more...edgy things

@vernierhawk001 said:

@BatWatch: Dunno....I'm trying to figure out about what Shiva's cryptic words meant.

Also, what if whatever happens at the end of DOTF pushes him in the direction of doing more...edgy things

It could be, but honestly, I do not particularly want to see Grayson as an edgy character. I like him as the nice guy of the Batman family, yet Higgins has hinted towards some Major Changes Coming Dick's Way.

@danhimself said:

I really do think that anyone who wants Dick to "grow out" of his identity as Nightwing really doesn't understand the character at all....Dick taking over as Batman wasn't a step forward...it was a step backward...it would be the same if he were to take the Red Robin mantle

I respectufully disagree....sort of. I agree that claiming the Red Robin mantle would be a step backwards. And I don't have a problem with him in the Nightwing suit for now. I would like to think that I do understand the character, on some level, but still see him taking over the cowl someday. I know some of the arguements against this (and have engaged in debates on this topic in other threads) but still think it is a natural progression

@BatWatch said:

@vernierhawk001 said:

@BatWatch: Dunno....I'm trying to figure out about what Shiva's cryptic words meant.

Also, what if whatever happens at the end of DOTF pushes him in the direction of doing more...edgy things

It could be, but honestly, I do not particularly want to see Grayson as an edgy character. I like him as the nice guy of the Batman family, yet Higgins has hinted towards some Major Changes Coming Dick's Way.

It will be interesting to see how he comes out of this. I'm not necessarily saying that Dick would turn into an assassin (that would never happen....I would cry "foul") but I do think that an angry Dick might accept an offer to train with her if she offered. Or maybe he even just accepts the offer to train with her out of a desire to be a better hero himself (the solicits hint that he will have doubts in his abilities, right?)

Why would dick raise Damien? Maybe joker will die!?

@vernierhawk001 said:

@BatWatch said:

@vernierhawk001 said:

@BatWatch: Dunno....I'm trying to figure out about what Shiva's cryptic words meant.

Also, what if whatever happens at the end of DOTF pushes him in the direction of doing more...edgy things

It could be, but honestly, I do not particularly want to see Grayson as an edgy character. I like him as the nice guy of the Batman family, yet Higgins has hinted towards some Major Changes Coming Dick's Way.

It will be interesting to see how he comes out of this. I'm not necessarily saying that Dick would turn into an assassin (that would never happen....I would cry "foul") but I do think that an angry Dick might accept an offer to train with her if she offered. Or maybe he even just accepts the offer to train with her out of a desire to be a better hero himself (the solicits hint that he will have doubts in his abilities, right?)

Good thought. I like that.

So what do you think could happen that would make Dick doubt his abilities?

Maybe he doesn't doubt his abilities, but he realizes he has alot more to learn. He's learned everything he can under Bruce, and to take on William Cobb and the Talons he will have to take himself further than ever. To fight killers you must learn from the master of killing.

He is "The Fiercest Killer in Gotham".. if you carry a moniker that badass there should be a rule in place about not honoring it. Do it Dick, DO IT NAO.. KILL THE JOKA

@Nightwingdg said:

Maybe he doesn't doubt his abilities, but he realizes he has alot more to learn. He's learned everything he can under Bruce, and to take on William Cobb and the Talons he will have to take himself further than ever. To fight killers you must learn from the master of killing.

I have to somewhat agree. Bruce learned from master assassins and basically did everything aside from killing people outright, I can't help but feel that when training Dick and the others he left out certain things that he trained on when being mentored by others such as Ducard. Given that in the New 52 its become something of a regular ocurrance for Bruce to be wrong about things or misguided in his judgement I wouldn't find it hard to believe that he inadvertently limited aspects of the Robin's training, lets face it if he'd trained them to the levels he himself trained for there wouldn't have been so much for Jason to go off and do upon his resurrection.