I really would like to see Dick be away from the Bat Family for a while

[Restingvoice]

Yes Grayson Agent of Spyral was actually very good ! Agent 37 ( don't know why that # ) but it actually worked. Only Bruce knew where Dick was and what was going on. I would actually be ok with starting that up again and have Tim Drake take over as Nightwing. Dick can always come back to Gotham for Events . I'd also like for Dick to team up with Damian more. Those two had a great run as Batman & Robin and great chemistry !!!

He first came to existence in Detective Comics #38. Spyral agents don't exist. So he is #37.

[TheKryptonMan]

He first came to existence in Detective Comics #38. Spyral agents don't exist. So he is #37.

Thanks for the info . I really should have known that about Dick & Tec #38 :-)

[Kid Devil]

I agree with this thread. It's nice to have Dick in Gotham but there are far too many Batfamily members now they they keeping adding on more and brining back the dead and those that left. Time to do some good old subtraction.

[Ascended]

I would not be upset in the least if another editorial office took control of Nightwing, or if his book simply got away from Gotham and street level stories for a while. But I think the notion that Dick needs to leave all that behind *completely* is a overreaction to DC forcing him into that niche for so long. No matter what else Dick is, he's a Bat and that's not a bad thing. It's only bad when DC pretends that is *all* he is.

The great thing about Nightwing is that although he's a powerless vigilante hero, he easily fits into virtually any subgenre you want. Want to throw Dick across the universe and embroil him in a Vega System civil war? He fits the story. Want to throw him onto Dinosaur Island for a survivalist tale? He fits the story. Murder mystery in Paris? He fits the story. Lost in time with Sherlock Holmes or Amelia Earhart? He fits the story.

Most street level guys don't tend to operate very well beyond those confines. Sure, you can get away with that kind of genre jumping in team books; everyone accepts the idea of Batman fighting space gods in the pages of Justice League, but Bruce's solo books rarely, if ever, delve into such territory. But Nightwing? He can do that in his own title and it works. It's something few characters manage to balance properly, and Nightwing is one of the few who can. And why DC refuses to lean into that is beyond me.

As for the OP's idea of Dick doing a Mandalorian with his own daughter across the face of DC cosmic? Sure, I'd read it. It'd be far more original than him fighting Blockbuster in Bludhaven yet again (and I like Dick fighting Blockbuster in Bludhaven).

[lemonpeace]

if we're being honest, ALL of the Batfamily need time apart to build themselves individually in the greater DC landscape. I think the increased concentration of "all hands on deck" Batfamily stories is weakening all of them as individuals because they all have to be watered down to some degree and/or some have to have severely deduced basically non-existent roles to fit in the story. they need a couple years where they all do their own things, some moving out of Gotham for their own cities and staying away, and just take the time to focus on building them all individually again; even allow them to crossover with one another from time to time. then, after some time, let the batfamily come together again but make it mean something and let them go back to their own thing. with Urban Legends and Detective now being less Batman focused, now would be the best time to focus on individual stories of each member in their own cities or niches. less focus on the Batfamily looking like a literal family and more on them feeling like a network of related heroes.

all of them have something unique to offer but when we concentrate them all into one pocket constantly they begin to feel homogenized under the same Gotham street-level umbrella.

[Lal]

if we're being honest, ALL of the Batfamily need time apart to build themselves individually in the greater DC landscape. I think the increased concentration of "all hands on deck" Batfamily stories is weakening all of them as individuals because they all have to be watered down to some degree and/or some have to have severely deduced basically non-existent roles to fit in the story. they need a couple years where they all do their own things, some moving out of Gotham for their own cities and staying away, and just take the time to focus on building them all individually again; even allow them to crossover with one another from time to time. then, after some time, let the batfamily come together again but make it mean something and let them go back to their own thing. with Urban Legends and Detective now being less Batman focused, now would be the best time to focus on individual stories of each member in their own cities or niches. less focus on the Batfamily looking like a literal family and more on them feeling like a network of related heroes.

all of them have something unique to offer but when we concentrate them all into one pocket constantly they begin to feel homogenized under the same Gotham street-level umbrella.

While I agree that some characters definitely need to be more involved in the DCU (especially Dick), the status of the DCU as a whole is really bad right now, and it seems that the Bat connection is more or less a life support system for many characters (and even with that bat-books like Batman and the outsiders and Batman beyond were relegated to urban legends or mini-series).

If we look at it, other than bat characters almost no heroes have solo books right now. I think we only have WW, Wonder Girl, and Superman. All the others have limited series that don't get too much attention, focus or readers.
As for the status of the team books, they aren't doing much better - both JL and Infinite frontiers aren't top sellers, TTA is struggling, GL is a low-selling title with similar sales to those of Catwoman, and checkmate is a disaster.

DC is trying a new direction with Red Hood, and I think it's a good idea. Nightwing has his own book, and Robin is outside of Gotham. Those three are probably the strongest candidates to have solid ongoing books outside of Gotham. However, how many other bat-characters have a fan base big enough to read their stories outside of Gotham? Maybe Tim and the Batgirls, but both had a hard time lately, and I'm not sure that removing them from their home base is a good idea.

So while I agree that many bat characters shine mostly when they aren't surrounded by other bat characters, I don't think there are many good options for that right now.

[Godlike13]

Hmm, this is not a simple issue. Dick is a part of another franchise outside of the Bat family. They just choose not to do anything with him cause "he has a solo", and the others need more attention. Though he still always has to be displayed upfront and present and is the only one they can't really afford to do with out. Whats more pretty much all his peers would kill for a stable and consistent place where they are showcased within their original franchise. While Dick is punished for it. Don't get me wrong, being part of the Bat family can also be punishing, but the grass isn't necessarily always greener. Grayson probably found the sweet spot. It still very much existed within the realm of the Bat family but also made it seem like he had more autonomy and was further reaching.

[Restingvoice]

Since Batman and Nightwing are the only ones to have their own cities at the moment, what I want is for half of the Bat fam to move to Bludhaven. There are enough of them to cover two cities and they already started by placing Tim there when he's not in Urban Legends.

However... the problem is... unlike Batman who has multiple books to portray Gotham, there are not enough books to portray Bludhaven... and while I think Nightwing can lead another book, since he's already in TTA and TU, Bludhaven doesn't have a percentage of the appeal that Gotham has.

Actually, Harley can help if she can move to Coney Island again. So now we have three areas to cover, and Harley can sell one extra book. Harley's had a Brave and The Bold type of series before, where she's paired with heroes from DCU, so 1/3 of the Batfam can guest star there, like the ones connected with Gotham City Sirens and the Birds of Prey.

In the near future, Red Hood will travel out of Gotham with his zombie band, and Bruce will go on a road trip with Damian, which in theory should leave Gotham to Jace, The Batgirls, Huntress, and so on, but he's sticking around in Detective Comics. Even Nightwing and Harley are there.

I wish Batgirls would be set in Bludhaven, since Babs and Dick are starting a relationship, or hey, Burnside. Four place now.

Anyway, without Tim, Bruce, Damian, Jason, Batgirls, Birds of Prey, and Gotham City Sirens, that leaves Kate, Luke, Jace, Jean-Paul, Clownhunter, Harper, Duke, and Ghost Maker. Enough new people or older people who doesn't have a book to fill Gotham stories, and the city itself has a brand to support the ones that don't.

So let's see

Traveling - Batman, Robin, Red Hood (Batman, Robin, Task Force Z)

Bludhaven - Nightwing, Red Robin (Nightwing)

Burnside - Batgirls, Oracle (Batgirls)

Coney Island - The Sirens, Birds of Prey (Harley, Catwoman)

Gotham - Azrael, Batwoman, Jace, Signal, Batwing, Bluebird (I am Batman, Urban Legends, Outsiders, Arkham City, Detective Comics)

Barely a difference in the number of series, but it's not too Gotham centric

[Lal]

Since Batman and Nightwing are the only ones to have their own cities at the moment, what I want is for half of the Bat fam to move to Bludhaven. There are enough of them to cover two cities and they already started by placing Tim there when he's not in Urban Legends.

However... the problem is... unlike Batman who has multiple books to portray Gotham, there are not enough books to portray Bludhaven... and while I think Nightwing can lead another book, since he's already in TTA and TU, Bludhaven doesn't have a percentage of the appeal that Gotham has.

Actually, Harley can help if she can move to Coney Island again. So now we have three areas to cover, and Harley can sell one extra book. Harley's had a Brave and The Bold type of series before, where she's paired with heroes from DCU, so 1/3 of the Batfam can guest star there, like the ones connected with Gotham City Sirens and the Birds of Prey.

In the near future, Red Hood will travel out of Gotham with his zombie band, and Bruce will go on a road trip with Damian, which in theory should leave Gotham to Jace, The Batgirls, Huntress, and so on, but he's sticking around in Detective Comics. Even Nightwing and Harley are there.

I wish Batgirls would be set in Bludhaven, since Babs and Dick are starting a relationship, or hey, Burnside. Four place now.

Anyway, without Tim, Bruce, Damian, Jason, Batgirls, Birds of Prey, and Gotham City Sirens, that leaves Kate, Luke, Jace, Jean-Paul, Clownhunter, Harper, Duke, and Ghost Maker. Enough new people or older people who doesn't have a book to fill Gotham stories, and the city itself has a brand to support the ones that don't.

So let's see

Traveling - Batman, Robin, Red Hood (Batman, Robin, Task Force Z)

Bludhaven - Nightwing, Red Robin (Nightwing)

Burnside - Batgirls, Oracle (Batgirls)

Coney Island - The Sirens, Birds of Prey (Harley, Catwoman)

Gotham - Azrael, Batwoman, Jace, Signal, Batwing, Bluebird (I am Batman, Urban Legends, Outsiders, Arkham City, Detective Comics)

Barely a difference in the number of series, but it's not too Gotham centric

Well, Harley already has her "eat, bang, kill" mini right now, and I don't think her ongoing is a great seller, so I'm not sure if she could lead another bat-book long term.
Maybe after her limited mini would end, DC would try a "Gotham city sirens" with Catwoman and poison ivy and some guest stars.

As for the main Gotham-based characters, I don't think it's a coincidence that Nightwing and Harley are staying in Gotham for the "Shadows of the bat" event (and that the book would still show Batman, whether in flashbacks or in real-time).
It would be quite weird if all the "leading" bat-members would suddenly vanish from Gotham once Batman is gone. Even without getting into how all these characters are committed to keeping Gotham safe, Harley and Nightwing are probably in the book to guarantee sales.

Tynion mentioned that he wanted to make Gotham into a mini-universe, with multiple books and teams. Right now it seems like DC is still committed to the idea and is trying to split some of the bat characters, even if they are all still located in Gotham. The batgirls would have their book, Azreal would be in "order of the world", Harper is with punchline, Duke with the outsiders. Tim would apparently work with Clownhunter (although I don't understand why would he), so it's very possible he'llll stay in Gotham. We also know that DC have plans for Ghost maker, and hopefully, it would be outside of Gotham. Jace and Luke or doing their own thing.

I think it could work, as long as all these characters are working in small teams most of the time, and only team together for major threats.

[Avi]

Not sure how I feel about Nightstar in an in-continuity title, but I would read OPs idea as a Black Label. In general, I would love to see Dick in space again.

I also think he is being tied down too much into the Gotham-sphere, and even if he isn't the only one with that fate right now, forcing him into the Blüdhaven corner has been an ongoing problem since Blüdhaven was forced to editorially return. SotB is just going to push him closer to Gotham.

As far as storytelling goes, Blüdhaven is a port city, so it would be easy to have an excuse to get Dick out of the city. He would get roped into international stuff from now and then naturally. Even without that Dick has connections all over the world, and some of those characters that belong to his story, so there is no excuse not using them.

Honestly the entire Ric story probably woulda worked better if he was off somewhere in space alone the entire time instead of Bludhaven.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. That Ric remained in Blüdhaven didn't make a lick of sense. A space adventure would have been funny. Alternatively, Ric searching for his roots with the circus or going to Paris because that's where his mom grew up would have also made sense for Ric "leave me the fuck alone" Grayson.

yeah something like Nightwing needing to work with Deathstroke on a mission in Japan, or midnight in Vegas, or vixen in Miami, or donna in new york! So much more interesting standard bat stuff, we got 2 batmen and 3 batgirls, a signal and a huntress all in books already doing that. just have nightwing guest in the batfamily books and events for your gotham style batfam interactions nightwing.

Let nightwing fly!

Yes, please!

[Iclifton]

While I wouldn't mind him not participating in Gotham tie in`s, I do think it is cool to get some good street level Nightwing stories. How many years has it been since we got a good street level story for the character? Grayson was amazing but to be honest, its the last high quality story the character has had. Even if you loved Seeleys Nightwing run, it was not very street level. And the arcs that were, were not very well written. One of the best parts of the character is he can work in multiple settings. Eventually, they will experiment again. Until then it is nice to actually have an A-list team try to tell a good Bludhaven based story, especially since it is the setting the most likely to be adapted if we get a film series.

[Rac7d*]

Duke is the one who should step away from the batfamily, I feel like we will never know the upper echelon of his abilities if he stays in gotham