In DC's ongoing Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths event, which ends with issue #7 in December, Nightwing and the Titans have played a prominent role in defending Earth-0/Prime against Pariah, Deathstroke, the Dark Army, and the Great Darkness.
And based on promotional art, Nightwing will continue to play a major role in the new editorial era known as the Dawn of the DCU, which launches in 2023 alongside Lazarus Planet, the New Golden Age, and a new era for Superman.
Although we don't know exactly what that means yet, Dark Crisis architect and writer Joshua Williamson tells Newsarama that Dick Grayson "does something really big" in issue #7 and that "he was the only person that could do it."
"I don't think you can do a story about legacy and not have Nightwing in a major role," Williamson says. "I was just talking to [Nightwing writer] Tom Taylor about some stuff this morning before we started doing this call, and I would say once you read Dark Crisis #7, then you can read Nightwing #100 and that will answer some of those questions about what his role will be."
"Nightwing #100 comes out in January and it actually takes place after Dark Crisis, so you'll be able to see some of those pieces of the role he plays. I don't want to ruin issue #7 completely... He's fine, in case anybody's worried."
Williamson explains, "Some of the emotional stuff in [Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths] #7 picks up again in Nightwing. It'll be interesting to see how it rolls out, because it isn't like Dark Crisis ends and all of a sudden, there's just major shifts in the DCU immediately. It's really part of a bigger plan for all of 2023 that you'll see carry over."
Nightwing #100 features a cover by series artist Bruno Redondo and colorist Adriano Lucas, spotlighting the Bat Family, the Titans, the Justice League, and more heroes from the DCU, with Dick Grayson front and center. That makes sense given it's his title, but the placement and overall concept seem to support our theory that Nightwing will take on a much larger leadership role heading into 2023. Nightwing writer Tom Taylor shared the Nightwing #100 cover on Twitter, though he didn't provide any commentary.
In addition to main cover by Redondo and Lucas, Nightwing #100 will also have a series of variant covers by Jim Lee, Jorge Jiminez, Javier Fernandez, Travis Moore, Babs Tarr, Jorge Fornés, Dan Mora, and Jamal Campbell. See them in the gallery below.
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 will be available November 8. And stay tuned to Newsarama for more from DC's January solicitations, coming Friday, October 21 at 12 p.m. ET.
Dick Grayson is one of the best legacy superheroes in comics.
