The Joker has been getting very personal with the Bat-family so far, and he isn't about to change up with Nighwing, as he is set to try to get to Grayson by targeting his ex-girlfriend Raya. Their showdown will take place at Amusement Mile - the place where The Joker terrorized Jim Gordon in
The Killing Joke, and where Dick has reopened Haly's Circus to try to bring some happiness back to that area of Gotham. Writer Kyle Higgins explains why he chose that particular place in an interview with Newsarama..
I chose that setting for two reasons. The first is what it means to The Joker. And the second is what it means to Dick. In terms of what it means to The Joker, this is the place where he terrorized Commissioner Gordon during Killing Joke. So Joker definitely has a connection to Amusement Mile. As far as what it means to Nightwing, to Dick Grayson, it's representative of Dick's bigger plans for Gotham City and Dick's place within Gotham City, trying to bring a little bit of light to an area of town that has been so hopeless. Being this beacon of light for Gotham has been his goal since the events of issues #8 and #9, where he learned he was supposed to have been a member of the Court of Owls. In "Death of the Family," Joker is targeting our characters' weaknesses, and their fears. The circus and Amusement Mile are representatives of the things that define Dick Grayson. He is fundamentally built on relationships and hope. He's one of the most social characters in the DCU. So if you put your faith and your trust in relationships and in hope, that's a pretty easy target at which The Joker can put this crosshairs."
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.