Kyle Higgins was born June 12, 1985, and grew up inHomer Glen, Illinois. At the age of seven, Higgins saw the 1978 feature filmSuperman, which began his passion for both comic books and filmmaking.[1]
After two years of studying film and creative writing at theUniversity of Iowa, Higgins transferred to the film production program ofChapman University inOrange, California, from which he would graduate. In late 2006, he began an unpaid internship with the Donners' Company, which provided him with the opportunity to work withRichard Donner, who directed the film that introduced Higgins to comics and filmmaking.[1]
After writing and directing his college thesis film titledThe League,[1] about the superhero labor union of 1960's Chicago, Higgins spent a year writing forMarvel Comics before authoring the back-up features for the 2010 editions ofDetective Comics Annual andBatman Annual. The stories introduced the Franco-Islamic characterNightrunner, who he co-created with David Hine and caused some controversy.[2] Higgins stayed on the Batman brand, co-writing the five-issueBatman: Gates of Gotham withDetective Comics scribeScott Snyder which delved into the history of Gotham City.
When DC rebooted their entire line in 2011 withThe New 52, Higgins wroteNightwing, often interlinking arcs with Snyder, who moved toBatman.[3] Higgins also wrote the first eight issues ofDeathstroke in September 2011.[4] Higgins began writingBatman Beyond 2.0, a DCU version of the character from the DCAUanimated seriesBatman Beyond, for DC's digital-first line.[5] In January 2014, it was announced that Higgins had joined the writing team forBatman Eternal following his work onNightwing, which ended in March 2014.[6]
In January 2014, Higgins announcedC.O.W.L., his first creator-owned ongoing series withImage Comics.[7] The series, co-written by Alec Siegel and featuring art byRod Reis, revisited the world created by Higgins inThe League.C.O.W.L. explored superheroes from the lens of union organization, and featured an early-1960s aesthetic, noir overtones, and political drama. The series debuted in May 2014, and its first issue sold out of its initial print run.[8] The series concluded in July 2015, with issue 11. Announced at Image Expo 2015, their next collaboration was the eight-issue sci-fi murder mysteryHadrian's Wall,[9] which debuted in September 2016, which he will direct the film adaptation for theGunpowder & Sky sci-fi labelDust.[10]
In late 2015, Higgins was announced as the writer ofMighty Morphin' Power Rangers, an ongoing comic based onthe show of the same name forBoom! Studios.[11] Issue 9 of the comic introduced "the first new official Mighty Morphin Power Ranger created in over 20 years",[12] Lord Drakkon.[13] The character's popularity soon led to inclusion in mobile fighting gamePower Rangers: Legacy Wars, an exclusive action figure,[14] and other merchandise. Beginning in March 2018, Higgins wrote the firstPower Rangers comic book event in "Shattered Grid", incorporating a range of characters from across the show's history, to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary. Higgins later wrote the story for the video gamePower Rangers: Battle for the Grid, also acting as the game's voice director and providing the voice of the Mastodon Sentry. He would later be replaced as head writer of the comic byMarguerite Bennett,Ryan Parrott and Melissa Flores.
Higgins' next short film,The Shadow Hours, premiered in August 2016. StarringTom Riley andBritt Lower, the award-winning neo-noir follows twin private investigators born with a mysterious medical condition where only one of them can be awake at a time.[15]
In March 2017,Dynamite Entertainment announced a reboot of theMagnus, Robot Fighter franchise, written by Higgins with art by Jorge Fornés.[16] Although released to strong reviews,[17] the series was ultimately cancelled at issue 5. Higgins also reunited with hisGates of Gotham collaboratorTrevor McCarthy forNightwing: The New Order, anElseworlds-style miniseries set in an alternate universe in which superpowers have been eliminated and outlawed. Despite initial fan criticism of the premise,[18] the series was ultimately well-received, with many reviewers comparing the book positively to Marvel's concurrentSecret Empire event.[19][20][21]
In early 2018, Higgins announcedThe Dead Hand, a creator-owned series for Image Comics with art by Stephen Mooney. A spy comic about a Cold War secret that returns to threaten the world, the series debuted in April 2018.[22]
In March 2020, it was announced that Higgins and Mat Groom would be writing a newUltraman series, titledThe Rise of Ultraman, with art by Michael Cho, Francesco Manna. The series began publication on September 9, 2020.[23] Later that year, it was announced that a sequel,The Trials of Ultraman, would begin publication in March 2021, with Higgins and Groom returning as writers and Manna returning as artist.[24] A third series,The Mystery of Ultraseven, was announced to begin publication in August 2022, with Higgins and Groom returning as writers and Davide Tinto serving as the artist.[25]
In November 2020, it was announced that Higgins was writing another creator-owned book for Image Comics entitledRadiant Black, with art by Marcelo Costa. The series officially began publication in February 2021.[26] The series would grow so popular, that it would expand into its own universe of books dubbed "The Massive-Verse". It all started with a one-shot crossover entitledSupermassive, written by Higgins, Ryan Parrott, and Mat Groom with art by Francesco Manna and Simone Ragazzoni. The comic served as a crossover between Radiant Black, Inferno Girl Red, and Rogue Sun, with the comic marking the first appearances of the latter two. The first of these new books to spawn out of this would be the titleRogue Sun written by Parrott and drawn by Abel, with its first issue releasing on March 2, 2022.[27] The first official spin-off of Radiant Black would release on March 9, 2022, entitledRadiant Red, with the miniseries written by Cherish Chen and art byDavid Lafuente.[28]
In April 2021, it was announced that Higgins would be writingOrdinary Gods for Image with Felipe Wantanabe providing artwork. The series began publication in July 2021.[29] In August 2021, it was announced that Joe Clark, music composer and long time friend of Higgins, would be joining as a permanent co-writer starting with issue 4.[30]
In May 2021, it was announced that Higgins would write a miniseries onDarkhawk for Marvel, with Juanan Ramirez serving as artist. The first issue debuted on August 25, 2021, with the fifth and final issue releasing on January 12, 2022.[31]
In July 2024, it was announced that Higgins was set to make his feature-lengthdirectorial debut withI Am No/One, a film adaption of the comic seriesNo/One co-written and co-created by Higgins. He is also set to co-write the screenplay withNo/One co-writer and co-creator Brain Buccellato, with the film set to be both a recap of the comic series and its companionpodcast,Who is No/One?, while also serving as the final chapter in this multi-narrative experience.[32]
