Grayson #3 Review

Written by: Tim Seeley and Tom King

Art by: Mikel Janin

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: October 1, 2014

That's My Dick

I know that people have had mixed feeling on Grayson.  Heck, I'm one of them.  Nightwing is (was?) my favorite hero and his solo book was getting better and better before it was canceled as a result of what I think was a cheap gimmick at the end of Forever Evil. When Grayson was announced it was yet another slap in the face by DC and the first issues didn't dull the pain.  I can happily report that after this issue, the pain has finally gone away a bit.  It still stings, but if Seeley, King and Janin continue with issues like this, I may be able to finally move on.



This issue is pretty straight forward which is a good thing.  Dick is given a mission and him and his team go at it.  Their target is a guy who may have stepped straight out of a Metal Gear Solid game and the fact that he isn't a "bad" guy is used to show that neither is Dick.  In fact, this issue seems to be a direct response to this book's detractors.  The book may have changed, but Dick has not. He proves it throughout this issue and that seems to be the theme of the series going forward.  Thank God.

Things aren't all peaches and cream, though.  While I loved seeing Dick stick to his guns (or not), the overall story was pretty heavy handed.  Everything was too convenient and just a setup to show how great a guy Dick is. Then there was the dialogue.  I get that they are secret agents on a mission, but the com-link dialogue is overused and irritating.

The book ends with some revelations about Spyral's main mission and the powers that be getting close to discovering Dick's secret. Things are about to get real.

On a side note, with Spyral collecting all these body parts, does anyone get the idea there building something or someone.  Who could it be?!?

I can't say enough about Mikel Janin's art in this issue.  Everything looks great and he is a perfect match for this type of story.

Bits and Pieces:

Grayson #3 is an issue I can finally recommend to Nightwing fans.  It's a fun little action story with the appropriate grey areas that spy books love to dabble in, but in the end it's Seeley and King showing that they don't want to change Dick, just his situation.  Mikel Janin's art is stellar and is just another reason to give this book a try.  If you bailed or never jumped in, this is the issue to get back on the trolley.

8.4/10