Grayson #7 Review

Written by: Tim Seeley and Tom King
Art by: Stephen Mooney
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: February 4, 2015

Cover Me Goose

I am a huge fan of Grayson.  There, I said it.  Why am I making such a loud declaration?  Mainly because I seem to be one of the few Nightwing fans who feel that way.  I know where they are they coming from...DC took away a really good Nightwing book to give us Double O Dick, but unlike some, I gave it a chance.  I really didn't have a choice as I was assigned to review it, but I'm so glad I did.  Sure, it's a spy book on the surface, but underneath, it's so much more.  It's an action movie come to life, it's a pop culture reference machine, but most important of all, it's a celebration of Dick Grayson.  So, if you are a Nightwing fan, a Robin fan or just a Dick Grayson fan, don't avoid this book because of some grudge you have against certain powers that be because you will just be cutting off your nose to spite your face.  Okay, I'm done the I love Grayson P.S.A. and will get on with my review.


Last issue pushed the series forward a whole lot.  We got Helena finding out about the Fist of Cain's plan for the Paragon Brain (it's not good) and Dick fighting Midnighter, losing his Hypnos and finding out he's in Space in a station called the Godgarden.  It was all so good.  This month picks up with Helena being all Top Gun while heading to Tel-Aviv with plans on stopping the Fist's evil plan.  On the way, she gets a little Grayson intel.

I was hoping that Dick getting his Hypnos stolen by Midnighter was a way for him to cut loose from Spyral for a bit. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case.  When Helena takes a look at the last things recorded by Dick's Hypnos, she sees Midnighter and hatches a plan.  It's one of those, "so crazy it just might work" plans that fans of the action/spy genre love so much.  While Dick pleads his case with the Oracle wannabe, Gardner, Spyral uploads the Fist of Cain's plans into Midnighter's brain.  After seeing what they are planning, he is ready to change sides and go help.  He grabs Dick and opens a door to Tel Aviv.

Everyone reading this loves that hip new band, Sin by Silence, right?  I don't care how many people are at their Tel Aviv concert or if Dick loved them as a kid, their song lyrics suck and their lead singer, Clutch, is a real tool.  That's not here not there, because they are Fist of Cain and they have the paragon brain.  Their concert is the beginnings of the Fist's plan of creating massive violence.  I was genuinely happy when Dick, Midnighter and Helena showed up to bust up the party.

While Helena and Midnighter work crowd control, Dick heads to nab the Brain.  The reason Dick is the man for the job is yet another example of why this book is great for Dick Grayson fans.  Another example is how Dick goes about getting the Brain.  He kicks, punches, maintains his moral code and gets the job done.

The issue ends with  Dick having a fun little conversation with Batman and an even better one with Helena.  It also looks like Midnighter will be out of the book for a while (maybe forever), which is a shame because I'm just starting to like him here.  I really wish he would just join Spyral and team up with Dick and Helena.

After such a great issue last month, this one was a bit of a disappointment.  After so much great setup, this issue felt a little flat.  It started right from the beginning, where I look forward to crazy cold openings each issue.  this one didn't have one and I felt a little cheated.  That feeling continued throughout the issue with everything feeling rushed or not fully developed.  This was a rare miss for such a great book.

I haven't been too disappointed by Stephan Mooney's art in his past appearances, but that's not the case here.  Like the book in general, the art just felt off.  Sure, I may be comparing it to Mikel Janin's awesome art, but this issue looked unfinished at points. There are some nice panels, but that just makes the bad ones stick out even more.

Bits and Pieces:

Like I said, every Dick Grayson fan of any kind should read this book.  Just don't start with this issue.  That advice is not only because you won't know what the heck is going on, but this is the series weakest issue so far.  The story and art both felt off, but the issue still showed the reader how great Dick is as a hero and a man.  Grayson is still my favorite book, just not this issue.

6.8/10