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Grayson
Grayson, Vol. 5: Spiral's End
The entire world is caught in a secret spiral of war and one man stands at the center ... Dick Grayson.
Corrupted from within, the all-powerful clandestine organization called Spyral is at war with itself, as rival agencies Checkmate and the Syndicate send their deadliest, most dangerous agents to wipe it from the face of the earth.
Spyral’s own Agent 37, Dick Grayson, is the only person skilled enough to stop the slaughter from spiraling out of control, but he’s being hunted by the very organization that trained him—and both Spyral and Helena Bertinelli, the woman he loves, will live or die depending on his next move…
Dick Grayson’s tenure at Spyral comes to a close in GRAYSON VOL. 5: SPIRAL’S END, by writers Tom King (BATMAN), Tim Seeley (NIGHTWING), Jackson Lanzing (BATMAN ETERNAL), Collin Kelly (BATMAN & ROBIN ETERNAL) and artist Roge Antonio (THE JOKER: ENDGAME).
Collecting: Grayson #17-20, Annual #3 and Nightwing: Rebirth #1.
Corrupted from within, the all-powerful clandestine organization called Spyral is at war with itself, as rival agencies Checkmate and the Syndicate send their deadliest, most dangerous agents to wipe it from the face of the earth.
Spyral’s own Agent 37, Dick Grayson, is the only person skilled enough to stop the slaughter from spiraling out of control, but he’s being hunted by the very organization that trained him—and both Spyral and Helena Bertinelli, the woman he loves, will live or die depending on his next move…
Dick Grayson’s tenure at Spyral comes to a close in GRAYSON VOL. 5: SPIRAL’S END, by writers Tom King (BATMAN), Tim Seeley (NIGHTWING), Jackson Lanzing (BATMAN ETERNAL), Collin Kelly (BATMAN & ROBIN ETERNAL) and artist Roge Antonio (THE JOKER: ENDGAME).
Collecting: Grayson #17-20, Annual #3 and Nightwing: Rebirth #1.
159 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 10, 2017
5 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Tim Seeley
1,647 books609 followersTim Seeley is a comic book artist and writer known for his work on books such as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, The Dark Elf Trilogy, Batman Eternal and Grayson. He is also the co-creator of the Image Comics titles Hack/Slash[1] and Revival, as well as the Dark Horse titles, ExSanguine and Sundowners. He lives in Chicago.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
December 17, 2020
(B) 74% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Simply sloppy, a clumsy, cheat code, cram conclusion, far too fast and plot-amassed, it's twisty-turny ploy profusion.
Notes: Simply sloppy, a clumsy, cheat code, cram conclusion, far too fast and plot-amassed, it's twisty-turny ploy profusion.
August 8, 2019
I thought this was a good ending Dick's time as a Spyral agent.
Without the stupid crossover that messed up the beginning of the last volume, Spiral's End is a fast-paced, fun send-off for the characters and a nice goodbye to Richard Grayson's life as a spy. As much as I've enjoyed Seeley's story, it was time for Dick to go back to being Nightwing.
And I like that this title didn't overstay its welcome.
Helena (now Huntress), Midnighter, and The Tiger were all pretty great characters that added a lot to this title, and I'm glad they all got some well-deserved page time in the finale. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this thing from start to finish.
Annual #3 was a great addition that had a good amount of heart and soul, and also added a nice bit of finality to the volume.
Each of the characters reminisces about a time this mystery man popped up in their lives in an effort to figure out just who he was. Very cool ending.
Recommended for fans of Nightwing and Agent 37!
Without the stupid crossover that messed up the beginning of the last volume, Spiral's End is a fast-paced, fun send-off for the characters and a nice goodbye to Richard Grayson's life as a spy. As much as I've enjoyed Seeley's story, it was time for Dick to go back to being Nightwing.
And I like that this title didn't overstay its welcome.
Helena (now Huntress), Midnighter, and The Tiger were all pretty great characters that added a lot to this title, and I'm glad they all got some well-deserved page time in the finale. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this thing from start to finish.
Annual #3 was a great addition that had a good amount of heart and soul, and also added a nice bit of finality to the volume.
Each of the characters reminisces about a time this mystery man popped up in their lives in an effort to figure out just who he was. Very cool ending.
Recommended for fans of Nightwing and Agent 37!
June 19, 2020
This confusing mess of a series finally comes to an end. Otto Ness's brain somehow gets dumped into Helena Bertinelli's head until it gets transferred over to Dick's and then everything is suddenly all better and Dick gets his secret identity back so he can became Nightwing again. I really hope we never see Spyral again. Tom King couldn't even be bothered to stick around and clean up his own mess.
January 7, 2017
[Read as single issues]
This final volume of Grayson sees writers Tim Seeley and Tom King and artist Mikel Janin having to jump ship so that they can get started on their Rebirth titles, leaving the final arc of the series in the more-than-capable hands of Jackson Lanzing and Colin Kelley. It's a tough job to try and wrap up the complex web that King and Seeley have woven, but they do a decent job of it.
The final resolution can be a bit too clear cut, but it feels like a chapter of Dick's life that will continue to influence him going forward. We then get a final annual which sees a few different characters recount their experiences with Dick while he worked at Spyral, which is great stuff.
Roge Antonio draws most of this volume, and while he's very different to Mikel Janin, he's proven himself very versatile on a variety of other Bat-books recently. Grayson ends with a well-deserved bang.
This final volume of Grayson sees writers Tim Seeley and Tom King and artist Mikel Janin having to jump ship so that they can get started on their Rebirth titles, leaving the final arc of the series in the more-than-capable hands of Jackson Lanzing and Colin Kelley. It's a tough job to try and wrap up the complex web that King and Seeley have woven, but they do a decent job of it.
The final resolution can be a bit too clear cut, but it feels like a chapter of Dick's life that will continue to influence him going forward. We then get a final annual which sees a few different characters recount their experiences with Dick while he worked at Spyral, which is great stuff.
Roge Antonio draws most of this volume, and while he's very different to Mikel Janin, he's proven himself very versatile on a variety of other Bat-books recently. Grayson ends with a well-deserved bang.
December 14, 2024
I have always liked Dick Grayson, except maybe the Lego Batman version.
But here he is, all growed up, and some of my fondness is waning. Will the supervillains and uber-spies never learn? Nightwing/Robin is going to kick your ass, so give up now and save the pain.
This last collection in the Grayson, Agent of Spyral just seemed one long repetition of "ho ho, now the tables have turned, foolish former Robin!" and it wore a little thin.
But here he is, all growed up, and some of my fondness is waning. Will the supervillains and uber-spies never learn? Nightwing/Robin is going to kick your ass, so give up now and save the pain.
This last collection in the Grayson, Agent of Spyral just seemed one long repetition of "ho ho, now the tables have turned, foolish former Robin!" and it wore a little thin.
April 4, 2017
Grayson could have been a brilliant series had Seeley slowed down. The volumes were so fast that the plot was often confused and it was hard to maintain a connection to the characters (other than Dick, of course). It was a great premise, but lackluster execution. Volume 5 really isn't much different than the rest. Things with Spiral come to a head with... some weird supernatural climax. Very current DC, alas. Everything is wrapped up in a neat little, doesn't make any sense what-so-ever bow, but hey, Nightwing is back! I'll miss the spy years, though I hope the poor lad gets some better writing soon...
June 21, 2020
Great conclusion to a good series! I liked these spy stories way more than I thought I would. And these issues help solidify Nightwing's current character in Rebirth. The last story in this volume was my favorite as it recounted how Constantine, Green Lantern, and Harley Quinn all had run-ins with Agent 37 but couldn't remember who he really is.
February 15, 2017
This could have been better but it wasn't bad. A good enough way to wrap up a fun series. On to Nightwing: Rebirth and I guess?
September 25, 2016
The last volume in the Grayson series wraps up Dick's time in Spyral with an action-packed, international adventure. The writers decided to out with a bang and packed as many characters, situations, jokes, a new song, and as many explosions as they could fit into the plotline. It's quite a page-turner.
The problems with scene connectivity I'd had in the beginning are back - due perhaps to the change in writers for the last issues - but still not major enough to take away from the fun.
As usual, it's the Annual issue that takes the best in show ribbon. A handful of heroes and villains get together to tell their tales of adventures with a mysterious Agent 37 and it's brilliantly told and illustrated in a style that fits each character.
I'm sad to see Dick's forays into the spy world end, but the first issue of Nightwing Rebirth sets up an interesting plot line and promises to keep Dick Grayson in the DC Universe, so we'll see what happens next.
Side note: This review is based on individual issues, but there's usually not many differences between them and the final book.
The problems with scene connectivity I'd had in the beginning are back - due perhaps to the change in writers for the last issues - but still not major enough to take away from the fun.
As usual, it's the Annual issue that takes the best in show ribbon. A handful of heroes and villains get together to tell their tales of adventures with a mysterious Agent 37 and it's brilliantly told and illustrated in a style that fits each character.
I'm sad to see Dick's forays into the spy world end, but the first issue of Nightwing Rebirth sets up an interesting plot line and promises to keep Dick Grayson in the DC Universe, so we'll see what happens next.
Side note: This review is based on individual issues, but there's usually not many differences between them and the final book.
July 10, 2018
I'm sad to see this series end. While occasionally hard to follow, it was a joy to read most of the time! Grayson is such a gem and it's just nice to read a book that makes me smile. I wish this volume had been a little better executed. I read the previous volume not that long ago and I was still pretty confused as to what was happening here. But that being said, there were several bright spots:
So, sorry to see this series go but it was a fun ride!
So, sorry to see this series go but it was a fun ride!
October 22, 2017
Well... that was fast.
And now it's over. :(
Super convenient of Helena to have erased Dick Grayson from the world except for his friends and family. Thanks, Helena!
Art was OK. The close-ups of Dick's face weren't great, but everything else was fine.
The Annual was all sorts of cheese. It was sorta cute, since the adventure stories were fun, but it all felt like an excuse to just be cheesy.
The peak at Nightwing Rebirth #1 helped me say goodbye to Grayson... but I wish I didn't have to. Why are all the good runs so short these days and then over? :'(
And now it's over. :(
Super convenient of Helena to have erased Dick Grayson from the world except for his friends and family. Thanks, Helena!
Art was OK. The close-ups of Dick's face weren't great, but everything else was fine.
The Annual was all sorts of cheese. It was sorta cute, since the adventure stories were fun, but it all felt like an excuse to just be cheesy.
The peak at Nightwing Rebirth #1 helped me say goodbye to Grayson... but I wish I didn't have to. Why are all the good runs so short these days and then over? :'(
August 14, 2016
Dick Grayson is my absolute favorite hero. Call him Robin, Nightwing, Agent 37...I don't care because he's always GRAYSON to me.
I love that this arc comes full circle into rebirth. The annual as part of this collection is hilarious and features some favs such as Constantine and Harley. But nothing is like ending with Nightwing rebirth. I got straight chills on the last page. Man, Seeley knows how to tell a story! If you're skeptical about rebirth, don't be. I'm all in.
I love that this arc comes full circle into rebirth. The annual as part of this collection is hilarious and features some favs such as Constantine and Harley. But nothing is like ending with Nightwing rebirth. I got straight chills on the last page. Man, Seeley knows how to tell a story! If you're skeptical about rebirth, don't be. I'm all in.
December 9, 2016
Unfortunately I did not grow to love this series, though it didn't tarnish my feeling for Dick Grayson.
I applaud the radically different direction they decided to go in with Grayson, and I am happy that this volume was a well paced and planned out ending for the series; however, the spy thing just isn't my bag.
3/5
I applaud the radically different direction they decided to go in with Grayson, and I am happy that this volume was a well paced and planned out ending for the series; however, the spy thing just isn't my bag.
3/5
February 15, 2019
After a long action scene that couldn't be more boring or useless even if it tried, we get a writer change. It can't be worse that it already is, right? The action continues at a frantic pace, so you can barely tell it's a different writer, but at least I finished this series. This is why regular people find it hard to get into superhero comics - you can't find a good starting point. This series is anything but standalone and if it wasn't for the solid artwork I would have given it up before the anti-climactic ending.
The Syndicate (or Leviathan?! Make up your minds, writers!) is now gunning for Spyral for some reason. I thought they were allied against Grayson and Agent 1. On top of this Otto Netz (or Dr. Daedalus?! More names always help me follow the story), the creator of Spyral and its antagonistic Leviathan, is resurrected. Who will win? The ending is a mix of happy and sad events.
The Syndicate (or Leviathan?! Make up your minds, writers!) is now gunning for Spyral for some reason. I thought they were allied against Grayson and Agent 1. On top of this Otto Netz (or Dr. Daedalus?! More names always help me follow the story), the creator of Spyral and its antagonistic Leviathan, is resurrected. Who will win? The ending is a mix of happy and sad events.
April 26, 2018
Tom King does a good job with his final issue or two, Tim Seeley still pales in comparison, and then that creative team that's been in charge of this story since its inception suddenly hands the reins off to a couple of unknowns? I don't know who wrote the last few issues of this series (it says Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly tho), but it didn't make any sense to me for them to step in and finish off these various story threads after King and Seeley. The very last issue, "Who is Agent 37," is a fun little issue where we get to see Harley Quinn, John Constantine, and a couple of less interesting, less bisexual characters, sit in a room and take turns telling stories of a memorable experience with Dick while he was a Spyral agent.
Apparently this transitions right into DC Rebirth, cuz they include the whole first damn issue of it in this TPB.
Apparently this transitions right into DC Rebirth, cuz they include the whole first damn issue of it in this TPB.
October 21, 2021
Disappointing, especially considering how much fun I had with the first three-ish volumes. Reading this last volume felt like a different story because few things made sense. The art style wasn’t as appealing as it used to. Also, neither the action nor the romance between Helena and Dick worked for me. At least Annual 3 was a very fun story and Rebirth seems promising.
Side note: I believe that this abrupt shift in tone of vol.5 might be due the exchange from Tom King to Jackson Lanzing. Because aspect from early books, such as the jokes with Dick’s hotness or even how he bothers agent 1, didn’t land on the same way here.
Side note: I believe that this abrupt shift in tone of vol.5 might be due the exchange from Tom King to Jackson Lanzing. Because aspect from early books, such as the jokes with Dick’s hotness or even how he bothers agent 1, didn’t land on the same way here.
January 8, 2023
And we come to the center of this spiral, and some would say a little too fast. All our players converge to fight to either kill or save Helena, and Grayson will be damned if can't save the day. A lot of info is thrown at you, double crosses a plenty, lots of dramatic last min saves, and we went a very long way to put the toys back in the box and Dick to have his secret identity once again. Can't say we used everyone effectively, but it was a decent read. Glad I didn't drop money on the Omni
January 2, 2019
I read this series in individual issues as it came out, and then reread it recently for Yuletide source review, and I enjoyed it even more reading it all at once because it made the ridiculous Spyral plot easier to follow.
May 18, 2020
What happened? This series had so much promise. Volumes three and four were incredibly fun. But the whole thing is derailed by a convoluted and senseless plot in the final volume. It felt like the creative team were making things up as they went along and none of it made sense. And the criminal character assassination of Helena was an outrage. Why can’t a female character in comic books get treated with respect? She spends all her time in distress, dying or dead. The hell?
The best part of the book was the epilogue with the fun stories as well as the Rebirth intro. Everything else was an absolute disaster. How can you make an entire volume about rescuing Helena and turning Dick and her relationship into one of unrequited love. None of it made sense. What a complete disappointment this series ended up being. I had so much hope. You know what they say about a story - it’s only as good as it’s ending, and Grayson proves that.
The best part of the book was the epilogue with the fun stories as well as the Rebirth intro. Everything else was an absolute disaster. How can you make an entire volume about rescuing Helena and turning Dick and her relationship into one of unrequited love. None of it made sense. What a complete disappointment this series ended up being. I had so much hope. You know what they say about a story - it’s only as good as it’s ending, and Grayson proves that.
August 28, 2023
Without Tom King or Mikel Janín this book really took a hit. It wasn’t bad, but it was definitely a down grade. Never really kept a flow and was pretty choppy throughout.
3/5
3/5
April 30, 2019
I liked this, it was far from perfect and a little overly convoluted which you wouldn't normally say in a spy genre but I felt it worked and a good enough ending to the arc.
The one shots at the end worked well too and I just can't help but liking Dick Grayson as a character, he's Batman without the emo.
Still a few loose ends to tie up in Rebirth I would imagine to smooth the transition back to Nightwing but all in all a good and enjoyable arc.
The one shots at the end worked well too and I just can't help but liking Dick Grayson as a character, he's Batman without the emo.
Still a few loose ends to tie up in Rebirth I would imagine to smooth the transition back to Nightwing but all in all a good and enjoyable arc.
June 7, 2023
AAARRGH!!! Just when I thought I was out, they puuulllll me back in!
Here’s the thing. In order for me to give a sh*t about Spyral ending it would have had to have made some impact on me in the first place! But as far as I know, the ONLY time this organization EVER appeared was in Grayson #1 and it’s accomplishments are ZERO. Good accomplishments? ZERO. Evil Accomplishments. ZERO!
So who cares if it’s around or not?!! It has had no meaningful effect on the DC universe in any way whatsoever!!!
Once again, they have a new character - “Grifter” who I vaguely recognize as a character from a company DC bought to put out of business but since I don’t know or care anything about him (and the editor can’t be bothered to tell me) I don’t understand or give an s* about what is happening.
The last story ends with someone (again, never introduced) tells Grifter to “Kill Helena Bertinelli” which is AOK with me.
The next issue sees Helena and her school being attacked by a team of super villains - Gwisin, Grifter, Keshi and Bronze Tiger. Dick and Agent 1 come to her rescue (Dick just does that, why Agent 1 cares I don’t know).
Some pretty cool action and dialog with Dick and Agent 1 fighting an entire supervillain team so I promise I’ll give this at least 2 stars for this bit.
So some girl…er…lady with Spryal face comes to the Skull girls (the girls that go to the school) and gives them a bunch of weapons. And then Agent 8 shows up (the dead girl that Dick banged) and she fights and beats up the girl students.
Agent 1 and Dick go to fight Agent 8, but they’ve still got the supervillain team to worry about so Dick SOMEHOW calls on Midnighter to beam in and fight the villain team while they go to fight Agent 8.
Then I guess some of the girl students are not down (as we were shown they were in previous panels) and start to fight Dick who tries to convince them they are fighting for the wrong side.
Meanwhile Midnighter kicks the snot out of the supervillain team.
By the way, of course Batman could have done this part just as well as Midnighter and it makes a helluva lot more sense for Dick to call Batman (and Batman does have access to the JLA teleporter) cause as far as the reader knows the Midnighter is just some putz, but apparently he has a contract that requires him to be used in this series, whether it makes sense or not.
Agent 1 goes to fight Agent 8 who apparently also had a love affair with him.
Dick convinces the girls to stop fighting him. He’s got that way about him.
Agent 1 maybe kills Agent 8? It’s muddy and unclear. And I LOVE that in anything I’m reading! Especially if it has pictures!!
Then there is some fight between two sisters who are mystery-speaking about taking over “father’s” evil empire when “father” appears and tells them to keep fighting. And apparently father is a girl. Yes. It’s as stupid as it sounds.
A whole lot of nonsense. Apparently Helena’s body is taken over by the father of two sisters, one an evil doctor and the other…who cares. He/she kills one of them, thinking she defeated her sister. Then Agent 1 reveals to Dick that he has secretly worked for Checkmate and Maxwell Lord the whole time and is now going to kill Helena cause it ‘has to be’. Lots of chasing follows, Dick swearing he’s going to save Helena and Agent 1 saying she must die. Then Maxwell Lord (I think) comes to the surviving Evil Doctor sister and demands the files on the Justice League. She destroys them instead. And then Dick goes to confront Him in Helena’s body or something…
The next story starts with Helena possessed by Doctor Otto Daedalus starts talking crazy about a world with war never ending and then somehow belts Dick to the ground. BS already.
So then Dick volunteers to have Doctor Daedalus take his body over instead of Helena, which even for Dick seems a bit much. And of course the villain goes for it.
Okay so Helena’s body shoots out of Doctor Daedalus or is it Otto Netz? Who the heck knows. And anyway now the villain thinks since he possesses Dick’s body the world is his oyster. But the villain is actually now trapped with Dick, Batman, Robin (maybe Tim), an acrobatic boy (who knows) and another guy with a mask and escrima sticks and an Aquaman belt!? (Who the hell knows).
And somehow Dick knows a secret word (I think it’s the name of a virtual pet) that defeats the bad guy.
We flash back to I think Agent 1 killing a girl he loves—like you do.
And then Dick wakes up at the school.
So somehow with a satellite and nano-bugs the bad guy made the world completely forget that Dick Grayson ever existed. Helena somehow made a ‘white list’ so that his ‘family’ would remember him and her. And then they part ways cause she has her own destiny, blah, blah, blah. The end.
I’m mixed. I mean, the hero wins because he’s him is not a bad way to go but since the supervillain was so ephemeral and their plan so disjointed and meaningless it hardly seemed a victory I come away ‘Meh’.
And of course, the point of ending it was that no-shit it was dumb to make Dick a spy when he’s really a superhero at heart.
Rather than it was dumb to make him a spy because you didn’t have anything interesting to story/stories to tell about him being a spy.
The last bunch of stories was basically about how these 4: Constantine, Azrael, Harley, Green Lantern Baz (WTF?) met Agent 37 and were outdone by him and then they figured out who he was (Dick Grayson) who Hypno’d their memories to forget them. Moderately amusing.
At the end of the book after the ‘Variant Covers’ is a special bonus preview of “Nightwing: Rebirth #1”. I think this is another of DC’s attempts to reboot it’s universe to attract new readers. You know, rather than having to write good stories people want to read.
In a big ol expository bunch of scenes with Damian (with really good art though) Dick says that he’s glad to have his secret identity back — so apparently the past adventure removed the memory of everyone in the world that he was Nightwing. Always lame when that happens.
Also we see that Helena has now actually gotten the Huntress costume. Thank god they’ve gotten rid of all the crosses!
A scene flashes that says that Agent 1 is now in charge of Spyral and will therefore use it for good. That’s nice.
They refer to Midnight calling him and Dick “Archfrenemies” which is cute, but still doesn’t explain what the heck he was doing in that comic.
Kind of cute that they’ve done well at giving Damian and Dick a brother relationship that works. Damian’s still an ass, but like a kid brother usually is.
When Batman appears it’s abrupt - and having that stupid yellow outline around the bat symbol on his chest doesn’t help at all. If you’re going to do that then just go ahead and put the yellow circle around it. It’s just as stupid but more recognizable.
Batman is glad to have Dick back and assures him that the Parliament of Owls stuff is not his fault. Unfortunately this means they carried over the Parliament of Owls stuff into the new universe, despite it being a completely lame idea and much less interesting than anything else that’s gone on in Gotham. “Gray Son” my big bukunkus.
And at the end of the story he decides he really should be “Nightwing”. Okay, as long as we can forget this whole ‘Grayson’ thing. Apparently the Owls thing is still going to be a nemesis he can infiltrate. It’s not good, and the rogues he had in the Nightwing series were certainly good enough villains, here’s hoping better stories lie ahead.
I’m giving this 2 stars. There were some cute bits, but no particularly memorable stories.
Here’s the thing. In order for me to give a sh*t about Spyral ending it would have had to have made some impact on me in the first place! But as far as I know, the ONLY time this organization EVER appeared was in Grayson #1 and it’s accomplishments are ZERO. Good accomplishments? ZERO. Evil Accomplishments. ZERO!
So who cares if it’s around or not?!! It has had no meaningful effect on the DC universe in any way whatsoever!!!
Once again, they have a new character - “Grifter” who I vaguely recognize as a character from a company DC bought to put out of business but since I don’t know or care anything about him (and the editor can’t be bothered to tell me) I don’t understand or give an s* about what is happening.
The last story ends with someone (again, never introduced) tells Grifter to “Kill Helena Bertinelli” which is AOK with me.
The next issue sees Helena and her school being attacked by a team of super villains - Gwisin, Grifter, Keshi and Bronze Tiger. Dick and Agent 1 come to her rescue (Dick just does that, why Agent 1 cares I don’t know).
Some pretty cool action and dialog with Dick and Agent 1 fighting an entire supervillain team so I promise I’ll give this at least 2 stars for this bit.
So some girl…er…lady with Spryal face comes to the Skull girls (the girls that go to the school) and gives them a bunch of weapons. And then Agent 8 shows up (the dead girl that Dick banged) and she fights and beats up the girl students.
Agent 1 and Dick go to fight Agent 8, but they’ve still got the supervillain team to worry about so Dick SOMEHOW calls on Midnighter to beam in and fight the villain team while they go to fight Agent 8.
Then I guess some of the girl students are not down (as we were shown they were in previous panels) and start to fight Dick who tries to convince them they are fighting for the wrong side.
Meanwhile Midnighter kicks the snot out of the supervillain team.
By the way, of course Batman could have done this part just as well as Midnighter and it makes a helluva lot more sense for Dick to call Batman (and Batman does have access to the JLA teleporter) cause as far as the reader knows the Midnighter is just some putz, but apparently he has a contract that requires him to be used in this series, whether it makes sense or not.
Agent 1 goes to fight Agent 8 who apparently also had a love affair with him.
Dick convinces the girls to stop fighting him. He’s got that way about him.
Agent 1 maybe kills Agent 8? It’s muddy and unclear. And I LOVE that in anything I’m reading! Especially if it has pictures!!
Then there is some fight between two sisters who are mystery-speaking about taking over “father’s” evil empire when “father” appears and tells them to keep fighting. And apparently father is a girl. Yes. It’s as stupid as it sounds.
A whole lot of nonsense. Apparently Helena’s body is taken over by the father of two sisters, one an evil doctor and the other…who cares. He/she kills one of them, thinking she defeated her sister. Then Agent 1 reveals to Dick that he has secretly worked for Checkmate and Maxwell Lord the whole time and is now going to kill Helena cause it ‘has to be’. Lots of chasing follows, Dick swearing he’s going to save Helena and Agent 1 saying she must die. Then Maxwell Lord (I think) comes to the surviving Evil Doctor sister and demands the files on the Justice League. She destroys them instead. And then Dick goes to confront Him in Helena’s body or something…
The next story starts with Helena possessed by Doctor Otto Daedalus starts talking crazy about a world with war never ending and then somehow belts Dick to the ground. BS already.
So then Dick volunteers to have Doctor Daedalus take his body over instead of Helena, which even for Dick seems a bit much. And of course the villain goes for it.
Okay so Helena’s body shoots out of Doctor Daedalus or is it Otto Netz? Who the heck knows. And anyway now the villain thinks since he possesses Dick’s body the world is his oyster. But the villain is actually now trapped with Dick, Batman, Robin (maybe Tim), an acrobatic boy (who knows) and another guy with a mask and escrima sticks and an Aquaman belt!? (Who the hell knows).
And somehow Dick knows a secret word (I think it’s the name of a virtual pet) that defeats the bad guy.
We flash back to I think Agent 1 killing a girl he loves—like you do.
And then Dick wakes up at the school.
So somehow with a satellite and nano-bugs the bad guy made the world completely forget that Dick Grayson ever existed. Helena somehow made a ‘white list’ so that his ‘family’ would remember him and her. And then they part ways cause she has her own destiny, blah, blah, blah. The end.
I’m mixed. I mean, the hero wins because he’s him is not a bad way to go but since the supervillain was so ephemeral and their plan so disjointed and meaningless it hardly seemed a victory I come away ‘Meh’.
And of course, the point of ending it was that no-shit it was dumb to make Dick a spy when he’s really a superhero at heart.
Rather than it was dumb to make him a spy because you didn’t have anything interesting to story/stories to tell about him being a spy.
The last bunch of stories was basically about how these 4: Constantine, Azrael, Harley, Green Lantern Baz (WTF?) met Agent 37 and were outdone by him and then they figured out who he was (Dick Grayson) who Hypno’d their memories to forget them. Moderately amusing.
At the end of the book after the ‘Variant Covers’ is a special bonus preview of “Nightwing: Rebirth #1”. I think this is another of DC’s attempts to reboot it’s universe to attract new readers. You know, rather than having to write good stories people want to read.
In a big ol expository bunch of scenes with Damian (with really good art though) Dick says that he’s glad to have his secret identity back — so apparently the past adventure removed the memory of everyone in the world that he was Nightwing. Always lame when that happens.
Also we see that Helena has now actually gotten the Huntress costume. Thank god they’ve gotten rid of all the crosses!
A scene flashes that says that Agent 1 is now in charge of Spyral and will therefore use it for good. That’s nice.
They refer to Midnight calling him and Dick “Archfrenemies” which is cute, but still doesn’t explain what the heck he was doing in that comic.
Kind of cute that they’ve done well at giving Damian and Dick a brother relationship that works. Damian’s still an ass, but like a kid brother usually is.
When Batman appears it’s abrupt - and having that stupid yellow outline around the bat symbol on his chest doesn’t help at all. If you’re going to do that then just go ahead and put the yellow circle around it. It’s just as stupid but more recognizable.
Batman is glad to have Dick back and assures him that the Parliament of Owls stuff is not his fault. Unfortunately this means they carried over the Parliament of Owls stuff into the new universe, despite it being a completely lame idea and much less interesting than anything else that’s gone on in Gotham. “Gray Son” my big bukunkus.
And at the end of the story he decides he really should be “Nightwing”. Okay, as long as we can forget this whole ‘Grayson’ thing. Apparently the Owls thing is still going to be a nemesis he can infiltrate. It’s not good, and the rogues he had in the Nightwing series were certainly good enough villains, here’s hoping better stories lie ahead.
I’m giving this 2 stars. There were some cute bits, but no particularly memorable stories.
April 12, 2020
This final volume was bad. Only the Annual was interesting. The main plot was boring, and the resolution was desultory, at best. Helena being relegated to damsel in distress was the worst. Not a single female character in this series got to have any personality or growth or even an arc.
What was annoying was how the story kept skipping ahead. We don’t need the details but it felt like every issue started off without giving us necessary information.
I didn’t like the art either. Janin’s style was beautiful and really made this series. The change in style in the last volume was not appreciated at all.
People keep harping on about this series and Tom King but I really didn’t enjoy it. The incessant queer-baiting without giving us any actual queer content was infuriating. Why have Midnighter if Apollo is going to show up only for one page and they’re barely going to talk to each other?
I was hoping for some excellent Grayson content but this was definitely not it.
What was annoying was how the story kept skipping ahead. We don’t need the details but it felt like every issue started off without giving us necessary information.
I didn’t like the art either. Janin’s style was beautiful and really made this series. The change in style in the last volume was not appreciated at all.
People keep harping on about this series and Tom King but I really didn’t enjoy it. The incessant queer-baiting without giving us any actual queer content was infuriating. Why have Midnighter if Apollo is going to show up only for one page and they’re barely going to talk to each other?
I was hoping for some excellent Grayson content but this was definitely not it.
March 14, 2019
Annnnnd they don't stick the landing.
About halfway through the second issue of this collection, I started wondering what the hell was going on. The dialogue was constant and clunky, trying way too hard to be clever, whereas earlier in this series the dialogue tripped along nicely. The plot was near impenetrable nonsense, none of which seemed to line up with what the previous four volumes had been setting up. I was confused.
Then, the writing credits appeared. "Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly." What? This book is supposed to have been written by Tim Seeley & Tom King, the guys created this heretofore rompy, fun series. And yet, they're not the ones to finish it. Instead, it went to these new guys, who I believe until this point had only worked on the very lackluster Batman & Robin Eternal.
There's a myriad of reasons this could've happened. Tom King and Tim Seeley got busy with new series they were writing (King had been given Batman right around this time), they were behind on deadlines, something like that. The problem is, the new writers just don't have their flare, and the series really suffers for it.
Now, that's not blaming Lanzing & Kelly. They were inheriting a series with a pretty complex plot and very specific tone. The fact that Mikel Janin, whose incredible pencils also brought this series to life, also left the book certainly didn't help anything.
I guess I just wish Seeley & King could've found the time for these final 4 issues. They're supposedly paying off a lot of what the series has been building to, but due to the way this is carried off, it's very hard to tell what to care about or what specifically matters. There are even a few moments where I straight up could not visually tell who was who because the new artist's work is so same-y.
Grayson, we hardly new ye. This series had a lot of promise that was squandered at the finish line, likely due to DC's new Rebirth campaign. I'd still recommend the first few volumes, though, just to see the sheer charm this series started out with.
About halfway through the second issue of this collection, I started wondering what the hell was going on. The dialogue was constant and clunky, trying way too hard to be clever, whereas earlier in this series the dialogue tripped along nicely. The plot was near impenetrable nonsense, none of which seemed to line up with what the previous four volumes had been setting up. I was confused.
Then, the writing credits appeared. "Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly." What? This book is supposed to have been written by Tim Seeley & Tom King, the guys created this heretofore rompy, fun series. And yet, they're not the ones to finish it. Instead, it went to these new guys, who I believe until this point had only worked on the very lackluster Batman & Robin Eternal.
There's a myriad of reasons this could've happened. Tom King and Tim Seeley got busy with new series they were writing (King had been given Batman right around this time), they were behind on deadlines, something like that. The problem is, the new writers just don't have their flare, and the series really suffers for it.
Now, that's not blaming Lanzing & Kelly. They were inheriting a series with a pretty complex plot and very specific tone. The fact that Mikel Janin, whose incredible pencils also brought this series to life, also left the book certainly didn't help anything.
I guess I just wish Seeley & King could've found the time for these final 4 issues. They're supposedly paying off a lot of what the series has been building to, but due to the way this is carried off, it's very hard to tell what to care about or what specifically matters. There are even a few moments where I straight up could not visually tell who was who because the new artist's work is so same-y.
Grayson, we hardly new ye. This series had a lot of promise that was squandered at the finish line, likely due to DC's new Rebirth campaign. I'd still recommend the first few volumes, though, just to see the sheer charm this series started out with.
June 20, 2019
I think this collected edition and the last one from Grayson should have been called; ‘How to fuck up a great series idea with an under utilised, beloved character of DC in 10 issues or less’
Because the last three issues of this are irredeemable. So irredeemable that the story honestly ends for me after the third volume. Because these last two ones, P.U. No wonder why it got canned.
This is fucked because we could’ve actually seen a comic book hero in the face of real human dangers and decisions, not once did they think to put Grayson in a position where he could struggle to get out of the situation without killing someone. What intelligence agency wouldn’t have contract killings? Like why, do that when you have so much potential for a story that breaks those comic book tropes. You could’ve written about the state of corruption in the world and how Grayson deals with a problem he can’t punch his way out of. This was the perfect platform to push this character into uncharted waters - especially after you shat all over his character in the new 52 anyway? Why not just try something new. Instead I’m greeted with a horrible convoluted ending filled with dumb comic book tropes that don’t make sense. Who cares about that stupid agent zero and Doctor Netz story line? why have a villain at all that they can point their finger at to be a problem in a fucking spy comic? Why couldn’t of there of been an issue where Grayson didn’t know if he was doing the right thing and how he deals with that?
Instead I get bullshit. I get malarkey that Tom King and Tim Seeley didn’t even write the last issues for. I could barely bring myself to read them they disgusted me so much and I didn’t even bother with that annual. Why not something good and thought provoking? Instead, I get some cliche dumb villain that doesn’t make sense.
So frustrating.
Because the last three issues of this are irredeemable. So irredeemable that the story honestly ends for me after the third volume. Because these last two ones, P.U. No wonder why it got canned.
This is fucked because we could’ve actually seen a comic book hero in the face of real human dangers and decisions, not once did they think to put Grayson in a position where he could struggle to get out of the situation without killing someone. What intelligence agency wouldn’t have contract killings? Like why, do that when you have so much potential for a story that breaks those comic book tropes. You could’ve written about the state of corruption in the world and how Grayson deals with a problem he can’t punch his way out of. This was the perfect platform to push this character into uncharted waters - especially after you shat all over his character in the new 52 anyway? Why not just try something new. Instead I’m greeted with a horrible convoluted ending filled with dumb comic book tropes that don’t make sense. Who cares about that stupid agent zero and Doctor Netz story line? why have a villain at all that they can point their finger at to be a problem in a fucking spy comic? Why couldn’t of there of been an issue where Grayson didn’t know if he was doing the right thing and how he deals with that?
Instead I get bullshit. I get malarkey that Tom King and Tim Seeley didn’t even write the last issues for. I could barely bring myself to read them they disgusted me so much and I didn’t even bother with that annual. Why not something good and thought provoking? Instead, I get some cliche dumb villain that doesn’t make sense.
So frustrating.
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December 3, 2020I started Grayson volume 5 and really really did not like it. It took me much longer to finish this than it has for plenty of other comics. Part of that is schoolwork and work getting very busy but also the first 80 pages or so are not as good as the rest is. All the parts of Spyral and the Grayson comic that were weaker than the other ideas are the primary driving force behind this volume.
There is Grayson cleaning up his time at Spyral, getting his secret identity back, and the rebirth issue. Which is all pretty fine, enjoyable. The rebirth issue is clever and the premise of the issue before that is also clever but the execution isn't as interesting as the idea.
There is Grayson cleaning up his time at Spyral, getting his secret identity back, and the rebirth issue. Which is all pretty fine, enjoyable. The rebirth issue is clever and the premise of the issue before that is also clever but the execution isn't as interesting as the idea.
February 8, 2017
A decent ending to this series. The problem is I never fully understood what was going on. I like where Rebirth is heading so I will continue reading Dick's story.
September 18, 2017
This wasn't as strong a send-off for the series as I'd hoped for. Something about this felt a rushed at times and a few of the scene transitions had me flipping back to make sure I hadn't accidentally flipped two pages at once (nope). Still, things did tie up pretty well in here.
Overall, the Grayson series was a pretty fun change of pace for Dick Grayson. I liked what I saw in here for the teaser for the relaunch of Nightwing, though, so that'll be fun to go back to.
Overall, the Grayson series was a pretty fun change of pace for Dick Grayson. I liked what I saw in here for the teaser for the relaunch of Nightwing, though, so that'll be fun to go back to.
September 18, 2016
Tom King and Tim Seeley are replaced by new, not-so-good writers. That said, Seeley still has a couple of issues in here and they are the book's highlight. It's good to see Grayson get an ending, but this volume wouldn't have been half as good if it wasn't for the legacy of something much greater.
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