Grayson: The Superspy Omnibus

Grayson #1-5

by Tim Seeley, Tom King, Mikel Janín (Illustrations)

Just call him Agent 37
GRAYSON, the high-octane, highly acclaimed superspy thriller featuring ex-Nightwing Dick Grayson, is now collected in its entirety for the first time in this gorgeous hardcover compendium, featuring all of the infamous Agent 37’s adventures, from his first mission to his very last.

As Robin, he was the Dark Knight’s partner and protégé. As Nightwing, he forged a heroic legacy of his own. And when vicious killers invaded our dimension, he sacrificed his secret identity—and his life—to save the world.
At least, that’s what the world believes. 
To the heroes, villains and ordinary citizens of Earth, Dick Grayson is dead—but death is the perfect cover story for an agent of Spyral. As the newest member of this top-secret spy ring, Grayson helps scour the globe for the pieces of the Paragon, a slain god whose every organ is a weapon of mass destruction.
But he’s also Batman’s man inside Spyral, uncovering their secrets even as they strive to uncover the secret identity of every superhero on the globe. 
 His life as he knew it is over. His loyalty is divided like never before. Now it’s time for Dick Grayson to discover who he really is…
 
The Grayson the Superspy Omnibus (2022 Edition) collects GRAYSON #1-20, FUTURES END #1, SECRET ORIGINS #8, GRAYSON ANNUAL #1-3, ROBIN WAR #1-2 and REBIRTH #1.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Batman, Fiction

792 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2017

About the author

Tim 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.

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was alright. I like the idea of doing something different with Dick Grayson, turning him into a spy, and since he's objectified a lot already it's even easier to make the comparisons and in jokes to Bond.

But the stories were just pretty average. I never really felt that invested in any of it or the supporting characters.

So just alright. I was hoping for a bit more from this to be honest.

[Siona Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I would say this was a great concept with a fumbled execution. There is a lot of promise in “Dick Grayson turned super spy” that just wasn’t used here. But it wasn’t bad, it just didn’t live up to it’s potential for me.

[Matt Quann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a good time. The spy tropes combined with the earnest nature of Dick Grayson make for a stylish omnibus. I could have done without the Robin War crossover though!

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recuerdo que, en su momento, cuando leí Grayson, me pareció una pasada. Quizá tenga en ello mucho que ver el que Dick Grayson sea uno de mis personajes favoritos del mundo del cómic, y que en un momento determinado de Maldad Eterna la verdad es que me dio bastante miedo su futuro, así que ver qué era lo que DC tenía previsto para Dick en una colección nueva y que no era Nightwing, sino Grayson, me parecía muy interesante. Y las cosas como son, la idea me gustó mucho, y a día de hoy, me sigue pareciendo la leche:

Y es que después de fingir la muerte de Dick en Maldad Eterna, Grayson se iba a unir a una agencia de espionaje, Spyral, donde se va a convertir en el Agente 37, bajo el mandato de la Matrona (Helena Bertinelli, separada de su habitual personalidad de Cazadora después de Flashpoint y de que Helena Wayne volviera a la continuidad), y del enigmático Doctor Minos, un personaje desconocido y de rostro distorsionado por la tecnología Hipnos, que permite a los agentes de Spyral distorsionar las percepciones de aquellos que les ven para no poder reconocer su rostro. Así que nos vamos a encontrar a Grayson convertido en un agente secreto, que va a hacer frente a terroristas y agencias secretas, y a su propio entorno, ya que el principal enemigo de Dick en el primer arco va a ser el propio Minos, que al parecer está utilizando a Spyral para hacerse con las identidades secretas de los héroes, y para obtener él mismo poderes. A lo largo de Grayson, nos vamos a encontrar con diferentes secundarios, procedentes de distintos puntos del universo DC, junto a la ya mencionada Helena Bertinelli, vamos a tener a Jaque Mate y Max Lord, a Midnighter, o al Agente 1, el Tigre de Kandahar, que yo pensé por un tiempo que era la versión nueva de Tigre de Bronce (pero no, porque Tigre de Bronce también sale en la serie), y la propia agencia Spyral y el Doctor Dédalus, que van a beber directamente de Batman Inc, de Grant Morrison.

¿Por qué no me ha gustado tanto esta vez y lo he dejado en tres estrellas? Pues... porque la verdad es que el argumento me ha parecido bastante flojo en esta relectura, me da la sensación de que Tim Seeley y Tom King fueron haciendo las cosas un poco a empujones, el argumento de Minos se liquida muy de golpe (y creo que daba para más), igual que las apariciones de Midnighter y su rivalidad con Dick; el personaje de Tigre queda un poco desdibujado, y yo he terminado un poco confuso con la identidad de la Agente Cero, que no sé si es la misma persona que era en Batman Inc. Y me hubiera encantado ponerle más nota, porque hay algo que en Grayson es de diez, doce, quince... y es el dibujo de Mikel Janin (que por cierto, desaparece en los últimos números de la serie, que cayeron en manos de Giuseppe Camuncoli, un dibujante con un estilo personalísimo y que me gusta, pero muy distinto de Janin). Y es que el Mikel Janin que nos encontramos en Grayson es, simplemente, espectacular. Esa forma de dibujar a Dick... es un auténtico ESPECTÁCULO. Muy grande, de verdad. De los de leer esta obra aunque solo sea para ver a Janín.

Historia del arte. :D

[Clodagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun but kinda super confusing like girl what happened in that book. It feels like a weird detour from dick grayson's character where the writers were just like hey wouldn't it be cool if he was a spy cool lets do that and just did. but there was like 2 pages of dick and damian content and for that it gets my utmost adoration.

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expected way more from this title.

[Mohamed Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Story Was Going Good Until Tom King and Tim Seeley Left it then You Could Feel the Shift and The Rush to Finish it
I Liked the Grayson Character And The Spy Theme Which Was a Daring Idea I Wish To See More Of ( Although i Haven't Read any Nightwing Material Yet )

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dick Grayson/Nightwing is my favorite, so what's not to love? I enjoyed the spy angle to his story. It fit with his personality and fighting skills. Glad my family found this gem for me.

[Doesjka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leukste stukken had ik al gelezen in andere comics.

[Gerry Sacco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to give this 4 stars, but the writing felt like it got away from itself at times, too big for what it was trying to, or needed to do. The last 1/3 of the book knocked it down a star, even with what I would consider a fun, good wrap up.

The art though, 5 stars easily. Mikel Janin is absolutely one of the premier artists of this generation. He's like a mix of Mora's aesthetic and clarity, and Redondo's movement.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the events in Forever Evil, Batman asked Dick Grayson to stay dead to infiltrate a Spy Organization named Spyral, who is collecting information on superheroes for unknown, but probably nefarious reasons. Grayson: The Superspy Omnibus collects all the issues (1–20) and Annuals (1–3) of the 2014 on-going series, Grayson: Futures End, "The Candidate" from Secret Origins #8, DC Sneak Peek: Grayson short, Robin Wars #1–2, and Nightwing: Rebirth – basically everything!

Confession: At first, I was really hesitant to read this series. I have read and heard many diverse and polarizing opinions of this series and the two camps are really gung-ho for their side with little or any compromise. In the end, after some meditation, I decided to read it with an open mind. The thing is, I love the character Dick Grayson and if his core is still intact in this series – I don't really care what he calls himself. It was with this mind-set that I went into Grayson – and I'm glad I did.

This review would not go into each and every issue in depth, because I have already read the trade paperbacks of this series and have written reviews for them. However, this review would encompass my thoughts throughout the entire series in general and not just a story arc that are usually bounded together in a trade paperback.

For the most part I adore the series – it started rather strong and a rather smart series that needs to be read carefully and I found myself re-reading issues to pick up the clues that were littered all around – something that I rarely do in comics. The penciling was equally as amazing – I really adore Mikel Janín's penciling style – he made Dick Grayson looking even sexier if that was even possible.

I just wished it ended the same. With the Rebirth event upcoming the original writers Tim Seeley and Tom King and the series penciler Mikel Janín were taken off and placed with others – which isn't necessarily a bad thing – especially since they were working off notes from the creators, but it is undeniable that they storyline was rushed.

It's not that I wasn't glad that Dick Grayson is returning to his Nightwing persona, because I am and I knew that his Agent 37 persona was a temporary one, because Dick Grayson is so entwined in his Nightwing identity that his superspy persona couldn't untangled it – not like how his evolution to Nightwing untangled and separated from his Robin mantle. Having said that I felt that there was so much more stories to be told as Dick Grayson as Agent 37 and wished that the series ended more naturally – without being forced to end prematurely.

All in all, Grayson: The Superspy Omnibus is a wonderful collection of the entire series and other important issues that pertain to the series. It is really nice to have it all into one place. However, it is really a big tome and if one has already collected the trade paperbacks than this purchase isn't necessary.

[Matt Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admit I read this because Tom King co-wrote it and the premise sounded fun. Dick Grayson goes underground and becomes a super spy. And Tom King is a former CIA analyst! What's not to like?

Unfortunately, it turns out that what I wanted was Dick Grayson in Greg Rucka's Checkmate, and that is wholly not what this is. This was.... basically unintelligible. At times it was difficult to know what exactly what was going on, what the game was for, the big overarching story... Basically none of it worked for me. The art was fine, but it's also a problem when the creative team gets leaves the book three issues and an annual away from the end of it. Esoteric comics like this rarely survive such a departure, but this was basically set up to fail as it limped to a loud and messy ending.

That's unfortunate, because there's some stuff in here that's really really good. The issue of Nightwing crossing the desert, the Future's End issue... hell even the Robin War is good in theory, but it's disappointing that nothing really comes of Robin War. It's this mega-crossover but the ramifications of that ending have essentially no impact on the ongoing serial of Agent 37, left instead to deal with another day.

The relationship with Dick and Helena, but at a certain point how many times is Dick Grayson going to get romantically entangled with a woman he's working with? Every time he joins a team there's some magnetic attraction he has with a female colleague and it's like... I don't know. It's ridiculous at this point.

Put another way...

I am mostly disappointed. Tom King... my love for him is still strong and I don't blame him for this book. We all have to start somewehre. And I wish this was better. Still, I'm glad I read it. Now I have closure on a book I've been wanting to read for a couple of years at this point. 'Tis just how it goes sometimes. Golly this trick is hard with a long sentence. Oh well. Onto other things, I guess. Damn.

2.5 stars (rounded down)

[Jemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

-- Ok I think a re-read has probably improved my enjoyment of this series. I do still think the ending is a little weak, and that's most likely due to the main writers of the series switching out right near the finish. But I think it works a lot better a second time round. And look what can I say, I love Dick Grayson and I had a fun rereading this. --



Perhaps more of a 3.5 realistically but hey I had fun.

Overall this story was actually pretty confusing, and the ending really didn't help with that. But a lot of the story throughout the middle was really enjoyable to read with some great characters the greatest being of course Dick Grayson himself, but I kinda love Tiger too now. There were a couple of standout stories in the mix, desert baby rescue and meeting the rest of the batfam to name two. But the overall story doesn't hold up quite as well.

Content: Grayson is getting a fair bit of female superhero treatment in this (by which I mean kinda oversexualised), and there are a couple of carefully placed bedsheet moments. In terms of gore and violence it's a pretty mild read though.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had incredibly high expectations for this collection (Grayson #1-20, Annual #3 and Nightwing: Rebirth #1), the first DC omnibus I’ve read since Geoff Johns’ legendary Green Lantern run. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed with the mediocrity of this title and the extreme drop off in quality when writers Tim Seely and Tom King randomly depart the series after issue #16. The fill in “team” is simply brutal and prove unable to provide a satisfying conclusion to Dick Grayson’s time as a Spyral super-spy. The fact they are given a lengthy and plodding annual seems incredibly misguided.

The omnibus starts relatively strong with a unique status quo that has a lot of potential. It’s never truly realized, and I expected a more dark and gritty narrative. Instead the plot quickly becomes convoluted with a weak supporting cast of forgettable characters. Would not recommend especially with the high cost of the omnibus format.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great title for you if you fall in any of these categories:

- Loves spy stories.
- Love cocky characters.
- Love good fun.
- Is a woman.
- Is a gay man.

The general idea is that Dick Grayson is a sexy, sexy spy who does sexy stuff shirtless or completely naked. And it works perfectly!

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

The spy elements of this book work wonderfully, But as is often the case with mainline Marvel and DC work, crossovers and continuity stuff really clog up the works. As a result it doesn't quite stick the landing it was hoping for, But it is still overall a fairly enjoyable read.

[Tim Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end of some other DC event (Forever Evil or maybe Villains United?) saw Dick Grayson unmasked and then killed for all the world to see.

But this comics, so no one stays dead.

Enter Tim Seeley and the then relatively unknown Tom King; they have this story that places the supposedly deceased Grayson as a secret agent for the clandestine Spyral agency.

He's Agent 37, tracking down these superpowered body parts that have been circulating since something/someone called Paragon was defeated. In doing this, it's somehow letting Spyral ascertain the identities of the Justice League.

Here's the thing though - Batman knows Dick is actually alive and has him working a mole within Spyral.

It's actually a really cool idea and is executed pretty well! Dick is conflicted; lying to everyone he knows to protect them, and also having to stretch his moral code to its limit to work as a spy for Spyral.

Tim Seeley and Tom King wrote the hell out of this, and a majority of the art is by Mikel Janin - who would go on to be a major collaborator on King's Batman run. He's one of the best.

There's also some significant tone shifts as the story progresses, some status quo changes that REALLY work. It's honestly a great spy thriller!

Few issues though:

1. Tim and Tom plotted the whole thing together, but traded off on the scripts. Tim is a great writer, but ever Tom King issue is on another level.

2. In the middle of the book the story gets derailed by DC having the series need to tie in to their Robin War event. It got me interested in reading more of that event, but it did absolutely kill the rhythm of the Grayson story.

3.By the final 3 or 4 issues DC were gearing up to reboot their universe. New 52 was done, now it's time for Rebirth. And because this book was a hit, Seeley, King and Janin all got moved to new books. Which meant an entirely new team came in to finish this off, and rush it across the finish line.

To read a whole omnibus, enjoy 85% of it only for the ending to, frankly, suck - it's a damn shame.

I'm still going to give it 4 stars, because when it's good it really is good. It just sucks that DC editorial couldn't give Seeley, King, and Janin that little bit of extra time to finish their story.

[Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grayson: The Superspy Omnibus by Tom King and Tim Seeley is a must read for any fan of the Batman Universe. It is a must read of any fan of Robin. It is a must read for any fan of Nightwing and it is easily the best incarnation of Dick Grayson as a character. It is also a true sense of Dick Grayson as his own man. It is Dick Grayson, agent 32 of Spyral, Superspy.

With his secret identity as Nightwing revealed by the Crime Syndicate to the world and killed, Dick Grayson is brought back to life by none other than Lex Luthor along with Batman. Grayson cannot go back to being Nightwing and his public death leaves him in a unique position. Batman sends him to infiltrate a spy organization none only as Spyral.

Dick is recruited by Mr. Minos to joined Spyral, his unique skills and abilities as once having been Batman's first sidekick prepares Grayson for his new role as a superspy. Spyral is collecting artifacts known as the Paragon organs that serve to help unmask super heroes, primarily the Justice League. Spyral is gathering the organs and harvesting their DNA, but just for what Dick doesn't know just yet.

Dick also knows that he must go back home, to Gotham, to the family he left behind. To his mentor, Bruce Wayne, and his brothers, the others who held the mantle of being Robin, and to the only woman he has ever really loved. Barbara Gordon; The Batgirl. But what he finds is a man who has no memory of him and a city without a Batman. He finds a war among the Robins and the Court of Owls ready to take over. Gotham doesn't need it's Boy Wonder, it needs a man of action, Gotham needs Dick Grayson.

Grayson is a terrific departure for the character and he has certainly stepped out of the shadow of the Dark Knight with this series. I was sorry to see it end and Dick take up the mantle of Nightwing once again. Dick Grayson is the American James Bond, with a lot less brooding.

A fun, intrically written and wonderfully illustrated book.

[Tinni · Rating 4 out of 5]

New 52 has been hit and miss for DC. But if you are willing to be open to new ideas, new concepts and new characters, Grayson is a great read. Grayson opens with the first Robin, Dick Grayson, unable to continue as Nightwing. He identity has been exposed and he is presumed dead. So he finds himself working for the spy agency Spyral as Agent 37. But Spyral is not what they seem and Dick himself finds it a struggle to operate in the world of lies and deceit. Grayson follows Dick as he works his way through Spyral to uncover all their secrets, find a way to regain his anonymity and slowly make his way back to being Nightwing.

Overall, the omnibus was good but the middle section contained chapters from the Robin Wars. That section was not well put together. I feel as if they should have included one or two more chapters from the arc or commissioned some new pages to be inserted into the chapters they did collect. Also, the epilogue of the story lacked a few details. I cannot entirely explain the issue without spoiling the story, but you do have to fill in the motivations for why certain characters, in the end, seem to switch organisations. Finally, the one thing that really annoyed me about the omnibus was the quality of art in some chapters. Although the art was pretty good most of the time.

[Mariano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy linda serie, vive a la altura de los laureles que ha cosechado con el tiempo. Un Dick Grayson que se siente muy fiel al inicio del run de Dixon y que sirve de preludio para el de Taylor y Redondo que vendría después. Al desaparecer los trajes es puro desarrollo de personaje toda la serie. Y lo de Janin siempre es descomunal y fue de la primera camada que empezó a establecer el house style actual de DC.

Lo único malo de este omnibus es que la historia se corta en un momento por el crossover Robin War que no aporta absolutamente nada, podría no existir y era lo mismo, pero como se le hace alguna que otra referencia, está ahí. Si te aguantas no se completista, saltealo. Y después lo más flojo de todo es que el final de la serie lo hace un equipo creativo distinto y no está bueno. Lo que eran historias ingeniosas se convierte en una historia de acción y pelea. Muy muy flojo. Pero sigue valiendo la pena el viaje

[Yani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem I often have with any of the superhero graphic novels taken from an ongoing comic book series is that often they want to dump in extra content that isn't from the actual story at hand, but includes the main character in either some sort of crossover event or their appearance in another title.

I like the Grayson/Spiral story quite a lot. What I don't care about is the Robin War... or the Court of Owls story or whatever other little one shot that happened to slot into this timeline.

Also, I actually read the individual graphic novels, not the giant one, but that felt like I was clogging up my reading list.

[Miriam Escalada · Rating 4 out of 5]

La primera mitad es entretenida. ¿Qué pasaría si Dick fuese un espía? Los cameos están bien introducidos, y el dibujo de Mikel Janín es increíble. Los inserts en mitad desvían un poco de la trama principal, pero son agradables (cualquier cosa que haga que los chavales se junten, cual cena de navidad, a mí me parece bien. Soy completamente parcial). La última parte es confusa y se sale de tono con el resto de la narración. Creo que no sabían a dónde querían ir o, por lo menos, cómo llegar al final que buscaban, y se nota con creces.

Aún así, he disfrutado mucho. No le daría más de un 3'5, pero, como no se pueden dar medias estrellas, con 4 se queda.

[LYS. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No--no, weren't you listening? All I am is a story." —Dick Grayson, in GRAYSON ANNUAL #1

i have my qualms with this, but mostly it suffers from being new 52 u know? the holes in characterization, the timelines, etc. there's a massive issue with oversexualizing dick but that's been going on for a bit now. other cons . . . the lack of emotional continuity, mostly. but, all in all, i do really enjoy this series. what can i say! i'm a sucker for a spy, a liar, a manipulator—agent 37 gave me all of that in the package of dick grayson. who am i to say no to that bit of fun!

[Zachary Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a series from Tom King and Tim Seeley that at face value seems strange and shouldn’t work but was incredible. Dick Grayson becoming the super-spy Agent 37 has become one of my favorite series in the New 52 leading into the Rebirth Era. I love the one and done spy missions that tie into a larger over arching narrative. The Robin War crossover was fun and brings in some familiar faces. Tim Seeley wraps up the run nicely with and sets the stage for what’s to come. A must read for fans of DC comics.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Tom King's Heroes in Crisis and learning more about him and his superspy background I went into Grayson blind, but with high hopes. I was not disappointed. There were so many twists and turns I was hard pressed to keep up. If you like spy novels you should definitely give Grayson a read, but there is a lot of it.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a striking series, unlike anything else DC has done before. The artwork by Janin here is the main attraction, at least for me. The stories by King and Seeley are fun and often laced with humor. The plotting is labyrinthine and sometimes confusing, all part of the spy vs spy genre I suppose. Aye, a recommenced read.

[spookwrite · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me, explaining the plot of this series to you:

So, it’s about a double agent who’s a part of this organization where his boss is also a double agent and most of the organization are full of double agents and we think that one of the agents dies but turns out she’s actually alive and a double agent-

[Jamison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I went into this with the wrong mindset. I really wanted a Robin story, and I got a spy. I enjoyed it up until I got a taste of the Robin story tucked inside, and then remembered how I'm not terribly fond of spy stories.

Still, it was fun enough. Dick is always a fun character, but towards the end it was more of a chore to keep reading for me.

[Andy Zell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agree with a lot of other reviews here. Good concept for the character Dick Grayson to turn him into a spy. Starts off pretty good and fun. After a while it loses focus and then the ending is pretty rushed.

[Siobhan J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically a reread, I've read all the Grayson single issues and I think a few of the compilations, but my husband unexpectedly got me this big omnibus for Christmas so I thought I'd read it altogether!

It's still good, basically. Grayson is one of my favourite series, and it definitely holds up on a reread. I really love the drive of the plot, I really love all the characterization (it's the most I've ever liked Dick, which is saying something as Dick is probably my favourite male DC character) and... It just all comes together so well. It's just a really compelling story in every single way, and I'm intending to read it many more times.