Nightwing/Dick Grayson is dead as far as the world knows, after his cover was blown by the Crime Syndicate during their takeover of the world.  Batman seized the opportunity to send Grayson, who was resuscitated by Lex Luthor, undercover as an agent of the shady intelligence agency Spyral.  Grayson’s fledgling mission is to “rescue” Russian Ninel Dubov, who has been turned into a human weapon.  This mission involves boarding a moving train and taking on competing Russian agents. He also comes into conflict with Midnighter, which I found surprising but amusing, since Midnighter was created as, basically, a parody of Batman.  It’s a confrontation I really never even thought to imagine, but it’s pretty fun.

Also Spyral may not be on the up and up and by the end, it becomes clear why Batman wanted Grayson inserted into this organization.

Dick is partnered with agent Helena Bertinelli, a re-envisioning of the alter ego of the pre-New 52 Huntress.  Previously, the Earth 2 Huntress, Helena Wayne used the alias, but in an off-the-cuff statement mentioned that the real Bertinelli died.  It’s nice that she’s being worked back into continuity.

But in all seriousness, this was a really intriguing and entertaining launch to the new ‘Grayson’ series.  I’m going to start at the very beginning with the cover.  I love the logo which pays homage to Nightwing’s flared mask.

Dick has always been depicted as much more well-adjusted and happier than Batman and that carries over here.  The book has its darker moments, but Dick is a fun, likeable character.

The always amazing Mikel Janin’s art is just as gorgeous as always.  I mean seriously, gorgeous.  There’s a really awesome visual effect employed whenever Dick shows off his signature acrobatic skills, assisted by colorist Jeromy Cox.  During the opening sequence, Dick slings a gun at a villain and the sequence spills out over three panels.  Brilliant!

I’m definitely on board with this book for a while.  This is definitely one of those books where it’s worth it just for the art.  It certainly helps, however, that the story was lighthearted and interesting.  I may not have given this a perfect score, but oh right, Dick Grayson works out in his underwear.

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GRAYSON #1
Written by Tim Seely (co-plotted by Tim King)
Art by Mikel Janin
Cover by Andrew Robinson