The Weekly Pull : You Don’t Know Dick
If you’ve been following my posts here on New Geek Protocol, it’s probably no surprise to you that I’m a Marvel fanboy through and through. I’ll dabble in the DC Universe from time to time when something really strikes my interest, such as the recent Forever Evil mini-series and story arcs featured in Justice League, or in today’s case, a very clever marketing ploy I felt was worth my hard earned $2.99.
Within the events of Forever Evil, former side-kick, Robin, turned independent hero, Nightwing, Dick Grayson, was publicly unmasked by the Crime Syndicate, thus ending his tenure as the vigilante. With his secret identity ousted, the character takes a drastic turn as the Nightwing series comes to an end, and Grayson, a secret agent counterintelligence spy-thriller begins set out to prove one thing : You might think you know Nightwing - but you don’t know Dick.
Intrigued by the new concept, I picked up the first two issues of the series …
The first issue begins as any good spy-thriller should. On a train. But that’s about as much of a positive for this first issue that I could find. The Who, Where and When questions are all answered in the opening panels of the book, but the reader is quickly thrown into a conflict between Grayson and his target without any explanation as to What is going on, Why he’s operating as an unmasked spy or How he came to possess this particular skill set. Luckily, I had enough personal background knowledge on the character to begin assembling some of the bits and pieces as I read on, but from the perspective of a new reader and a jumping on point (as a #1 issue should be), the flow of the story didn’t re-introduce or explain the character or his current situation. I’ve read time/space continuum displacement stories that can cover more ground in 32 pages,and can only hope that writes Tim Seeley and Tom King, along with artist Mikel Jane, can pull things together.
The second issue of Grayson is a huge improvement over the first. Although I still have some minor issues with the title, Seeley and company have started to lay the ground work for a Bourne Identity-esque story, that is jam packed with action and shrouded in mystery (in the appropriate places). The Dark Knight himself even makes an appearance to help shed some light on the Grayson's current place in the DC Universe, which contributes to a far more solid and well paced story. However, the final page of the book alludes to a five year "flash forward" Future's End story for Issue #3, which feels far to early for a newly developed character and makes me question the titles chance of survival.
Although the concept and marketing behind Grayson is fantastic, it's not an introduction to the character or the DC Universe by any means. Current fans of Nightwing and other Batman Incorporated titles should enjoy the unique take and direction the series has to offer, but as for me, Issue #2 is the end of the line. Give me Nightwing any day, I could care less about Dick.
Do you have a comic, graphic novel, comic event or storyline you’re itching to read or learn more about? Sound off in the comments below, find me on Twitter or let us know on the New Geek Protocol Facebook page!
Until next time True Believers,
-ArchangelEZE
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