Every so often, you come across a comic that really affects you. You’ll read it and then just sit back and think about it for a few minutes. Usually these comics are a defining moment for the main character and the storyline affects you in a number of parts of the emotional spectrum. It may make you audibly laugh, or gasp, or even cry. This comic does all of the above and I recommend it to not only Grayson fans, but comic book readers in general.
Grayson: Futures End #1 (DC Comics)
It’s hard not to include any spoilers because it’s such a poignant issue for not only the current Grayson series, but for Dick as a whole in terms of character development. To start with, this entire issue is written in reverse chronological order so the first page is five years into the future and we slowly make our way to the present day and even beyond. We learn that five years from now Grayson is still technically a member of Spyral, but unlike the misleading cover, he’s actually sporting a crew cut. If you are following the main Futures End comic, you know that there’s a war between our current world and Earth 2. Spyral agrees to assist the dominant power of Eurasia, headed by the Russian Federation, and thus Grayson is plunged into war and emerges a war hero. Which ultimately leads to his death. Yes, yes, he dies yet again, but it’s DC, he’s not going to stay dead and we have five years until we have to worry about that. It makes this story more dramatic and meaningful knowing who killed him and I’m fine with that.
In the future, Grayson has also found love which is a focal point of this storyline. Because the story is in reverse, King and Seeley retrace the events that lead to this relationship. Not only is this a unique format of storytelling, but showing the buildup and chemistry to Grayson’s love affair really sucks you in as a reader and makes you more emotionally invested in this story. Not only do you see foundations of the relationship, but you also get to see some pretty uncharacteristic actions that demonstrate just how much Dick has changed since his Bat Family days. Not only does he commit a murder on the third page of the issue, but he’s shown firing guns a few pages later (would Bruce excuse the use of firearms if it’s being fired at parademons during a war? I’m not sure).
The last thing I want to mention is the exquisite writing demonstrated by King throughout the entirety of this issue. This comic requires two readings because there are multiple notions that are mentioned towards the beginning that are later explained in the end. King is able create a fluid story that ties in major events from every essential stage of Dick’s life and it’s that nostalgic melancholy that leaves a lasting mark. I loved the fact they included scenes from his time as both Nightwing and Robin, especially because they include very heartwarming moments with Babs and Bruce. The conversation he has with Babs was the point I started to accumulate moisture in my eye corners. (That’s a very masculine way of saying I teared up).
Is It Good?
I acknowledge that some people would not consider this a perfect comic, but for any die-hard fan of Dick Grayson, such as myself, this comic will be one of your favorites of the year. For those of you who haven’t followed Grayson, this issue will make you fall in love with this character because it’s a perfect blend of everything a good Dick Grayson comic needs: a love affair, action scenes, and humor. Tom King and Tim Seeley have done an excellent job with this series and this is a pinnacle of their work thus far.
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