Posted in: Comics | Tagged: dc comics, Grayson #4, Mikel Janin, tim seeley, Tom King

Grayson #4 Gives Everyone A Chance To Breathe

Published Sat, 22 Nov 2014 14:00:16 -0600

By Shawn Perry

'Sup Bleeders,

So I know it has been over two weeks since the fourth issue of Tim Seeley and Tom King's series Grayson was published but it was just SO GOOD I needed time to calm down. All right I'll cut to the chase. With this issue Seely and King really settle into the flow and let their characters breathe. This is not the issue where the casual reader is going to see something on Bleeding Cool and say "oh snap that happened wtf I have to pick that up…" but instead it rewards fans of the new series with some well-deserved character development and background information. That means there is no half-naked slug-fest between old chums and no visual play on Dick's name…just an issue that moves the plot forward and gives a refreshing touch of amenity. It's like the proverbial 'everybody just chill' moment where the supporting characters shine and the love story deepens organically before all heck goes bananas in the contemporary summer blockbuster. You know, like when the Avengers are having a good time at Tony Stark's place laughing and trying to pick up Thor's hammer just before Ultron shows up in the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer.

The artwork by Mikel Janin is as strong as ever making smooth shifts in tone from scene to scene. The colorization of each scene wonderfully encapsulates the vibes from the dark and red-tinted realm of Spyral's mission control to the calming fluorescent lighting of the girl's dormitory to the vibrant full-page spread that condenses Dick's airborne mission with triumphant results.

Incidentally, whomever Janin is drawing inspiration from to bring Helena to life each issue I hope she is real because it is surprisingly easy to forget all about Babs (not to mention the recently-departed Agent 8) as well as the insularly polarizing fact that she is not and cannot be the one true Huntress in this continuity.

*I digress – spoilers ahoy, mates!

The story starts with Dick and Helena (Agent 37 and Matron) getting their marching orders from the mysterious shot-calling Mr. Minos who is really starting to grow on me. The character had heretofore been relegated to mostly typical staples of mysterious villainy being well-spoken, highly-competent and not overtly cruel…but in this issue he is also allowed to flash a touch of humor and levity. I am also a bit intrigued by his whole wearing sunglasses indoors all-the-time fashion choice.

It takes Dick and Helena less than two pages and a one-liner to accomplish this week's mission before we move on to the meat of the issue at Spyral's headquarters which doubles as St. Hadrian's Finishing School for girls where it trains them to be assassins…kind of like the X-Men but with scary masks, no powers and exclusively-fit female membership. That's why in Batman Inc. all the lackeys were female…I guess that's because Spyral is striving to instill female empowerment as they develop the next generation of counter-meta-terrorism agents.

The students of St. Hadrian's are young, beautiful and a lot less crazy and evil than the skull masks and crossbows might lead you to believe and the only thing they prove to be crazy about is junk food and, uh…

You get the picture.

The body of this issue, I mean, the meat of it is focused on…ahem, it is about a group of co-eds chasing Dick across the campus and there is no way to write that sentence any better.

In a welcome break in tone for the series, Dick enjoys the chase and we get to see a glimpse of the friendly neighborhood Nightwing we remember as he indulges them in a game of masks and moonlit rooftops.

This moment is gratifying and significant because Helena watches it all unfold and comes to know Dick a little bit better. After the chase is over and Spyral sentences the girls to a round of paddling (what was I saying about female empowerment earlier ?) she wakes him from a dead sleep to offer a bit more understanding and kindness for who he is than she has all series. It's a sweet moment.

Of course, she very well might be playing him as this is, after all, a spy series, but if we are to believe she is telling the truth it is in my opinion a big moment for the character and could be leading us to a rather tragic love story should things keep progressing in this vein…which I am totally down for by the way because it's been very well-written.

Overall I loved this issue and liked how the supporting cast as a whole is getting a chance to breathe. It is nice to see Dick becoming more engaged with the Spyral community which should make it all the more dramatic when the crushing moral ambiguity of the organization comes to a head and Dick's true motives are revealed or…as Mr. Minos cryptically says in this issue: "at Spyral, there is always punishment for indiscretion."

In a completely unrelated note, because of the incident Dick will now be portraying a gay gymnast in future issues as to not "rile up" the girls at Spyral Headquarters. I wonder what will happen when they find out he's a double agent…

Shawn Perry is a proud geek from East Hartford, CT who is striving to be here now. He enjoys yellow journalism, yellow sunglasses and Wilco's recent compilation album 'What's Your Twenty?' You can tweet him @thesperry or send him email after email about anything at Shawn.Perry88@gmail.com.

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