If other Futures End one-shots are half as good as this one, we are in for a treat. The depth of the issue is incredible. The technical aspect of storytelling is done beautifully. It is a showcase in quality writing. We see something here that we don't often see in mainstream comics: change and I can't recommend this issue enough. Read Full Review

Some readers may find issue with some of the characterization choices. Other readers won't be able to help but wonder “What if?” when it comes to the good, but not spectacular, art. Yet overall,King, Seeley, and Mooney have created a great comic book. There won't be another issue this month that takes the narrative approach that this one does, and there won't be one structured the way this one is. The execution of these storytelling techniques are solid, and help elevate what easily could have have been an trainwreck of an issue into something great. At the end of September when readers discuss the best that the Futures End event had to offer, Grayson: Futures End #1 will be in the conversation Read Full Review

The art team is made up of penciller Stephen Mooney, colourist Jeromy Cox, letterer Carlos M. Mangual and cover artist Andrew Robinson. The art team is a bit different from that of the regular title, and I found that a bit jarring in the beginning. Especially since Mooney's Helena and Dick are very different to how well Mikel Janin has portrayed them, but still, his characterwork is almost on point throughout and the colours are also good. Again, a bit too bleak, but easily digestible in the end. Read Full Review

This was an enjoyable read, one that is a must have for any Nightwing or Bat Family fan. It allows you to see this iconic character in a whole new light and a brand new role. This is a great new look for Dick Grayson as he takes on the role of being a superspy. Thanks to this one shot I will definitely be looking for more issues of this brand new title. Read Full Review

The issue gives you hope that not all the Futures End tie-ins will be a wash, although its impact is still limited. Read Full Review

There are some rough patches and some questionable dialogue, including why Dick kills and why he wants to be with Helena, but the issue is well worth the price to pick up even if you aren't a fan of the direction in which Grayson is going. Read Full Review

Excellently structured and unexpectedly emotional, "Grayson: Futures End" is just as much of a pleasant surprise as the rest of the series so far. Although the art could be just a bit stronger, King, Seeley and Mooney produce an issue that is well worth the read in its genuine chemistry, character-revealing moments and tight plotting. Read Full Review

Grayson continues to be a strong new series, but this one shot doesn't exactly match its two predecessors. The story is there, even with its interesting narrative structure, but the art isn't matching the level of quality found in the other issues of this title. There is also a risk that this one shot happening so soon in the title's run might derail the momentum they had. However, it is still an excellent issue and one you should check out, if just for the novelty of the narrative structure. Read Full Review

Now, he must conquer The Beast, aka President Anatoli Knyazev. With art by Stephen Mooney (Angel), this is sure to get some great coverage. This comic [series] reads the future to past, so at first I was trying to pick up all the hints King leaves as to whom this comic is really about. Everything fell into place very smoothly, and I really enjoyed the ending. There is a bit of romance for Dick within the comic that felt contrived, but the girl was hot, so what else was he supposed to do but get some. Right? Read Full Review

Stephen Mooney's somber artwork sets the mood for this grim tale of what could possibly be the end of Dick Grayson. The most enjoyable parts were Dick and Helena's relationship (which gets a somewhat Freudian explanation by Batgirl) and Batman promising the Cowl to Robin "when he's ready." Read Full Review

While this isn't the best of the Future's End tie ins, it's certainly not the worst. There's some very good Dick Grayson character study within this issue and a lot of foreshadowing about his solo series. The way the story is told is certainly interesting in itself. The art does leave more to be desired and in terms of building up the Future's End saga it doesn't really do that. Read Full Review

Futures End: Grayson was a pretty solid standalone issue. Tom King uses his smarts to deliver a cool script that will warrant multiple readings. Stephen Mooney had a few misses in the issue, but if you can get past those panels youll love this book. If Tom King isn't on your radar after this issue, you're doing something wrong. Read Full Review

Grayson: Futures End #1 is an odd book.  It's a flashback story in an event happening five years in the future and is more a Dick Grayson story than anything else.  Grayson readers won't get much here and Futures End fans can skip it entirely. Read Full Review

While the ambitious structure is admirable, if the book were more digestible on more basic levels it would likely succeed in what it sets out to do. The creative team behind the Grayson series has been doing very interesting things with the character lately. This Futures End installment unfortunately does not live up to its predecessors. Read Full Review

This comic book is more than a gimmick or a cool cover. It's ambitious storytelling. With that comes a high price for a misstep. I read this book three times before deciding if I loved it or hated it. Just remember to reread the comic and always use the Cluemaster's code. You might find this comic to be brilliant. I think if they had one more page or spent a little more time explaining the change of heart Grayson has with regards to killing then this comic would be near perfect. Read Full Review

Grayson: Futures End has some interesting concepts, but the overall flow of this story in reverse fails to impress, and thud I can't recommend it. Read Full Review

I'm gonna start from the end, and go to the beginning to avoid confusion. We see the Flying Grayson's as they make their last jump. We see the rope gradually starting to melt away. Next, Dick is in the Batcave, as Batman explains that he is going after Tony Zucco. Later, Dick gets his first costume, and after that, Dick solves a code from Cluemaster. Later, Barbara is telling Dick that he needs a girl with the personality of Batman, not her. Once he joins Spyral, Helena takes him to get a Spyral tattoo. The two develop a relationship, and we see Spyral join with the Soviet Union, who is being lead by KGBeast. Dick does a heroic thing to save some people, where he receives a medal for his bravery. Who is given to him by KGBeast. Dick takes this opportunity to kill him, and is hung for his treason. Read Full Review

In the end, Future's End: Grayson #1 is a terrible and disappointing entry into the series. Hopefully it is not collected in the trade, and hopefully things return to normal when Tim Seeley and Mikel Janin return next month. Read Full Review

It's not clear what King had hoped towring out of this implausible "what if" scenario, but if the future holds that Dick Grayson becomes a killer for the sake of shock value, then count me out.Grayson: Futures End#1 is another grisly reminder of how a bloated crossover can utterly disrupt an otherwise fantastic book with its own capitalistic insistence. Ostensibly all we've done is pay $4 for a pretty cover with nothing worthwhile inside. Read Full Review

It's rare to read a book that's this mean, unbalanced, and poorly executed from one of the major publishers. Rare and a real shame. Read Full Review

Best comic I read in 2014. Hands down. Despite his pose on the cover...hehe.

A very deep and cleverly-written issue, that is a contender of one of the best one-shots written, and puts most of the overhyped Big 2 superhero comics to shame. The issue starts off with a major event, and each subsequent page reveals more and more about how things came to be, while also putting things in a new perspective. It's a shame that so many paid reviewers (such as from IGN and Newsarama) managed to blindly miss the mark on this one-shot.

I missed Janin on art duties
but for the purpose of telling the story Tom King imagined, it was perfect. This book has far exceeded my expectations for both "Grayson" itself and what I thought we would get for a story set five years in the future of a new title with only two previous issues.

The art feels wildly inconsistent. In some panels it's amazing and makes you not really miss Janin and others are just like what the - am I looking at. Script wise, you can't really just read it once. You have to read it front to back, and back to front. Even then there are still things you can miss if you aren't paying attention. I've only been reading comics for about a year, but this is one of the most fun issues I've read. For a one-shot what more can you really ask for?

It is kind of sad that I have to give this issue an 8 despite such a well written plot and narrative, but the art just was that bad. And the script was okay, too. But seriously, read it for the way it's told.

Having now read this comic three times, I really didn't like this issue. The art isn't bad, and the script as a concept could work, but the execution is terribly flawed. The comic is told from end to beginning, with each page beginning with the time stamp "Earlier". While that alone could work in other books, in this one it didn't. Add to that the rather forced use of the "Cluemaster's Code" (writing down the first letter of the first word in every sentence) in certain areas, and the dialogue comes off as robotic just for the sake of using that code. Plus, the fart joke in the middle? Just lame. Add to *all* of that Dick Grayson killing someone, and this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The issue didn't work for me, but others really like it. I can't recommend it. more

Doesn't feel like Dick

Every character looks different from each panel. Grayson doesn't look any stronger with all his tricks, which were fun at times, but Helena certainty looked weaker by constantly asking "how did you do that?" Simply being self-referential isn't cool in itself. We get no new information and there is a fart joke in there for whatever reason. Felt like the dialogue was written by someone who doesn't know what humor is and has only read about it on Wikipedia.