SPOILERS BELOW:

Well, it looks like Dan Didio has finally gotten his wish: At the conclusion of DC’s event miniseries Forever Evil, Nightwing (a character Didio has been gunning for since Infinite Crisis) died.

I won’t go into all the details of what happened in the final issue of Forever Evil here, but suffice it to say that, to the world at large, Dick Grayson (aka Nightwing) is believed dead, having died saving Batman from certain doom. But known to only a handful of people, Dick did indeed survive and what’s next for the character is played out in Nightwing #30, the final issue of the series.

Writers Tim Seeley and Tom King use the final issue of Nightwing to lay the groundwork for Dick’s new series, Grayson. They introduce us to Spyral, the espionage organization Dick will be working for (as well as the kick-ass New 52 version of the Huntress) and his reasons for joining the group. And, yes, Batman is very involved.

While the issue is a good read, I expected something a bit different from what’s billed as the final issue of Nightwing. Yes, his story will continue in Grayson, so any leftover plot threads from this series can be addressed there, but there is no sense of finality to this issue, or the series as a whole. Dick died! You would think there would be some kind of reflection on that, not the 10-page-long fist fight with Batman we get instead. If we had gotten to see Dick’s funeral, or something similar to give the series an appropriate ending, it would have gone a long way towards making this feel like Nightwing #30 and not Grayson #0.

The art is handled by a trio of art teams and each does solid, enjoyable work. Javier Garron draws “Part One,” while Jorge Lucas does the honors on “Part Two.” Both have a very animated, cartoony style that works, despite the heavy subject matter. The real highlight is Grayson series artist Mikel Janin on “Part Three,” which introduces Dick’s new life and mission. I’ve been a huge fan of Mikel ever since I saw his work in Justice League Dark and here Mikel leverages a realistic style that is perfect for the vibe Tim Seeley is obviously going for in the new series.

As I said before, Nightwing #30 isn’t really a bad comic book. It does a great job of laying the groundwork for Grayson and gives the reader a good feeling for what the new series is going to be like. It just seems like the character Nightwing got the short end of the stick. It feels like there was more pomp and circumstance when Speedy changed his superhero identity to Arsenal than Nightwing’s own transition.

I’m looking forward to reading the first issue of Grayson (which I wouldn’t have said if I didn’t read this issue), so in the greater scheme of things, Nightwing #30 did its job.

So long Nightwing. You will be missed.