Red X (Vol. 1)

Red X was a limited series that began with the launch of Next Dawn. After concluding at #12, it was followed by the Blüdhaven one-shot, setting the stage for Red X: Season Two.
==Premise==
Nightwing takes the name Red X to go undercover as a supervillain in the mysterious organization known as Meridian.
==Issues==
RED X #0
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Gotham. Bloodhaven. Shanghai. London. Metropolis. Around the world, cities are being terrorized by criminals of all stripes wielding experimental new technology, powered by a mysterious element named Xenothium. That’s all anybody knows, just the name. It’s origin and true nature are a mystery.
Dick Grayson has had enough. As Nightwing, he traces down the only leads he has: a criminal scientist by the name of Professor Chang, and one word: “Meridian”.
32 PGs./Rated T+ …FREE
RED X #1
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Nightwing is dead – and Red X killed him!
Or so the world believes. Dick Grayson is very much alive. When his investigation into the dangerous new element called Xenothium leads Nightwing to the shadowy organization called Meridian, he soon realizes a new approach is called for to deal with this unusual threat. Dick Grayson has assumed the identity of Red X, an Xenothium-powered mercenary and expert thief-for-hire. What better way to established your credibility as a villain than killing a superhero?
The more he learns about Meridian, the more Dick realizes that he’s put himself in the middle of something far greater than he could have known. As Red X, Dick has Meridian’s attention. But that doesn’t mean he has their trust. Trapped in the lions den, can he survive long enough to discover the true nature of Meridian?
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
RED X #2
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Sales of Xenothium have skyrocketed since Red X hunted down Nightwing on the streets of Blüdhaven. Naturally, when Red X approaches Meridian through Professor Chang, they’re interested in his services.
Of course, they’re unaware of Red X’s big secret: he IS Nightwing.
Before bringing him into the fold, Meridian has a mission for him. An audition, so to speak.
His mission will take him to the cyberpunk island city-state of Gamorra. His objective: capture the experimental physicist known as Kim Süskind and remand her to Meridian custody. Preferably alive.
Easier said than done when the physicist in question happens to have the power of invisibility and force-fields.
This is Dick’s first time using the Xenothium-powered equipment Chang made for him in the field. What is it capable of, and is it even safe to use? Can Dick convincingly play the role of super villain while keeping his moral code intact?
And, what does an arms dealer like Meridian want with an experimental physicist?
32 PGS./ Rated T+…$2.99
RED X #3
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Thanks to his xenothium-powered equipment, Dick Grayson succeeded in his mission – and found the experience more thrilling than he cares to admit.
With the invisible Doctor Süskind in tow, Red X is invited at last to the headquarters of Meridian: Náströnd.
Located in an inconspicuous corner of Siberia, what seems to any unknowing onlooker to be an old abandoned well gives way to a vast underground complex.
One thing is instantly apparent: Meridian is no arms dealer. But then, what are they?
Dick’s mission transforms from a simple arms bust to long-term espionage. Nightwing is staying dead for far longer than Dick planned.
Náströnd’s halls are filled not with rough and tumble Russian mafia, but scientists and scholars, shuffling between rooms marked only with symbols — skulls, stars, dragons.
Freshly minted as an Agent of Meridian, Dick finds himself under the command of Meridian’s head of special operations, Marcus Moore — the Deadman.
Among his fellow agents are two young metahumans: Jennifer “Jade” Yifei, and her brother Todd, “Obsidian”.
Dick can tell they lack the same conviction as the other agents — but Red X can’t dare explore that line of thinking without risking exposure.
Red X gains the acquaintance of a Dr. Emily Sung. But is she friend or foe?
Dick Grayson is in the lion’s den now. There are eyes everywhere, and nobody he can trust. Will he make it out alive?
And why is part of him so eager for his next mission?
32 PGS./ Rated T+…$2.99
RED X #4
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Red X steals Dr. Sung’s credentials to access the files of Dr. Lena Thorul, Meridian’s chief scientist. Searching for the origin and source of Xenothium, Dick finds only one word: Nidhogg.
There’s no time for him to dig any further as he’s dispatched on his first official mission.
Red X is sent to escort a Xenothium shipment to Peruvian mob boss Armando Guitez, with Jade and Obsidian as his backup.
But Guitez isn’t exchanging money, but something else. And whatever it is, Meridian wants it badly.
When Guitez decided to renege on the deal and steal the goods, simply protecting the merchandise won’t be enough.
Dick can’t afford to fail his first mission for Meridian, but before he can worry about that, he has to survive first! Can he trust Jade and Obsidian to have his back? Can he fight a cartel using deadly weapons without actually killing anybody?
And what does Guitez have that is worth all this trouble?
32 PGS./ Rated T+…$2.99
RED X #5
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Red X, alongside Jade and Obsidian, are pinned down by Guitez’ xenothium-wielding foot soldiers.
A huge complication for Dick arrives in the form of an old friend: Wonder Girl is here to save the day!
They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend — but they clearly never met Cassie Sandsmark, who is more than willing to taken on both sides at once!
Unfortunately for Dick, she has no idea that beneath the mask of Red X is a fellow hero.
Red X can’t afford to fail his first mission, so letting Cassie win isn't an option. But if he can’t defeat Wonder Girl before Jade and Obsidian do, the consequences could be deadly!
Meanwhile, Doctor Sung finds evidence that Red X accessed her computer. Is Dick’s secret in jeopardy?
32 PGS/RATED T+... $3.99
RED X #6
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Meridian’s mission proved successful — but Dick Grayson has blood on his hands.
Wonder Girl is alive - but with the beating Red X gave her, she’s lucky to have survived.
Why did DC’s most stalwart hero do something so brutal?
Dick doesn’t have the answers himself. He doesn’t remember doing it himself; it felt like his body was moving on it’s own.
All this for Guitez’s prize — a simple flash drive.
Back at HQ, a shaken Red X is confronted by Dr. Sung, who has her own doubts about Meridian. And, perhaps, some answers. Is Dick in any state to handle this? Is he losing himself in Red X?
All this, and a final page shocker that changes everything!
32 PGs./ Rated T...$3.99
RED X #7
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Dr. Emily Sung tells Red X what she knows of Meridian’s grand design.
It isn’t much, but it has something to do with the source of Xenothium, codenamed Nidhogg; it’s had many other names. The Sapphire of Ranagar. The Flame of Life. The Starheart.
Dick Grayson attempts to infiltrate the chambers of Marcus Moore, the Deadman, to learn more.
But, considering last issue’s shocking revelation, he might be playing right into their hands.
Because Meridian knows Red X is Dick Grayson. They’ve known the whole time.
And Dick has no idea.
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
RED X #8
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Emily Sung analyzes the data Red X recovered from Marcus Moore’s system; but more questions are raised than answered.
981 BCE - Starheart, contained within a comet, lands in China, and is retrieved by a man named Chang.
Meridian sends Red X to find and eliminate Armando Guitez, who escaped in the chaos caused by Wonder Girl’s interference. Alone. Meridian knows Red X is secretly a hero; what are they planning?
1932 - Alan Scott is mortally wounded in a train crash. His life is saved by Chang, a fellow passenger. Scott gains possession of the Starheart.
Sung finds test records of Jade and Obsidian filed by their father, Alan Scott. What is their connection to the Starheart?
1958 - Construction of abnormality containment site, Náströnd, completed by Soviet Recon teams. Entity known as Meridian established to study the site.
The location of Meridian’s base was chosen for a reason aside from isolation. What is the “abnormality”?
1971 - Meridian becomes functionally independent from the USSR. Moscow is unaware of this. Meridian reorganizes leadership under the Prime Meridian; also known as the Five Dragons. First among equals is the Green Dragon.
In all her years working at Meridian, Sung has never known who called all the shots. Who is the Green Dragon?
1981 - Alan Scott is recruited by Leonard Lewis, an accomplished mythologist, into Meridian. Meridian’s mission to study the abnormality, what Lewis terms “the Root”, shifts to focus on Instrumentality.
1992 - Additional “Root” sites are discovered in Peru (Hvergelmir) and the island of Gamorra (Mímisbrunnr).
Red X finds Guitez holed away in a slum of Rio de Janiero. Dick’s actions here will shock everyone; including himself.
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
RED X #9
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Dick is no closer to his goal, and now he has blood on his hands.
Armando Guitez is dead, and Red X killed him.
This time, it’s not a hoax. But how could Dick Grayson do such a thing?
Dick is asking himself the same question. His memories of the event are clouded. He doesn’t remember trying to cut Guitez’s throat. It was like the Red X suit had a mind of its own.
The stress of being undercover as a villain has been eating him for a long time. Now he’s been pushed to his breaking point.
Or is he already broken? Has Red X killed the soul of Nightwing?
Meanwhile, Emily Sung has uncovered the identity of the Green Dragon – Professor Chang, the very same one that supplied Dick with the Red X suit. Can she get this information to Dick before Meridian discovers her espionage? And given the state Dick is in, will it make a difference?
24 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
RED X #10
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Yggdrasil. The World Tree. Once believed to be merely a Norse myth, Leonard Lewis of Meridian has determined it is quite real.
It’s roots are intertwined with life itself, stretching into the souls of all mankind.
If one wished to control humanity, the subjugation of Yggdrasil would be sufficient to accomplish that end.
This, Doctor Sung has discovered, is what Meridian plans to use the Starheart to accomplish. And, somehow, Dick Grayson is essential to the process.
Unfortunately for Doctor Sung, the aftermath of murdering Guitez has left Dick catatonic!
This is more than simple trauma. There’s something else in Dick’s mind. A separate presence, snaking its way through Xenothium in the Red X suit. A nascent conscious. The Starheart itself.
Three times will the Starheart flare.
The first brought life, granting immortality to the Green Dragon, Chang.
The second brought death, as Red X killed the criminal, Guitez.
The third will bring power, as it instigates the Instrumentality of Yggdrasil.
32 PGs./ Rated T...$3.99
RED X #11
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Meridian has broken Dick Grayson!
His Ego utterly shattered, Dick has become one with the Starheart.
The Red X suit was designed towards this end, shaping not only Dick, but the infant-like Starheart as well.
Assimilation of consciousness is now all it knows. And once Meridian implants the Starheart in Yggdrasil, it will touch every mind on the planet. Every being will become one mind, one will.
Yggdrasil and Humanity itself will become Instruments in the hands of Meridian.
There’s no stopping it. It’s already begun. This is the end.
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
RED X #12
Written by Marjorie Liu
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Riley Rossmo
Merged with Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life, the Starheart has merged the minds and souls of everyone on Earth.
Even the leaders of Meridian, who had aimed to control this new form of humanity, have been assimilated.
The infantile consciousness of the Starheart itself controls all of humankind — except for one.
Dick Grayson, the first assimilated, finds himself uniquely independent within the psychic plane of the Starheart.
At the end of the world, Dick is the only one who can save humanity.
Fists and weapons won’t help him here. To save the world, Dick must accomplish one of the most difficult tasks of the modern age: he must convince somebody to change their ways.
If Dick can teach the Starheart the error of its ways, can he save not only the world, but himself?
32 PGS./ Rated T...$2.99
Category:Next Dawn titles