Robin’s always been one of those titles that’s hung around pleasantly enough in the background, never really an essential read but worth dipping into every so often – at least if you’re a fan of Tim Drake as a character, which I’ve generally tended to be. The fact that it’s now ending – however temporarily that may be – as part of the Batbooks’ general reshuffle would seem to be just such an occasion.

I’ve not been keeping up with Nicieza’s run beyond the briefest of head-round-the-door visits, so it’s only natural that there are plot points – and even characters – referred to that will only make sense to the regular reader. Still, though, for a last issue it’s remarkably accessible – a standalone story that should be easy enough to pick up for anyone with a vague knowledge of Drake’s general history, and particularly his fractious relationship with Lady Shiva. And it’s enjoyable enough.

Nicieza’s storytelling is solid, without ever really edging into the spectacular. There are neat moments: the use of the classic title “Robin Dies At Dawn!”, and a typically Tim-esque solution to the Shiva problem that demonstrates the facet of his character – his intelligence – that sets him apart from the acrobat Dick Grayson. There’s also that rarest of scenes – a half-decent scene featuring Jason Todd, even if it does highlight the ludicrous fact that the guy still insists on wearing his red domino mask, even though the only people that know of his existence recognise him with it on. Still, though, the interplay between these three characters – both here and in Nightwing – leaves me genuinely interested in how the dynamic will play with Bruce off the scene for a while. For Tim in particular, the coming months could make for a genuine and lasting progression in his character.

While Freddie Williams’ art isn’t always to my taste, he remains one of the better-suited artists to this particular title – although the more Tim is forced to age, the less that’ll probably become the case. His work is fluid and energetic, with a good grasp on his lead character and a decent rendition of Shiva to boot, and I’m put in mind of how well the late Mike Wieringo worked in the book’s early days. If I’ve a criticism, mind, it’s that he insists on replacing the excellent redesigned logo that was originally part of the new costume back in the days of One Year Later (and hey, how long ago does that feel, now?) with the boring and very-1990s “standard” version. But that’s just me being nitpicky. Even though it’s justified.

DC’s Gimmick For This Month, meanwhile, is the presence of the “Origins & Omens” backup strips. The one here isn’t the best – although Williams’ art, in a noticeably different style, is strong – but is notable mainly for one of its “omens” being an ambiguous but potentially very baiting image (essentially, it shows what we would presume to be Tim at some point during Battle for the Cowl – and while the image is more than a bit reminiscent of the “future Tim” from Geoff John’s Teen Titans story of a few years ago, there’s an uncomfortable similarity to the third of Morrison’s “three ghosts”). We shall see, anyway. For now, Tim feels like a character with an important role to play in the DC Universe – it’s almost a shame that it couldn’t have carried on occurring in what had become an admirably long-running and reliable series.