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.

• waz divx

The omens weren’t good. It’s unreasonable to expect any writer, no matter how experienced, to produce their best work when parachuted at the last minute into a long-running series. Especially when that series is just starting to feed into one of the most intricately prepared comics epics of the last few years. Despite these handicaps, Robin #175 is a slick piece of work from Fabian Nicieza. But there are still a number of weaknesses, in concept, if not execution. Nicieza appears to view the issue as a jumping-on point, both for the Robin series and Batman R.I.P. as a whole. The former is a perfectly logical assumption- many casual readers of the franchise will be picking up this book to gain an additional perspective on Grant Morrison’s dreamlike saga, and the writer is understandably trying to hook them into Tim Drake’s ongoing adventures. The second of these two missions, however, is rather questionable. It’s not that Nicieza’s work is defective, as he skilfully uses Robin’s state of mind as an excuse for flashbacks that emphasise the importance of Batman’s Thogol meditation exercise. He’s also able to re-introduce the Black Casebooks and isolation chamber experiment that have loomed large through Morrison’s run on Batman, providing a handy primer for those walking into the climax of the long-seeded tale.

The difficulty is that the pages of Robin are hardly the place to which casual readers will turn for such explanations. It’s far more likely that they will simply head straight for the core books, passing over the adjuncts to the line. The writer is correct in viewing R.I.P. as an opportunity to expand Robin’s readership, but seems to overlook the fact that the influx will predominantly be from those already versed in the Gotham status quo and looking to round out their understanding of R.I.P., rather than non comics readers intrigued by The Dark Knight (which does not feature a Robin). It’s also rather jarring that certain areas of Batman R.I.P. have been clearly listed as off-limits for the book. Morrison has suggested that the existence of Damian is the primary factor in the wedge between Tim and his mentor, and it feels distinctly odd that Drake’s thoughts never dwell on Bruce Wayne’s illegitimate son. It might be argued that Robin is deliberately ignoring this unwelcome presence in his life, but the copious first-person narration provides any number of opportunities for a retracted mention of the cuckoo in the nest.

The issue’s art is strong, with Joe Bennett proving his adeptness with facial expressions, and Guy Major’s colours help tie the chapter into its parent story. The central plot moves quickly, and Nicieza does a good job of solidifying Tim’s state of mind, although it’s hard to shake the impression that Morrison will cover similar ground in a couple of panels at some point. It’s a competent piece of storytelling, but it’s hard to imagine the Nicieza’s imagined audience getting as far as picking the book up.

Every Wednesday we take turns to delve into our trusty longboxes, pluck out a dusty back issue at random, and give you our thoughts. We’ll also try and place it in the context of the time it was originally published.

It’s always nice to find a comic series where you can jump in at an individual issue, even if it’s in the middle of a story arc, and not feel completely lost just because you haven’t had the context of the preceding months. This issue of Robin is one that I randomly picked up in a newsagents on holiday somewhere in my teens, never having read another issue of Tim Drake’s solo series; but despite the fact that it deals with the aftermath of a major event in Tim’s school life, and features various characters I’d never seen before, as a standalone issue it’s perfectly accessible – the level of exposition in the first couple of pages enough to give a precis of what’s going on without feeling like overkill.

Chuck Dixon – despite any objectionable views he may or may not have put forth on the intarwebs – is probably among the writers who has most had a handle on the “Bat Family” of the last decade or so, in particular the characters of Tim, Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon; and he was certainly a good fit for the Robin series. Here, we see a good mix of teen drama – Tim trying to cope with the shooting of a schoolmate, while also attempting to keep the existence of Stephanie “Spoiler” Brown out of his non-costume life – and vigilantism, as Tim and Steph hunt down the gang members responsible. This mix is exactly the sort of thing that a good Robin series should do, and it’s comparable to, say, the current Blue Beetle – although for a series based around teen characters, it’s sadly lacking in the humour department, despite Steph livening up the page each time she appears.

It also, in comparison to the rest of the issue, features a disappointing third act – once Robin and Spoiler invade gang “turf”, they encounter a desperately clichéd group of squatting, gun-toting “gangstas”, and the whole thing feels like the work of somebody very white and middle-class who’s perhaps seen a bit too much TV. A strong cameo from Batman at the end almost rescues it, but even so, it feels like territory that neither Dixon nor the character are comfortable in – we’re hardly talking Greg Rucka, put it that way.

One of the biggest selling-points of the series at this point, however, was the art of the late, great Mike Wieringo. The fact that he was actually able to make teenaged characters look their age (something of a rarity in the ‘90s – unlike today, when the growing influence of Manga, and indeed of artists like ‘Ringo himself, means we have artists like Freddie Williams and Cully Hamner drawing DC’s ever-growing teen cadre) made him a perfect fit for the book, and though his style here is cartoony, there’s a good sense of expression in the characters, combined with his trademark energy.

Despite my affection for the character, I’m not sure there’s ever been a time when Robin was completely unmissable stuff – but Dixon gave it a decent shout during his (lengthy) run, particularly as he built a supporting cast that was unique to the character, rather than being reliant on Bruce Wayne’s Merry Band. It can be a bit uncomfortable reading issues from this era that feature a wide-eyed, hopeful and wisecracking Spoiler when you consider the shameful treatment later meted out to her (read Girl Wonder for more of that) but nevertheless, if the grappling-with-teenage-life-as-well-as-burgeoning-hero-career genre is your thing, the run is well worth a look.