This was fun! The first half is a slightly above-average crossover with the Fear State story from the mainline Batman series, which smartly focuses on Nightwing and Batgirl’s dynamic instead of the nonsense of Fear State itself. Rodriguez’s art isn’t totally my vibe, but there’s a nice energy to his pages that I still liked. As far as event tie-ins go, those three issues are probably as close to “ideal” as you can get. 

The annual between Nightwing and Red Hood is similarly fine. Taylor does some fun stuff with the two former Robins, but the plot is flimsy and ultimately frivolous. It’s very much about Dick and Jason, and while it works on those terms, Taylor doesn’t add anything all that interesting to their relationship, either. 

It’s those last two issues that push this into the 4-star range, though. Issue 88—the much talked about “one-take”—very much lived up to the hype for me. Redondo’s art is spectacular, and the full-page spreads are a glorious showcase for all his best qualities as an artist. The momentum, energy, colors—the whole issue is a rush of vibrant personality. The script is simple, but rightfully so. It’s got the charm that Taylor excels at (although his monologues can still get a little long-winded and/or preachy for my tastes) and does the right thing in letting Redondo take the reins. Awesome stuff. The follow-up to that issue is also fun, and maintains the same kind of personality that the series thrives off of. And having Redondo back again means it still looks stellar. 

As a follow-up to the introductory volume, this one is a little clunky on account of the mandated Fear State tie-in, but it manages to maintain enough of the thematic threads and characterizations to not feel totally jarring. And man, I loved that one-take issue so much it essentially elevated everything around it.