It’s still as fun a read as ever, but the plotting is equally as loose, too. Normally, Taylor’s heavy-handed optimism and charming characterizations are exciting and refreshing enough to outweigh the general flatness of the storytelling. But when the plot tries to reach a climactic moment like this one does, it struggles to capture any real momentum or stakes. 

Honestly, the landmark 100th issue included here is probably the weak link of the bunch for precisely that reason. Despite having a lovely scene between Dick and Bruce, the bulk of the issue features a rotating cast of artists—all with a history drawing Nightwing, which is a nice gesture—whose various styles don’t mesh together very well. It’s not a deal breaker since more comics than ever do this, but it’s always a little jarring, especially when the comic is trying to be dramatic or suspenseful. Again, it’s not bad, but it is distracting.

I’m growing a little tired of the Heartless side of things, too. Despite receiving some decent backstory in the Annual—and a nicely twisted parallel to Nightwing’s origin story—he remains a generic villain who I don’t find that interesting or intimidating. I’m ready for Taylor to either move on and find a new antagonist for Dick to deal with or, maybe better yet, forgo a villain entirely and lean into the comic’s playful slice-of-life style, which has always been and continues to be its strongest suit.