This annual takes on a genuine cinematic feel at times, and is certainly being more creative in how it depicts scenes, giving a stylistic element that's much appreciated. The story is well paced, and left me excited to see what happened next. So overall, in spite of the annual not fully shedding some of the flaws of the series that drag it down a little, I'm left genuinely excited for the next part.

First off, can I just point out that the solicit summary doesn't actually match this issue. That doesn't really affect the quality all that much, but it's worth noting. Regardless, I'll be the first to concede that this issue has far more coherent progression between scenes than the last one. And there is clearly more of an effort being made this time when it comes to characterisation though it's still sketchy. The fight between Tim and the Clay Robin's is well put together, panel wise, though sadly the abundance of narration boxes does prove to be a detriment as I found it distracting from the fight scene, clutters the pages, and slows it down. I do get that the narration was intended to show off Tim's analytical side, but honestly, I can't help but notice an undertone of the fight being intended to prove Tim's superiority as Robin, especially as some of the comments Tim made in the narration, felt less about the fight and more about making a few digs at the other Robins. Though my own issues so far with the run, may be colouring my perspective. It's worth noting that the Clay Robin's themselves, aren't fully explained in this issue and there's some confusion about what they actually are. Tim does debunk the idea that it's Clayface, and they are apparently supposed to have the fighting skills of the originals, with Steph's name and her specific relationship being brought up, however the final scene suggests that these are actually people transformed into Clay Duplicates of the Robin's, muddying up the situation so to speak. I bring this up, because it calls into question how they knew so much, with Tim and clearly Steph's identities being known, which the issue and honestly the run so far, kind of gloss over. Moving on from the fight scene are the other important bits of the issue. The first is the cops coming to take the Clay Robin's into custody at Tim's call (nevermind them compromising his and Steph's identities), with the Marina residents showing solidarity with Robin. It should be an emotionally resonant scene as well as giving the residents clear characterisation, but to be honest, I find it falling flat due to the way its laid out feeling like it just happened with a lack of actual effort put in. The final point I need to discuss is Tim as Robin meeting Bernard again. Before I say anything else, I should note that another person pointed out that the artwork by Rossmo is actually fine, the backgrounds, the panelling, even the fight itself all look fine. This is especially worth noting because this may be Rossmo's last issue on Tim Drake Robin with another artist taking over. The actual issue is the character design, especially for Tim and Bernard, with Tim's face and hair really not suiting the style, while Bernard is very femininely coded. I don't know who is responsible for it, whether it be Fitzmartin or Rossmo himself but it really doesn't work with Rossmo's style. Bernard finally shows some more characterisation beyond being the boyfriend, though to be honest, it still feels more like it's being told to us, rather than shown, blunting its impact substantially, and I get the sense that Bernard is still supposed to be reflecting Tim's troubles, which don't really fit with his issues displayed so far. As an aside, both Detective Williams and Darcy don't make an appearance for the first time I the run and its shocking how little their absence is felt.

The artstyle in and of itself is quite good, though it's let down by the incredibly stiff poses the characters are drawn in, the backgrounds suddenly vanishing entirely at points, and some odd expressions in certain panels that make it look laughable. As for the writing, it's quite poor with a lack of resolution for several plot points, some rather odd scripting choices that prevent any real tension from being built, and overall being a poorly executed critique of a series that certainly had its issues, but the criticisms that are made feel poorly researched, and not really landing due to relying on faulty information.