"Last Rites" follows "R.I.P." and affects Nightwing at the very core of the book. By now, you've no doubt read that "Nightwing" is slated for cancellation as the DCU gets a major adjustment following "Final Crisis" and "R.I.P.".

With that in mind, Tomasi has a chance to begin wrapping up the adventures of Richard Grayson under a nice big bow. Admittedly, I haven't been the biggest supporter of the "Nightwing" monthly, but I've enjoyed what I have purchased during Tomasi's writing. With this issue, I was able to just slot right back in, bearing witness to Nightwing checking on people that have touched him (good and bad), by visiting almost every storyline Tomasi has weaved through his stint on this book.

We see the aftermath of Two-Face's rampage, the results of Creighton's resurrection projects and the pinnacle of Richard's hobby that was introduced by Tomasi. We get a nice interlude again showing how integral Nightwing is in the DCU.

Mahnke and Moll do a serviceably interchangeable job on the art, as this is an issue filled with character moments and action that is not reliant upon fisticuffs. It certainly would have been interesting to see what each could have done with this title.

The adventures to come are also hinted at for Nightwing, as his meeting with Two-Face is peppered with ominous foreshadowing. It appears as though Harvey and Richard are going to be meeting at least once or twice more in the not-so-distant future.

All in all, this book is a good solid read -- a nice breather for Batfans and Wingnuts who have been put through a ringer or two with the storylines in the Batverse over the past half year. This issue, like others in Tomasi's portfolio, offers a great sample of his understanding of, and adeptness writing, the DC Universe. Given what I've seen here and in other Tomasi-penned titles, "Batman and the Outsiders" ought to be a good, solid read.