An average back half does not make up for a lousy first half. It looks to me as if the next issue will be mostly self-contained, so I would not suggest buying this issue at all. Even if the next issue is good, you will not be missing much by letting this one go.

Batman#16 contains excellent set pieces, gorgeous art, and a lot of clever elements, but some very sloppy oversights drag this issue down. It's like an issue of "Burts All Flavor Beans" with some cherry flavoring and some vomit, and altogether, it is just an average issue.

I respect Tomasi's goal to let Batman travel all the different stages of grief, but I felt Bruce went over to the dark side in this issue, and that is not the hero I want to see. Also, Carrie Kelly does not put her best foot forward (at least I hope this is not her best foot) for her debut, and she also does not really fit well with the rest of this story. Red Robin and Frankenstein were both okay additions, but it did not feel they were fully utilized. All in all, the story is spread a bit too thin, and it delivers a vision of Batman as a man near crazed with grief. I would caution you only to buy this if you are a big fan of Batman and Robin or if you are extremely curious about Carrie Kelly's DCNU debut.

Layman again proves that he has what it takes to write Batman. This issue does not blend too smoothly with the expectations that were set up last month. I also felt there was a bit too much happening this time around, but this is still a very fun issue. Anybody looking for a good Batman story should enjoy it. If you are considering purchasing this for the "Death of the Family" tie in, it may or may not be a good purchase depending what you want. Joker is not in this nor does it appear that he will be in the next issue, but it is a good story which explores the fallout of Joker's reappearance, so make your decision from there.

This issue is right on the verge of earning a nine, but I'm so sick of Joker doing the impossible in this crossover and there were a few other minor hiccups that dropped the quality a little. Still, it's a good issue and worth picking up if you are a Nightwing or "Death of the Family" fan.

This was a pretty fun issue, but it felt just a tad scattered and I didn't care for Cheshire's new power. Still, this is a solid purchase for any RHATO fan.

The main story is pretty good though there are several minor issues which slightly disappointed me. The only big one was that the story would have worked better if the identity of the villain had remained a mystery for a longer time. The backup story is even better giving a nice contrast to the typical Batman story and giving us a delightful chance to see the worlds' greatest super team working together. If you are a fan of Batman, you'll want to buy this issue. It's not the best this creative team has done, but it's definitely worth purchasing.

Despite all my nitpicks and complaints, this issue still delivered on the most important element; it was fun. All Batman fans, as long as they are willing to see some changes to Clayface's abilities, will enjoy.

Carrie Kelley spoils this from being a perfect issue for me. However, I'm forced to admit that there was nothing actually wrong with the Carrie Kelley section of the story other than the fact that I hate her. Narratively, there was nothing wrong in this issue. If you are remotely interested in Batman and Red Hood, you owe it to yourself to pick up this issue.

I suppose if I were going to really be picky, I could probably drop this down a little for being too predictable in the backup and leaving too many unanswered questions on the front end, but I'm just not feeling that cynical at the moment. I really enjoyed this issue, and I fully recommend it.

It's not a perfect issue, but its much better than what we've been getting. I look forward to the next issue, and I recommend this one for anybody looking for a jumping on point.

I really cannot find much of anything negative to say about this issue. It was great. You should definitely pick it up.

I freakin' loved this issue. I try not to give 10"s out very often, but if I'm not going to give it after the third absolutley excellent issue of series in a row, then when am I going to give it? This is an extremely good arc.