I think that this introduction is over amplified for the situation. A story that should've only taken a few pages took up the entire book. I likewise wasn't very fond of entire panels and pages taken up to show scenes that could've been presented in a far smaller space. As usual, the art is top grade; pages 5-7 being among my favorites.

I think that as usual, the art is amazing and really does all it can do to redeem the book, but sadly, in my opinion, it was not enough to completely carry the load. I'm not saying King can't write, but he's just not my favorite when handling the Bat himself. I actually rather like his portrayal of Catwoman and understand that a person in love reacts different than a loner, but sometimes in this book I was wondering if Bruce was speaking or Poison Ivy. I suppose it could just be me, and I may just have to get use to it, but I'm rather bored with the current run. P.S The whole take down with only a whistle.......awesome.

Good solid read. I wish the book would've had more of a 'This is gonna be big' feel, but all in all I enjoyed the overall story. Although some may dislike the art, I rather like the style (though there was a few pages where it seemed a bit off). The conflict within the bat family's ranks is interesting to me and I have a great time seeing how it is played out so well on the pages. Bat Woman's separation is not permanent, and I'd almost be willing to bet that Batman is in on some future event that will take place within her new team.

This is for sure a stand out issue for sure. From the fantastic art to the eye bulging cliffhanger, picking #978 up is a great idea. I enjoyed how the relationship between Batman and his former partner is written and played out. We see that even though Tim has served independently before and with great success, Bruce still has to remind him to slow down and look at the little strings that unravel the whole quilt. I would like to see Damien and Dick involved a bit more though (I may regret the Damien wish though). All and all, solid book and a good read.