This is one of the best comics I've had the pleasure to read in quite a while. I don't know how this creative team can keep raising the bar with every issue, but they do.

Starting with art: Jock will sorely be missed on a Bat title - his style is perfect for this book. Much of his work is understated, with the focus being on the principle character in the panel. It really sets the mood well, making the backgrounds a haunting environment for the action. The facial expressions are perfect - that's what made the shower scene so chilling. I like his effective use of silhouettes - sometimes it's to leave things mysterious, like the last page, and other times they have just enough detail to convey the mood and emotion.

I'm not sure if Jock or colorist Dave Baron was responsible for the excellent color work on this issue. But it went above and beyond what you normally see in a monthly. The red and purple washed skies really set the mood. The calm blue-white of the hospital scene made you feel like you were the one waiting on the fate of a loved one - it took everything down a notch but sapped me of any power in the situation, just like it should. The highlight (pun?) was the coloring during the fight between Dick and Joker. Switching the perspective between Joker's view, which was normal, and Dick's, which was washed out due to his near blinding from the the night vision flash, really heightened the tension of that segment. The sickly green of the last panel reinforced how bad the situation really was. Color really contributes to this book's success.

As others noted, the lettering of the Joker was excellent as well. It really made you hear how crazy he is.

And what can I say about the writing that has not already been said? Snyder really gets these characters at their most fundamental levels. The characterization is spot-on, and the interplay between the characters, even in down-time, is nuanced. At its core, this is a small, intimate story about a broken family that happens to harbor a psychopath. But due to their associations, it spills over into something bigger, something that threatens everyone who comes in contact with it - friends, strangers, innocent bystanders... no one is safe. Snyder started this arc with a slow simmer and has gradually turned up the heat . Now, we're boiling like the proverbial frog, and it's overtaken us by surprise. This is a perfect detective story in the vein of Se7en : you're surprised to find yourself in a horrific situation, where you've lost control. What you thought you knew to be true is false, and the truth is more horrible than you imagined it could be.

Pick of the week? Damn right it is.