Ok I just read this. Literally, I finished it 5 minutes ago. I'm tempted from now to just let Harper Row issues sit in my pull-file at my LCS because I feel I wasted money buying this issue. Maybe I need a break from Batman, I don't know but I didn't like what I got for my money. This the first half of this issue is about Harper Row, who I just don't care for. She doesn't seem to do anything in her stories I always feel like shes a side character taking time away from the main plot. Ok she saved Batman's life after Court of Owls (so did a few prostitutes in "Batman & Son", where's their story?), she's good with inventing, and she really cares about her younger brother. For some reason this doesn't enthrale me whenever she shows up. In the first part, Harper is training to help Batman noticing he has gone over the edge abit. No explanation why, we're just told he lost someone (tho DC announced online who, Robin is never mentioned exactly). There is a cool fight, Harper saves Batman again, and he tears her a new one for the trouble. However she is still determined to help him despite his abuses. So she shows up at Wayne Enterprises and rigs up a light show to inspire Batman to overcome his grief. End. Somehow she still hasn't learned he's Bruce Wayne yet, and the light show spells out a word starting in R (see where this is going? It doesn't spell Robin) that gets him over losing his friend. Besides the fight scene, I was bored this entire issue. I stuck with Snyder all the way thru DotF including the finale, so that should say something. I've yet to see what exactly everyone has fallen in love over Harper Row for. I don't care if Snyder makes her Robin, Oracle, whatever, but give me a reason to care about her. This issue actually made me compare her to Stephanie Brown; the 4th Robin/ Spoiler. Both are determined to become Batman's sidekick, both have crappy criminal fathers, both have genuine talents, and both get berated by Batman but still commit to working for him. Now Dick,Jason, and Tim got similar treatments at one point or another but it seems like the female counterparts get rougher treatment. I actually liked Stephanie up until the end of "War Games", I found reasons to care about her but I haven't with Harper. Snyder might want to avoid making them any more similar unless Harper becomes the new Spoiler or something. The art is great, but Andy Kubert only does half the artwork. Alex Maleev does the other, and I think it's the best he's done since "Daredevil". Move him onto "Batman/Superman" DC, he's too good for back-ups. The story gets a 2 because it's labeled as "Average" and that's how I'd sum up this issue; not bad but but not great either. The next 2 issues have got to give me something in terms of a story to wash the taste of this one away, I planned on a break from "Batman" during "Zero Year" but I'll start next month if the next issue is like this one.