I seem to be saying this every time an issue comes out but I have to say it again: Eddy Barrows is really killing it. Since he came back this series has enjoyed a revival of sorts because it was treading water for a while. It also helps that this ‘Death of the Family’ tie-in has revived this series as well.

Almost every page of this comic is really beautiful to look at. You get the usual stuff like the dynamic panel layouts and the patent ‘shadow’ effects in some of the action. But there really are some wonderful designs in these pages. The double page spread of the tent filled with corpses is grisly but strangely beautiful. There’s also a lot attention to detail like having Dick having the same injuries from last issue or seeing characters move from the background to foreground. A lot of praise should go to Eber Ferreira and Rod Reis for keeping up with Barrows pencils. Particularly for Ferreira because this book has had multiple inkers lately so it’s nice to have one for a change.

The biggest issue with this tie-in is how to keep it fresh from the others. Right off the bat I gotta mention how this ends exactly the same way the other tie-ins did. (With Joker presenting the dreading silver dinner plate to a sidekick) So the journey to the final page is what matters here. Luckily Kyle Higgins delivers some pretty vicious moments here for Dick Grayson. His Joker isn’t as memorable as say Peter Tomasi’s in ‘Batman and Robin’. But his way of beating Grayson down is pretty sadistic. It does make you wonder how on Earth he had time to get this ready. But apart from that nagging issue this is a pretty good issue as always from Higgins.

The tie-ins have really been the highlight (for the most part) with the ‘Death of the Family’ arc. It is bringing all of the Bat-writers and artists do deliver their fully energy to these issues and once again it shows here. Eddy Barrows has definitely done some of his best work in this issue and I can’t stress how great this issue looked. Kyle Higgins might not write the best Joker ever but his sadistic ways of torturing Dick Grayson more than makes up for it. I have no idea how this entire story line is going to end but damn it I hope this makes all of these Batman books make them ‘must read’ from now on.