That's all I can say. It was perfect, the whole damn series was perfect. Not to build it up so newbies experience hype backlash, but this is the best book DC is currently putting out (We can argue about whether or not the very best is Blue Beetle/Secret Six/Wonder Woman but Manhunter is up there) and you should pick up the trades.

Reason why it only gets a 4/5 is the Michael Gaydos art. Love his art, it's just not suited for superheroes.

(spoilers for DC #850)

Dear Grant Morrison,

You're fantastic. You did an awesome run on Doom Patrol, your Arkham Asylum graphic novel was trippily great, and 52. But your Batman run is leaving me cold, I don't know if it's because I have to read every single issue of your run to really even care about the characters, or Jezebel Jet, or the way you're Batman run has had very few supporting characters. You're current arc, Batman R.I.P., is an attempt to make this great big story that will alter Batman's life forever !!!!!!! .

But the thing is, this is such a more satisfying story. THIS is how you do a story that radically alters the Batfamily. You don't write it and market it as PERMANENTLY ALTERING EVERYTHING FOREVER NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN. You write it and focus on a few characters, you make it so that you can read just this story and be completely filled with joy, you involve everyone that's a member of the Batfamily while keeping it natural, and you throw in a few twists that no one saw coming, like Alfred RIDING A DINOSAUR! Bruce's confession to Selina was so natural and necessary that it hit every checkmark for a good romance and change. Twisted and dysfunctional? Bruce/Selina gets a yes, Jez/Bruce gets a no. Natural? See previous answer. Romantic and interesting? See previous answer.

Visually, it's fantastic. Nguyen's style is unique and it varies from person to person, but I absolutely love it. His covers are eyepopping and catchy, and I was really excited to open this book. I love the way he draws the giant dinosaur! And his expressions are incredibly original and make this story so much more important-feeling and dynamic. So Grant, could you please pull a few strings so this is considered the big Batman RIP story, Nguyen/Dini remain the Detective Comics team, and the Selina/Bruce romance isn't washed aside? Come on, just threaten to kill Mr. DiDio's favorite character in Final Crisis. He'll let you.

Thanks! Bye,

Hawkingbird

This comic is bad. Really, really, really, really awful.  There is no other way to say it. It completely ignores all the past characterization of the people in it and uses boring characters as plot devices. Some examples are:

-Dick somehow being able to hold Misfit, the girl with superhuman strength and TELEPORTATION, arm behind her back. He also assaults her FOR NO REASON.
-Dick acting like he owns Babs and being an asshole to her.
-Cassandra teaming up with a girl she watched murder someone in front of her eyes.
-Ravager suddenly no longer being terrified of her father and spending all her spare time trying to hunt him.

This is just one big middle finger to anybody who was a fan of Cassandra, her disabilities, her relationship with the Batfamily, her relationship with her father, and her struggles to become a hero. Don't buy this, I cannot stress it enough.

The art's no better. I don't think I've ever seen a super-athletic Asian teenage girl in skin tight leather with beach balls on her chest. The costumes look lazy, and the inker didn't bother trying to make it look dynamic or actiony during there bad-ass running scene with Ravager in the middle, Cass on the left and somerandomplotdevice on the right.

Oh well, at least good art isn't being wasted on bad story!