This series, formerly known as “Batman and Robin”, continues to pair the Dark Knight Detective with different members of the Bat-family as Batman deals with the loss of his son. Now, Catwoman steps forward to work with Batman…can they work together at all, and what will Bats do when he finds out Selina Kyle is a member of the JLA?

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

This issue continues to show how difficult it is for Bruce to let go of Damian. In fact, it gets a little disturbing as he continues to hide the fact of Damian’s death from his former acting coach Carrie Kelley. She is a great character here, and I’m certain a lot of fans are still hoping to see her transform into the next Robin – but for now she is simply the person who comes by three times a week to give Titus some undivided attention (thanks to Alfred, of course). Catwoman seeks out Bruce as Batman to ask for his help, and reveals her status in the JLA. Bruce is less than amused but does help her, in a mission that turns out to be something very different from what Selina initially claimed. The artwork tells much of the story for this mission, and it works exceptionally well here. As for how this turns out…that’s telling too much. You’ll need to pick up this issue to find out more.

Peter J. Tomasi has a wonderful feel for the script here. The only complaint I have is minor…how far will Bruce go to hide Damian’s death from Carrie? But, the story here is powerful, and I truly enjoy how Tomasi lets the artwork tell the story in key scenes. It adds much to the overall effect of the issue. He can do this because of the art team here – Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray on pencils and inks and John Kalisz on colors have produced exceptionally well-done artwork here. I’m enjoying this series a lot – and I think you will, too.