Death is never easy to deal with. You can hear about someone you knew just a little dying and you become sad. You can even hear about a person you never met who had died and feel something. When it's your family or friends it's the toughest. Now losing your kid...I can't imagine. This volume covers the stages of loss with a perfect balance I couldn't get over it. The way Bruce must come to terms of losing his 10l year old son is both heartbreaking and character defining. It shows a man who never takes no or impossible for a answer tries to push people around him to the edge to get what he wants back.

His son.

But maybe this time it isn't as simple as being smart or finding a way. Maybe it's about accepting it. That might be the one mission Batman can't do.

What I liked: The first issue is top 10 issues of comics of all time for me. It has no dialog, just shows Bruce first dealing with his sons death. It's touching, it's heartbreaking, it's so well done it nearly made me cry. I loved the next few issues dealing with the Batfamily and how they interact with Bruce who's mourning. The highlights being Red Hood (Jason) issue and Dick's issue. Both very well done but the best moment comes at the very end of the volume when we see Alfred come to terms of losing Damien. We forget sometimes that besides Bruce Alfred has lost just as much. Hell, he even lost Bruce at one point. It truly is a scene that'll make you teary eye atleast.

What I didn't like: Catwomen arc wasn't as good as the rest but hardly bad. I get the message and a good diversion from the remaining ones.

This is hands down some of the best Batman has to offer. This will go down as my favorite volume in New52, or atleast top 5. It's so well crafted, written, and executed that I dunno if I'd read it again because I don't wanna cry. Thank you Peter for giving humanity to so many characters and making us feel for them. A 5/5.