Ye gads. They tried - they really did - but ultimately this whole storyline feels like a risk that just didn't pay off. Art is suitably creepy, and Bloom is a great looking villain, but this just left me cold.

So in the crossover thing that happened between 8 and 9 Bruce lost his memories and found himself running a youth centre with a lovely young lady. Perfect life, Brucey's best case scenario. This change actually get half explained in the book proper, a rarity in DC Status Quo Shifts. But as these things go, Bruce must be Batman, the events of Batman and Robin Eternal couldn't break that spell, but a new villain, Bloom plant-based mind control guy with a cult of personality vibe, targeting kids does.  There's a seriously Morrison Moment (tm) as Bruce activates the emergency personality rebuild device that Batman has (y'know, crazy prepared). This volume also sees the reincorporation of Duke Thomas (the kids from Zero Year and We are Robin) into the fold of the main Batman story, I like that kid, I like what Snyder is doing with him; he slow roasts his sidekicks.

Capullo continues to be wonderful at rendering Gotham and it's colourful inhabitants, he really cuts lose with the psychedelics this time around.

Verdict: Classic. Snyder's Batman might be the definitive take on the character for this century and a high water mark for DC Comics as a collective creative enterprise.