The tendency with any Batman-related crossover these days is for one writer to tell the actual story and all the other writers to be saddled with pointless, superfluous tie-ins. Death of the Family is proving to be no exception so far. Suicide Squad #14 has more direct connection to the event than the first issues of Batgirl or Catwoman did, but it still does a poor job of either adding something meaningful to Death of the Family or furthering its own plot threads.

This issue is bookended with Harley Quinn-centric scenes as Adam Glass explains what happened to her immediately before and after her appearance in Batman #13. If that information sounds inconsequential, that's because it is. Glass doesn't add anything new to the Joker/Harley relationship during their interaction besides re-establishing Mister J as very much the abusive husband. In between these scenes, the script visits each surviving member of the Squad in turn, providing a brief status quo update following their recent battle with Regulus.

With the issue neither adding much toe the Death of the Family equation nor doing anything at all to further the books other plot threads, the series is stuck merely spinning its wheels. Glass has to almost bend over backwards to justify why Waller wouldn't retaliate against Joker for his attack early in the issue. For all these reasons, a more fleshed out standalone issue focused squarely on Harley might have been the better option.

Fernando Dagnino's art is generally solid, with plenty of moody, shadowy visuals that fit the somber tone of this post-battle installment. The one element that stands out is Harley's choice of funeral attire. It seems she now dresses like a Suicide Girl no matter the occasion, and her revealing dress manages to rob the funeral of whatever emotional weight it might have had.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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