With "Death of the Family" now in the rear view, Peter J. Tomasi switches gears and tries to give the Dynamic Duo some downtime after a busy night fighting evil in the city; not that these individuals can ever have a minute of peace, even in their sleep. "Life is but a Dream" explores Batman, Robin, and Alfred's subconscious minds at a time when their guard is down, and what lies there ranges from the sweet and nice to the downright disturbing.

The sequence that is easiest to empathize with is Alfred's; after his traumatic experience with Joker, it wouldn't be hard to feel the way he does. Batman's dreamscape is not that surprising; with all the horrors he experiences day in and out, it is almost obvious that even at rest his mind is in overdrive, so nightmares must be a "default setting" for him. Then there's Damian, whose dreams bookend this story and feel like an epiphany, one that may have dawned on him a little too late if what is being said on the Internets is to be believed. Little bit of a filler issue, but not bad at all.