As the holidays arrive and the year comes to a close, we thought we’d take a look back at 2013 and commemorate some of the moments that really stood out in the world of DC Entertainment in a two-week DCComics.com series we’re calling “Ten Moments that Mattered.” Some of these moments were happy. Some were sad. They played out in the pages of our comics, on the big and small screen and in the halls of our office. However, all of them made a profound difference in the world of DC Comics and in the hearts and minds of our fans. 2013 was a big year for us, but even in a big year, not all moments are created equal. Here are ten that mattered…

It had been speculated about for months, but when Grant Morrison revealed that the DC Universe’s most recent Robin would be meeting his far-too-young demise in the pages of Batman, Incorporated #8, the shock felt by the fans was palpable.

They were in shock because of his youth. At ten years old, he was only a child and unlike many children in super hero comics, he looked it. Fans were also in shock at how sudden it all seemed. It was announced mere days before the issue hit stands, a rarity in today’s events-driven industry. But perhaps most of all, fans were in shock wondering what this would mean for the Dark Knight. After all, the latest and as-of-yet last boy to adopt the mantle of Robin was Bruce Wayne’s biological son, Damian.

Created by Morrison in 2006, Damian was raised to be an assassin by his mother, Talia al Ghul, and his stint as Robin was tumultuous even in its best moments, but that’s what made his story so endearing. He was the troubled child trying to do right, and the fact that his death arrived just as he seemed to have turned a corner on his quest for redemption made his tale into nothing short of a tragedy.

Damian’s death was felt not only in Morrison’s Batman, Incorporated, but in every corner of the Bat-Universe, with Morrison’s fellow writers providing poignant tributes in their books (such as Peter J. Tomasi’s heart-wrenching, wordless Batman and Robin #18). But it’s the sight of a grief-stricken Bruce Wayne holding his son’s tiny, lifeless body at the end of Batman, Incorporated #8 that will linger the longest in the memory of fans. Rarely has the larger-than-life Dark Knight seemed so human and vulnerable. Batman will never be the same…and neither will we.

Be sure to check DCComics.com again tomorrow for another moment that mattered in 2013.