Alfred is dead, but Batman doesn’t yet know. How will he react when he finds out the truth of his father figure’s fate? Spoilers for Batman #83 follow.
Coming off the heels of the excellency of the previous issue, Batman was only looking up as it was heading to its finale of Tom King’s run. Because of that, there’s an easy possibility that the final couple of issues could disappoint given the highs that the series has already had. However, this issue proves those fears incorrect as this is possibly the best issue of King’s run in its entirety. This is a hauntingly beautiful issue that focuses almost entirely on character but still moves the plot forward.
After Alfred was killed several issues ago, there was a bit of lull regarding whether or not Batman knew about his death. Issues weren’t being told sequentially, which is not a bad thing, but certain things given the placement and knowledge of characters was a bit up in the air. On a basic level, this issue clears everything up about that in a satisfying way and explains why certain things occur post-death with little to no reaction from characters that should have one.
The real nitty-gritty of the issue comes down to Batman’s reaction around discovering Alfred’s dead body. He’s been captured by Flashpoint Batman, which is bad enough, but regaining consciousness only to find someone you love sitting dead in front of you? Brutal. We get to see a side of Bruce that is normally unseen when he just, breaks. Batman is someone rarely, if ever, shown to cry and yet there are pages dedicated to him sobbing over Alfred’s dead body. It’s genuinely heartbreaking.
As the issue continues though, the Batman that everyone is used to begin to reemerge. Out of the rage and hatred comes one thing rarely associated with Batman and that’s hope. This all stems from Alfred’s voiceover, which is playing over an intercom in the context of the issue. It starts as a sad contemplation before transforming into a rallying cry by the end of the issue. Even in death, Alfred is the moral conscience of Batman.
Much of the impact of the issue comes from Mikel Janín’s art. This issue probably contains some of his most emotional artwork during his time on Batman, if not in general. Really, this issue would not be effective without Janín’s artwork. Batman’s pain is palpable and tear-jerking. His anger is terrifying. This all comes down to, other than the ability the draw emotions which he does incredibly well, but shot choice and body posture tie everything together. He goes wide when appropriate, but relies on close-ups in such a perfect way in this issue that it’s hard to not just want those. This issue is simply gorgeous.
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