Being the enigma that he was, Alfred Pennyworth’s past has come into Bruce’s life, even after Alfred’s death. Spoilers for Detective Comics Annual #3 follow.
Annual issues of any kind can really be hit or miss. I mean, that could be said for any issue of any series, but it’s most apparent in annuals. This is simply because, most of the time, annuals are used to tell stand-alone stories that don’t tie into the main story being told. This makes certain annual issues feel lackluster as they don’t do anything new. However, there are times where the stand-alone nature of these issues allows a deep dive into backstory and character in great ways. Detective Comics Annual #3 is latter of those types of issues.
For years, one of the main mythos of Batman has been Alfred’s experience as a British solider/spy before he became the Wayne butler. However, this is also something that really hasn’t explored in too much detail. There have been times where it has been, but often, it is relegated to a simple reminder as to why Alfred is so efficient. With Alfred dead though, diving into his past is a great way to keep the character relevant to Bruce while also fleshing the Alfred out. And, by exploring a failed mission from Alfred’s past, as well as a story from Bruce’s first nights as Batman, this issue excellently fleshes out Alfred. Any Batman fan knows that Alfred is more than a butler, but it’s always great to see a reminder of why.
By exploring Alfred’s past, we also meet a couple of his old spy colleagues whom he had to leave behind. It’s really fun to see this side of Alfred in some form and it really helps to concretely develop the idea of Alfred outside of Batman. Enter Marigold Sinclair, a colleague who obviously meant a lot to Alfred. She a nice addition to the cast and it wouldn’t be surprising to see her return in the future. However, it does bring up a slight nit-picky question. Why would they introduce an entirely new spy colleague, rather than Julia Pennyworth’s mother? It doesn’t really matter with the story being told, but it feels like a missed opportunity.
As for the art, Sumit Kumar handles the main story of this issue and does a mostly great job. His linework and inks are very clean, which really accentuates his own style. It’s like a mix of Otto Schmidt and Juan Ferreyra, which is great. His layout design is really well done and flows incredibly smoothly, making for a very intuitive read. The only real gripe that I have about his art is that, a couple of times, his Batman looks a bit wonky, mainly in the face and upper torso. It’s only a couple panels like this though as when Kumar draws a silhouette of Batman, it looks incredible.
The back-up story is handled by Eduardo Risso and it’s always great to see him return to a Batman story. His art is great mix of grittiness that at times, can feel very ugly, but manages to find the beauty in every panel. It’s something so odd and rare, that it’s impossible not to appreciate it whenever it pops up.
[…] CHECK OUT: Detective Comics Annual #3 Review: Spies and The Lies They Weave […]