You might not have been aware of it if you weren’t a regular Bat-reader, but Alfred Pennyworth, Batman’s longtime (and perhaps long-suffering, remember when he got his hand cut off?) butler/father figure, was killed at the hands of Bane during Tom King and company’s City of Bane crossover. And while subsequent issues have only touched on this fact just a little while Bruce takes on his father from the Flashpoint reality (it’s really rather bonkers, isn’t it?), in February, DC is finally going to bring this event to bear in Batman: Pennyworth R.I.P.
New Bat-writer James Tynion IV and current Detective scribe Peter Tomasi are going to combine their powers with artists Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira, among others, to examine the life of the Bat-family without one of their key patriarchal figures. I mean, at the very least, who’s gonna tend to all of Bruce’s wounds?
On a more serious note, is the first step towards what’s coming in 5G? Is this the beginning of Bruce’s breaking point regarding the role of Batman? Here’s the full press from DC about the Pennyworth R.I.P. one-shot and when you can have it in your hands:
In issue #77 of Batman, the unthinkable happened.
Readers everywhere were stunned to see Alfred Pennyworth—the faithful butler to not only Batman, but all the Bat-Family—meet a brutal end at the hands of Bane.
Alfred Pennyworth served the Wayne family for decades—even through the terrible loss of the Dark Knight’s parents. His shocking death at the hands of Bane is the only event that could possibly compare to that fateful night in Crime Alley, and it leaves Bruce at a similar crossroads. If Alfred was the glue that held the Bat-Family together, how will Batman deal with that all falling apart? And if the Caped Crusader is to be truly alone, he might either hang that cape up once and for all…or double down and carry on with this vengeful quest forever.
Co-written by James Tynion IV (Justice League, Justice League Dark, Detective Comics) and Peter J. Tomasi (Detective Comics, Adventures of the Super Sons, Batman and Robin) with art by Eddy Barrows (Freedom Fighters), Eber Ferreira (Blackest Night, Wonder Woman), and others, Batman: Pennyworth R.I.P. celebrates the life of one of the most important people in the history of Gotham City, while also addressing questions about what’s next.
This 48-page Prestige Format one-shot goes on sale at comic book stores and participating online retailers February 12, 2020. For the latest information on the World’s Greatest Super Heroes, visit the DC website at www.dccomics.com, the DC YouTube channel, or follow @DC Comics and @TheDCNation on social media.
