Great dialogue and action, combined with stunning visuals, make Detective Comics Annual #3 a must buy issue. Highly recommended. Read Full Review

Kumar and Risso bring some great visuals to this issue. Both stories have a unique style and the contrast in art styles is well executed. Kumar's contemporary story is filled with sharp, focused lines while Risso's story is softer and more introspective in its art. A great looking issue. Read Full Review

We get to see a story of Alfred in the past. It is a wonderfully illustrated story by Eduardo Risso. This is a real treat. It really shows the relationship between Alfred and Bruce perfectly. You don't get much better than this. This is a truly excellent and emotionally perfect annual. Read Full Review

The death of Alfred Pennyworth is not a storyline I'm happy DC has decided to go with, but I can't say that the execution so far hasn't been excellent. Read Full Review

Detective Comics Annual #3 is an great reflection and commemoration of Alfred Pennyworth's incredible life. Read Full Review

As an appetizer to the RIP special, this is a nice setup as were approaching the point where Alfred will not be a prominent member of the cast even in flashbacks. Like Batman its best to appreciate these flashback glimpses while weve got them. Read Full Review

Final Thoughts: This is a touching eulogy for Alfred Pennyworth, and the arc it represents sees Bruce Wayne through the final stages of his grief in a way we are most familiar with Tomasi's thoughtful storytelling. Read Full Review

Both stories are a great catharsis for fans mourning Alfred's loss, which has only been tangentially dealt with in Batman's main series. Read Full Review

A decent issue with a blast from the past memory to celebrate the life of Alfred Pennyworth. Nice memories of yesteryear and some insights to how important Alfred was to Bruce and his mission. Plus closing out an open case from Alfred's secret agent days is a nice goodbye. Read Full Review

. This is a solid annual and must-read for fans of spycraft and superheroes. Read Full Review

All in all Detective Comics Annual #3 delivered an enjoyable, if somber, look at the life of Batman's oldest and dearest friend. It felt fitting and respectful of the character it was an ode to. I'm sure he would be touched to read it. Read Full Review

We get a Batman who cares and talks once again. And it's a nice one-shot tribute to Alfred. What he used to do, what he left unfinished, and what his absence means to Bruce now. Really, it's how Alfred gave up his career and left that thing unfinished because he felt a sense of responsibility to an orphan named Bruce. So, yeah, I get it. But the things beyond that or the specifics of that just didn't hit with me. Yet I do realize that this is an Annual, and sometimes that means it's isolated one-shot issues that you just need to relax about and enjoy. Seriously though, the art is fantastic. I love how Batman is drawn and the color schemes throughout this entire issue. So my gut rating is really all about the power of a few character moments and the art. Read Full Review

This is a fun comic, but it's not flawless. There are issues with dialogue and pacing, and the villain and NKVDemon aren't very convincing. But this annual ends on a nice, positive note that ties everything together and motivates Bruce to work on becoming a better person. If you have some extra cash and time, pick this one up. It's not great, but it's entertaining for sure! Read Full Review

Detective Comics Annual #3 does a good job in diving into the impact Alfred Pennyworth's death has had on Bruce Wayne. Peter Tomasi presents a story that shows how the pain of Alfred's death may not disappear easily the good memories are what will help Bruce heal over time. It's just a shame that the back-up story didn't explore the greater impact Alfred had on not only Bruce but the entire Batman Family. As is, Detective Comics Annual #3 is a comic that is more for hardcore Batman fans rather than the wider DC Comics audience. Read Full Review

The first story was fine but it wasn't much. The second story was terrific. The best of Tomasi in this run so far and Risso is fantastic as always. A classic Alfred story.

"Did I teach you nothing, dear boy?"

The name's Pennyworth. Alfred Pennyworth. Now, that's the quality I would expect from Pete Tomasi.

Nicely paced and interesting story, that makes Alfred even a cooler character. Good dialogue and a Batman that just is a very good Batman.

That is all I need from my Batman comic. Especially when it's a self-contained story within an annual issue.

Prelude:
This'll be an interesting annual especially after Alfred's death.

The Good:
Really enjoyed the first story.

The Bad:
On the other hand, pretty much everything of the second story failed for me.

Conclusion:
I'll give it a passing grade due to the first story though the second weighed it down quite a bit.

the first story was entertaining. had decent (dynamic, action-packed) art.

the second story was a bit of a slog, and Eduardo Risso's art usually looks much better than this.

it's good to see DC doubling down of the crappy decision of letting a worthless hack writer kill-off Alfred. one of the best characters in the entire Batman history, next to Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. they are shooting themselves in the foot. may their drop in sale numbers serve them well.

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Psycamorean - Jan 29, 2020

Fun fact: DC editorial are responsible for Alfred's death. Tom King set up and was going to pay off that Clayface took Alfred's place. But DC made him kill Alfred.

myconius - Jan 29, 2020

YourGreenMuse - are you serious? where did you find out this? i believe you, but i'd just like to see where.

egonnn244 - Feb 2, 2020

Got to agree, Alfred's death was a really poor decision, but I think Tomasi and Tynion are making it work so far. If King really intended to reveal that Clayface was posing as Alfred, that would make me dislike his work a little less.

myconius - Feb 2, 2020

egon244 - well said. i definitely wouldn't love King's run, but i would have been able to respect it more if he had put the toys back in the box the way he found them. i wasn't crazy about some of the creative decisions Scott Snyder took when he was on Batman, but at least he'd clean up after himself when done.

myconius - Feb 2, 2020

this is the second time Alfred has been killed within continuity. the first time was in Detective Comics #328 June 1964. i wonder how long it'll be before they bring him back this time.

egonnn244 - Feb 2, 2020

I'm thinking that when Snyder will finally finish with the Year of the Villain, the ending is long overdue, the universe will again be remade/rebooted with Doomsday Clock being somehow in continuity, Ma and Pa Kent alive, Supes' secret identity back, Alfred alive, and then roll in 5G (whatever it is).

myconius - Feb 2, 2020

that'll be pretty funny. restore the balance back to the DC Universe, just so they can then flip everything topsy turvey with 5G. if DC actually does have Luke Fox as Batman with some wet-behind-the-ears Greenhorn writing it, i'll definitely skip it until they put the book back in order.

Psycamorean - Feb 4, 2020

"When being asked about his decision to kill Alfred Pennyworth off and whether he got pushback from DC Comics over it, he replied that he ‘didn’t get pushback but push forward.’ He said that he had a cliffhanger where Alfred died, but that it was written so we would later discover that he wasn’t dead after all, somehow. Indeed, at the time, Bleeding Cool looked at the specific set-up as a magic trick, performed for Damian Wayne, whose position was set and fixed."

Psycamorean - Feb 4, 2020

"But that DC Comics asked why Alfred wasn’t dead. King’s take was that ‘he’s Alfred and he has to live forever’ but that DC Comics told him ‘No, no, he’s dead’. He said that ‘that’s crazy, that’s a crazy thought.’"

Psycamorean - Feb 4, 2020

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/02/04/tom-king-says-that-alfreds-death-will-set-up-the-events-of-5g/

egonnn244 - Feb 4, 2020

Seems to me that DC editorial reaaaly does not want for their comics to be good and to sell. Someone probably said "Marvel is already winning with us in movie theaters. Why don't we help them win with us on the comic stands too."

egonnn244 - Feb 4, 2020

And the people who will suffer will be fans and comic book readers (obviously), but also the many talented writers and artists that they have who instead of telling good stories will have to conform to this bs to keep their jobs. That's just sad.

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This was fine. I don't believe we'll get a really good story about Bruce's grief until the RIP one-shot that's coming.

8 for the stories. 5 for killing Alfred in the first place.

Well, this surely happened.

Boring, unnecessary waste of your time and money. It looks and feels like it was just thrown together. The art work is dreadful. The only tidbit that was of any interest was how wrecked Bruce let his gome get in Alfred's absence. That showed a lost man grieving. The rest of the book was junk. More worthy of a negative 1 rather then a 1 rating.