Batman Pennyworth RIP #1 Review

by Wes Greer on February 12, 2020

Writers – James Tynion IV, Peter J Tomasi
Art – Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Chris Burnham, Marcia Takara, Diogenes Neves, David Lafuente, Sumit Kumar
Colors – Adriano Lucas, Rex Lokus, Nathan Fairbairn
Letters – Travis Lanham, Tom Napolitano
Publisher – DC Comics

Well, I hope you guys all have a box of tissues handy before you even start to read this amazing story. DC put together an all star team for this issue and I couldn’t have asked for a better writing team. Both James Tynion IV and Peter J Tomasi have already given us a bit of insight into how Bruce has been dealing with the death of Alfred but now we get an emotional story written by both writers in a combined effort and the outcome is just beautiful and deep. We’ve all seen tidbits of Bruce’s emotions but we’ve been wondering what was going to come of Alfreds death and we now finally have that answer in a much need stand alone story that every single bat-fan needs to read. Whether you’re a fan of Batman, Batgirl, Red Robin, Nightwing, or even Red Hood, This issue impacts the entire Bat Family and you don’t want to skip on this one.

Tynion and Tomasi are in my opinion the top two best DC Multiverse Batman writers out there right now. Tynion has just been spinning pure magic since his takeover of Batman, and Tomasi has really changed the entire game over in Detective Comics and has made it an amazing, must read story every single issue. Both have their own styles of writing that work effectively in their own worlds and when you out the two together, you get this amazing and deep issue that really peels back the cape and cowl of not only Batman, but the entire Bat Family and we get to see a side of these characters we don’t usually see all together in a single issue. The two have created one of the most emotional and rawest Batman stories written in years and I really walked away touched having dealt with the loss of a loved one in my own life and thinking about the loved ones I still have now and thinking about what I can do to show them everyday how much I appreciate having them on this earth. I have never felt that way after reading a comic and it’s just a beautiful feeling that these two incredible writers have given me so a huge thanks to them as well as a congratulations of reaching out beyond the fantasy world. That is the sign of a truly great writing team.

This issue brings the entire Bat family together to mourn the loss of Alfred and each member retells a tale they have where Alfred went above and beyond to help them in some way. The issue takes place before Nightwing Annual number two which kind of threw me off because we get the infamous Ric Grayson who has no memory of Alfred and I really believe for this issue they should have had it be Dick with his full memory but Tynion and Tomasi do an excellent job dealing with what DC threw at them and made magic out of it in the end! Another example of how amazing the two are. This issue sees all our heroes as themselves unmasked and un-caped as they sit together and each tell their memory. Of course the status of the Bat Family is not in good standing and the writing team really explores the dynamic and how it effects Bruce’s current mentality. 

The art in this issue is a lot to take in, but in a good way. This issue had a huge art team involved and for every story there is a new artist but the way it is done is amazing as to separate the worlds of the characters and make it feel as if it’s from their own book, all coming back together for a very smooth overall look that is just beautiful. I love that they decided to go this route with this issue to keep the stories all in their own respective styles but making sure they all still work together and look like the same universe. Sometimes when they go this route each story looks like it’s from a different universe and can be an eyesore, but this issue was executed beautifully. All the art is flawless and the inking and coloring all beautifully done with no bleeds or loss of original art to be found anywhere. There are also some amazing panels in this issue where the art is used as the panel and looks amazing, bringing the emotion of the issue to life. The lettering of the issue is all clear and very easy to read, and as each character tells their story they get their own speech boxes designated with their symbol which I absolutely love! Just flawless work overall from the art team. 

Overall, I absolutely loved this issue and loved that it really reached me on a personal level. The writing was beautiful and deep and the artwork really did an excellent job selling the emotions and made for just one of the best Batman stories released so far this year. Batman Pennyworth RIP #1 is available today so do yourself a favor and pick up a box of tissues and then head to your Local Comic Shoo and pick it up ASAP and prepare for an emotional ride!

-Wes Greer 
 

Our Score:

10/10

A Look Inside