Alfred is the most iconic supporting character in comics, hands down. He’s been Batman’s faithful butler for decades and is just as essential to the Dark Knight’s image as the Batsuit itself. Heck, Robin debuted far before Alfred, but the butler has been in even more adaptations than the Boy Wonder. Alfred has been Bruce’s number one defender and assistant for so long that it’s nearly impossible to imagine Batman without him. Yet, we haven’t had to imagine, as Alfred died back in 2018, and, surprisingly, his death has stuck. Now, it’s looking to be more permanent than ever with the introduction of Alfred’s successor, Verity Pennyworth.
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Alfred’s great-niece debuted at the tail end of Batman (2025) #11, but it’s issue #12 that gives us the proper introduction to her character. Overall, she seems like a fantastic addition to Batman’s cast and will fill a role that has been gaping since Alfred’s death, but she didn’t get the focus that she needed for a debut. This issue has a whole lot going on, and frankly, it suffers from some serious overextension when it needed to rein everything in for a more intimate story. It’s a good issue, but it shoots itself in the foot.
Pros
Cons
Verity is a ton of fun and has infinite potential
Way too many plot points for a single issue
The art is the best you’ll find in an ongoing comic
Surprisingly little focus on Verity
Incredible action and plot-thread establishing
Too Many Plot Points, Especially For an Introduction
Image Courtesy of DC Comics
This issue started just after the previous one ended, showing Batman coming to terms with Alfred having set up his own replacement. He’s not sure about Verity, despite Alfred’s glowing recommendation and how she can make Damian laugh, but he’s forced to put that on the back burner when five expert assassins arrive in Gotham, all with Bruce Wayne’s head in their sights. Meanwhile, the Minotaur faces backlash within his criminal empire, seemingly dying, though we all know that’s far from the truth. It all ended with the Joker receiving a cryptic visitor, who promised that they were never leaving Gotham.
Overall, the story here is just as good as any of Matt Fraction’s other issues, but the problem is that it tries to do way too much in such a short amount of time. There’s Verity’s introduction, the five assassins’ debuts, Batman’s battle against two of them, the Minotaur’s situation, and the Joker’s mysterious visitor. That’s far more than even the most ambitious comic should try to cover in a single issue, even one with four extra pages. Heck, each of the assassins had their own page, and the Joker had three on his foreshadowing section. That’s eight entire pages that could have been spent on developing Verity or Bruce’s relationship with her, but instead we barely got anything from her.
From the last issue’s cliffhanger to this one’s cover, the pitch is that it will focus on Verity. Yet, we hardly see her. It gives us a basic overview of her personality, and there’s plenty of room for development later, but this is Bruce replacing Alfred. This entire issue could have focused on just that and had plenty left to cover in future issues. Instead, it left me wanting a whole lot more, but not in the way this series usually does. I liked the issue and think I’ll really like Verity, but she needs more, and that’s what this issue was pitched as, but it failed to deliver.
Another Set of Generational Art and Colors
Image Courtesy of DC Comics
If there’s one thing that this series always delivers on, it’s the art. Jorge Jiménez is this generation’s defining Batman artist, and his continued run on the title proves that more and more every issue. Introducing five new characters in as many pages is no small feat, but Jiménez’s art gives each new villain undeniable character and charm. The highlights for this issue are definitely the emphasis and action scenes. The little boxes or exclamation lines add so much motion and eye control to the pages but never feel overbearing. The action scenes are top tier. Every blow has weight, and the flow of the action is easy and exciting to follow that’s really hard to find in any comic.
Of course, as clean and spectacular as the art is, the colors bring out the greatest bits of it. Tomeu Morey took the colors for this issue, and I continue to be in love with this new look for Gotham City and Batman. His suit is quickly becoming my favorite because of how spectacularly it manages to pop out against and blend in with darkness depending on what’s needed. The blue and gray suit has never looked better. It’s not just with Batman, either. Everything is vibrant in this comic. For example, nearly everything in Verity’s final page is predominantly blue, but nothing blends together. Everything is distinct and magical.
Overall, the quality on display in this comic continues to blow me away. I genuinely think the art is some of the best on the shelf, but the story is just too stuffed for me to give it a higher rating. If this wasn’t Verity’s introduction, I would have ranked it much higher, but it promised that Verity would be front and center. This issue needed to pitch us Verity in a way that made us all fall in love with her, especially considering how big the shoes she has to fill are, but it didn’t deliver. I’m more than hooked to see what becomes of her, but I wanted more.
Batman #12 is on sale now!
Verity seems like a fantastic addition to the Bat-Family, but what do you think of someone taking Alfred’s place? Personally, I love that DC is committing to keeping Alfred gone, even if I do miss the world’s greatest butler.
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