Detective Comics #815 - Some Great Alfred Moments

[zapbiffpow]

First shot at a post, sorry if there's any problem!

We've seen it from Dick Grayson in Batman and Robin's first run: if these pages from Detective Comics #815 are any indication, stepping into the boots of Batman entails losing a certain skill. Can you guess what it is?






During the party, Alfred is stabbed by an escaped Victor Zsasz. Once again, Alfred shows just how tough a butler can be, which, if you're Alfred, amounts to 'pretty tough'.




Bruce Wayne then announces to the public that Zsasz has failed to kill Alfred in a ploy to lure the murderer out of hiding. After risking getting caught by then-Commissioner Akins and a squad of police, traveling through the sewers and taking down Zsasz in front of Alfred's bed, the following exchange happens:







The art and inking in this issue is so neat and crisp. The story's great, too: easy to digest and little need for continuity, a neat tale wrapped in a two-issue bundle.

But I mostly liked this issue because of Alfred - nice to see he isn't above asking Batman for nice stuff now and then. He deserves it.

Comments

[icon_uk]

Oh Bruce, just face it, to the rest of the world you're the almighty Batman, but to Alfred, you're merely Bertie Wooster to his Jeeves.

[amaniwolf]

Oh Alfred, never change, you're perfect the way you are.

[shadur]

We need an Alfred is Awesome week. Preferably across incarnations. Because he's /never/ not been awesome.

[dr_archeville]

Battlin' butlers week, so Jarvis from the Avengers can get some love, too?

[jenni411]

Yes, this, please.

[cf105]

I think we can find some other fun contributions. Mods?

[thosefew]

Was there a Tangent Universe Alfred?

[endis_ni]

We'd need at least a month to cover it all!

[filthysize]

I want to hug whoever wrote this.

[espanolbot]

It is amusing that at this point in Batman's history, that despite being an expert in so many things, basic cooking skills apparently escaped his studies.

Like he was Homer Simpson "Can't combine milk and serial without burning it" bad.

[espanolbot]

*Cereal, shoot.

[curlyjo1]

He's a cereal killer?

[omgwtflolbbqbye]

I could buy the 'Bruce sucks at housework/cooking' running gags since I figure that he probably spent his training years roughing it and eating bugs, gruel, and other non-comforting cuisine.

And even if he did learn, Alfred pretty much has made sure Bruce would never go without a nutritious and delicious meal everyday since he came back to Gotham, so whatever cooking/home ec skill he probably knew atrophied.

[filthysize]

Azzarello gave him cooking skills, I think. I remember there was a scene where Bruce is talking to Crispus Allen on the phone while grilling a steak, and Allen asks him why he'd be doing that while talking on the phone, when a steak is one of the hardest things to cook because you have to be very precise. Bruce just says "It helps me relax."

BATMAN: So good at everything all the time, he takes a breather from his usual stress by cooking the most difficult meal.

[omgwtflolbbqbye]

Yea, that was in the Broken City storyarc- but I think he ended up undercooking it anyways.

A good steak isn't that hard to grill though IMO; now if Bruce made Beef Wellingtons in his free time, that would be something to talk about...

[gerardotejada]

Alfred and Gordon are two members of the Batman Family that needs more love. I love Alfred on year one

[q99]

For me, Gordon is a very solid character, but Alfred is *perfect* :)

[gerardotejada]

They are both perfect, they are the closest thing to a family Bruce has ever had.

Miller's Year One was brilliant because the action is focused in Gordon/Batman and Bruce/Alfred, no batgirls no robins no costumed villians. Miller was the best Batman writer back in the day when he and Moore compited for the title of Best Writer Ever.

Why there is not an Alfred:YearOne?

[meicdon13]

In my headcanon, Alfred already went and bought the Bentley using Bruce's credit card.