All-Star Batman #11

Writer: Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, and Rafael Scavone

Artist: Rafael Albuquerque and Sebastian Fiumara

Colourist: Jordie Bellaire and Trish Mulvihill

Publisher: DC Comics

There are only a few issues left in this series after the announcement that the title will end with #14. Do not fret, as Scott Snyder will be continuing his promised collaborations with a new prestige format that he promised DC will announce soon.

This issue was such a blast. This arc feels like a departure from the rest of the series, as this feels like the most genuinely fun story so far. Telling it from the perspective of Alfred isn't intrusive at all, and it gives a lot of Batman's actions in the story a lot more weight. Alfred's perspective also gives us a glimpse into his past, which Snyder handled very well. He doesn't dwell on it too much, only showing us what we need to know. He also teases more of his time with MI5, which is the part of Alfred's past I'm most excited to see.

Snyder's fun story is complemented very well with the best art of Rafael Albuquerque's career. It's bright and vibrant, and it feels alive thanks to the deft skills of Jordie Bellaire. A lot of his character designs are really awesome, especially the look of the new villain, who I assume is the titular First Ally, the name of the arc.

Bruce's whole mission was really well-paced and fun to read. Snyder does a great job with the whole aspect of the villains thinking that Bruce is Thomas Elliott/Hush, which goes even further when he meets some other villains, which got a huge chuckle from me. Alfred's connection to the story is what makes the flashbacks more interesting, and I very much look forward to learning more about it.

I tried my best to ignore the back-up but I couldn't look away from Sebastian Fiumara's art. It was fantastic. Ever since he drew that one-shot in the Superman series, I've been hoping to see more of him. His art is gritty and noir, and I'd love to see him do more Batman work in the future. The story wasn't bad at all, but I forgot about it quite soon after reading it. It isn't very special and the characters aren't well-developed. It relies too heavily on narration and doesn't feel cohesive.

Snyder continues to prove that he's the best Batman writer of the last few years, tying together Alfred's past with a new threat here to haunt Batman. Albuquerque's art was stellar and the story is very engaging. Buy it for the main story, ignore the back-up if you want.