All-Star Batman #13

Writers: Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, and Rafael Scavone

Artists: Rafael Albuquerque and Sebastian Fiumara

Colourists: Cris Peter and Trish Mulvihill

Letterer: Steve Wands

This is the penultimate issue of both this arc and the entire series. I have to say, I'm sad to see it go. Scott Snyder has had a rotation of excellent artists as of late and the main art by Rafael Albuquerque as well as the back-up art by Sebastian Fiumara were absolutely stunning.

Albuquerque's art has been coloured by Jordie Bellaire in the arc, but Cris Peter is on colouring duties here and it is definitely noticeable, but I think Peter's colours actually make the art look better than when Bellaire was colouring. It's cleaner, and the colours seemed to pop a lot more. More expressions also seem to come across. I don't know why Bellaire didn't colour this issue, but she's doing a lot of colouring work in the industry and it's possible that she was simply swamped. Her name's on the cover however, so I have to call that out and call shame to the fact that Peter is not credited.

I've been a big advocate of Fiumara's art since the arc began. His work first caught my eye with his one-shot for the main Superman book, Superman #17, and I've been on the look-out for more of his work since. He seems to be perfect for Batman, with his intense shadow work in particular leaving a mark on me.

Alfred's past has played a large part in this arc, and this issue delved the deepest into his past. Snyder is clearly trying to establish a solid background for the character, and I think he will have ultimately succeeded when the series ends. This arc will be seen as a major read for those looking to learn more about Alfred in my opinion. It's engaging storytelling, and Snyder could have easily over-complicated it, but I like the Briar character and I look forward to the ending of the arc based on the ending.

Snyder's wrapping up his story, and I'm in for the ride. The ending has me excited and I'm invested in the characters. The colourist change irked me at first but Peter's art seems to be a better match for Albuquerque than Bellaire. Also, people should be singing praise towards Fiumara, who is producing some of the best Batman art out there right now.