Batman: Pennyworth R.I.P.

[Godlike13]

Ok, I hated this. Like holy crap the Batfamily came off like the worst people ever. Goddamn Ric was the most tolerable one. Despite being contradictory with pretty much every thing the crap Nightwing writers have done with him. Not sure why the Bat office is still holding on to something they don’t even seem to follow. Anyway, ya. What the hell. Poor Bruce. Im alone here, or did the Batfamily not come off like a bunch of turds.

[Katana500]

I kinda liked it. What the family said to bruce was hurtful and did come across as a bit nasty but I think it is what he needed to hear.

But most of all im looking forward to what I think this will lead to. Bruce reuniting the family and probably retiring. If you have read Superman heroes I think his and wonderwoman's conversation kinda hints towards that happening

[Gotham citizen]

I don't think I will buy it: it seems to me the classical book written to take economical advantage from a situation (the Alfred's death and how the Bat-family deals with it) rather than to tell a story.
I mean: Claremont dealt with the dead of Jean Grey in one issue and the writers of today need a new book to do the same thing with Alfred's death?

[Blue22]

Ok, I hated this. Like holy crap the Batfamily came off like the worst people ever. Goddamn Ric was the most tolerable one. Despite being contradictory with pretty much every thing the crap Nightwing writers have done with him. Not sure why the Bat office is still holding on to something they don’t even seem to follow. Anyway, ya. What the hell. Poor Bruce. Im alone here, or did the Batfamily not come off like a bunch of turds.

I'm kinda the opposite. I thought Bruce had this coming. It's not like anything they told him wasn't true. He fucked them all over. Especially his own kid. The only thing I didn't care for was all of them walking out after literally just getting there (though I at least understand why in Damian's case). The man wanted you all to spend the night together as his last wish so get your yells out and spend at least like...an hour together.

All in all, I enjoyed the issue. I like seeing the Batfamily together in a casual setting, doing normal family stuff. Even if it was mostly negative in this case.

[Katana500]

I'm kinda the opposite. I thought Bruce had this coming. It's not like anything they told him wasn't true. He fucked them all over. Especially his own kid.

All in all, I enjoyed the issue. I like seeing the Batfamily together in a casual setting, doing normal family stuff. Even if it was mostly negative in this case.

Yeah its negative things Bruce needed to here! I bet Bruce's story will end before 5G with Bruce finally fulfilling Alfreds wish.

[Godlike13]

Bruce’s dad died, how about some freaking compassion. They act as if Bruce invited an alternate reality version of his dad and Bane in to ruin his life. He didn’t deserve that. All they did is pile on the man.

[Katana500]

Bruce’s dad died, how about some freaking compassion. They act as if Bruce invited an alternate reality version of his dad and Bane in to ruin his life. All they do is pile on the man.

Alfred was pretty much a father figure to all of them as well. I think lashing out is a pretty natural thing to do. I think they are all just concerned about the family's future as Alfred brought them together. Stress, Grief and Anger all bottled up for so long - its no wonder Bruce got both barrels.
.

[Godlike13]

They only even know Alfred through Bruce. They should be concerned about the family’s future after that display. To treat someone as their punching bag, while he is one who lost far more then any of them, is just shameful. Cause they are hurting isn’t an excuse. You didn’t see Bruce blaming them for being weak and not doing anything. Which is what they basically did to him.

[Digifiend]

I thought this issue was fine, except for three continuity related problems.

1. An editor's note says it's set before Nightwing Annual #2 - but that was before Dick was shot and thus is impossible. They must've meant Annual #3, which shows Dick apparently back to his old self. But it isn't out yet (solicited for April), so the editor's note wasn't necessary at all.

2. Tim Drake's section used the wrong costume. The scene is clearly set just after Tim became Robin, and he later refers to putting on the R, and is shown using his R Darts. So why is he wearing the Rebirth Red Robin suit instead of the 90s Robin one? Also, Nightwing had his early 90s costume but it was coloured black and blue like his modern ones instead of blue and gold.

3. The photo at the end shows everyone suited up, including a pre-shooting Dick. But Barbara only adopted her current costume just after Dick was shot, so she should've had her Burnside suit in the photo.

[Ansa]

Ok, I hated this. Like holy crap the Batfamily came off like the worst people ever. Goddamn Ric was the most tolerable one. Despite being contradictory with pretty much every thing the crap Nightwing writers have done with him. Not sure why the Bat office is still holding on to something they don’t even seem to follow. Anyway, ya. What the hell. Poor Bruce. Im alone here, or did the Batfamily not come off like a bunch of turds.

I don't know which books you follow, but Bruce had it coming. The way he treated the family for the last two years has just been awful. And despite all that crap most them still showed up when Bruce called for help.
I think he needed to hear this. Alfred wasn't just important to Bruce, I don't see why they need to spare his feelings when he rarely does the same for them.

[The tall man]

Ok, I hated this. Like holy crap the Batfamily came off like the worst people ever. Goddamn Ric was the most tolerable one. Despite being contradictory with pretty much every thing the crap Nightwing writers have done with him. Not sure why the Bat office is still holding on to something they don’t even seem to follow. Anyway, ya. What the hell. Poor Bruce. Im alone here, or did the Batfamily not come off like a bunch of turds.

100% agree! The Batfamily is truly the worst and its books like these that make me wish for a separation between Batman and the Family. Bruce is always made out to be the bad guy, always gets the blame for any and everything. I want Bruce to wash his hands of the Family, just be done with them, at this point he's just their whipping boy. He dosen't need them and they do absolutely nothing for him. He would be much better off without them.

[bat1987]

100% agree! The Batfamily is truly the worst and its books like these that make me wish for a separation between Batman and the Family. Bruce is always made out to be the bad guy, always gets the blame for any and everything. I want Bruce to wash his hands of the Family, just be done with them, at this point he's just their whipping boy. He dosen't need them and they do absolutely nothing for him. He would be much better off without them.

At this point I 100% agree.

[protege]

100% agree! The Batfamily is truly the worst and its books like these that make me wish for a separation between Batman and the Family. Bruce is always made out to be the bad guy, always gets the blame for any and everything. I want Bruce to wash his hands of the Family, just be done with them, at this point he's just their whipping boy. He dosen't need them and they do absolutely nothing for him. He would be much better off without them.

What do you think the bat fam would do if Batman washed his hands of them? Would they hang up the capes? I’d really like Damian to go off to boarding school or something- by the way, was duke there?

[Arctic Cyclist]

What do you think the bat fam would do if Batman washed his hands of them? Would they hang up the capes? I’d really like Damian to go off to boarding school or something- by the way, was duke there?

Thanks to Batman Beyond and other futures shown, we do know this!

-Dick will get married and have a child
-Barbara will become a cop and get married, eventually becoming the Commissioner
-Tim gets married and has children
-Damain seeks out competent mental health professionals, travels the world, and then gets abducted by his grandfather to be brainwashed and indoctrinated into the League of Assassins where he will establish long term relationships and become a calm, even tempered, fairly nice person. No firm evidence of children, but I am 75% sure that Nissa is his daughter, in multiple universes including The Animated Series and its tie-ins it's made clear that Bruce and Talia happily boinked multiple times. Ergo, she could easily be Bruce and Talia's granddaughter, especially considering her skills and sarcasm are very similar to Talia and Damian's


One of those things that has been made clear repeatedly by multiple writers is that the best thing that can happen to everyone is cutting ties with Bruce. He is emotionally, mentally, financially, and physically abusive (in the Millerverse, he's also heavily implied to be sexually abusive to Dick and Jason as well). Outside of The Animated Series, Li'l Gotham, and Teeny Titans we know that he's a terrible person. Even Earth 2 shows Helena is completely messed up mentally by her upbringing.

The only person, except maybe Damian who as a child soldier is going to be retrieved just like real life child soldiers without adult protection, who suffers from the loss of the Batfamily is Bruce. The rest are going to be just fine and start their own families.*

*We don't know that for sure about Jason, but it's a safe bet based on his current situation. Or he might become a priest. Either way, various canons have shown he's better off without Bruce in his life.

[Blue22]

Who says Bruce needs his help. He has Selina for support. Rebuilding the city, yes how ridiculous.

Whether or not he needed Tim's help is not the point. The point is that Tim was trying to show his "father" that he was there for him and there's nothing wrong with that.

****, Selina's part of the problem. Whenever King has his way, her presence makes the entire family irrelevant (remember that BS Alfred spat about having never seen Bruce happy until he was about to marry Selina)

Pushing the family away, where is this. He had them help with Bane.

Ignoring them while they are actively trying to reach out to him is pushing them away.

Bruce doesn’t know how to handle Damian, but that has always been a barrier between Bruce and Damian.

That barrier was more or less broken by the time Damian came back from the dead and only started to rear its ugly head again around the time Rebirth rolled around and family stopped being important to Bruce. But that doesn't mean doesn't try to reach out to him anyway. Difficulty be damned, Bruce, your son is hurting. He's been hurting long before this **** with Alfred started. Man up and be a Dad like you used to do.

But now they care? Babs, as big a fan I am, has no relationship with the kid

You don't have to have a relationship with someone to sympathize with them. In that moment, it wasn't about her personal feelings for Damian. It was about a crying child being ignored by the only person who had even the slightest chance of helping him.

and Tim and Jason are actively antagonistic towards him.

I'll give you Jason (who's antagonistic to literally everyone but still cares) but Tim and Damian have been pretty cool since his resurrection. They're not buddies or anything but they're not constantly at each other's throats like they used to be.