I managed to cut down the back log on my pull. This Annual escaped my reading in the midst of all the City of Bane and Mrs. Freeze hoopla in the flanking Bat-tales, and I must say this lone book really tops both stories quite effortlessly. Best Batman book of 2019? Possibly so…
#spoilers
It’s a simple enough premise, and the cover pretty much states it clearly enough. The entire book consists of diary entries written by Alfred, spanning a month or so. They start of pretty detailed, telling in-depth stories, such as Batman battling a dragon (yes, he really does), or Batman entering a netherworld of the Doctor Strange variety, to something as simple as Bruce reuniting with his old prom date. Eventually it speeds up until each panel is just a single day with a bare image, all ranging from the very high-spectacle to the very simple.
That’s about it, but it’s a more than a joy to read. Alfred’s reflections of Bruce’s adventures feels so healthy and entertaining, plus the sheer variety of Batman’s day-by-day adventures are worthy of his legend. It’s like living out the superhero fantasy in a single issue, how you always imagine that everyday as a masked crusader would offer something different, new, and exciting. In some ways, I feel like this book is an excellent summation of Batman, especially as it’s written outside of his own person. It’s Batman as we imagine him during the in-between of our lives: simply fantastic!
TL;DR Score: I was particularly fond of this nod to the animated series.
TL;DR Comics 