Batgirl Lambasts Batman Over Vacation During City of Bane

DC fans are still coming to grips with the fact that Alfred Pennyworth is no longer among the living, and the thing is so is the Bat-family, who all came together to pay their last respects to their friend in Pennyworth RIP #1. They then got together at a bar to toast their fallen friend and mentor, with each member of the family dealing with their own baggage and paying their own sort of tribute. For Barbara Gordon, that meant a sweet story about Alfred helping her get past her trauma as well as giving a verbal thrashing to Bruce over how he's handled things in leading up to Alfred's death and afterward.

Barbara starts by telling him how bad it's really been during the time he was gone recuperating from Bane's attack. "You need to realize how bad it was when Bane ruled the city," Gordon said. "How it nearly broke all of us, and the city...it hasn't recovered. Not really. I never lived in the manor. I never had the life of luxury the others had, I've always lived right in the heart of the city, and I can say for sure that right now the people of Gotham are scared out of their minds."

She continues to lay out a grim picture, but then things get even more personal, as Barbara brings up her father's condition and the fact that Bruce was on a beach with Selina at one point.

"Bruce...you let my dad's brain get infected by a monster," Gordon said. "You took a vacation to the beach at the worst possible time and it got Alfred killed. And ever since then you've been running at breakneck speed..."

She then says we all make mistakes, but the time to look back at those is over, and Gotham and the rest of the family needs the real Bruce and Batman back.

"But each of us needs Batman right now," Gordon said. "We need the man who inspired us to become the best versions of ourselves. We need the best of you, so we can heal."

Bruce just listens with a saddened look on his face, and that's not good enough for Batgirl, who then throws her glass at the wall in anger, saying "Dammit bruce, just react to something!"

So yeah, that could've gone better, and you can see how the conversation plays out in the images above.

Pennyworth RIP is written by Peter J. Tomasi and James Tynion IV, with pencils by Eddy Barrows, Chris Burnham, Sumit Kumar, David Lafuente, and Diogenes Neves, inks by Chris Burnham, Eber Ferreira, Sumit Kumar, David Lafuente, and Diogenes Neves, and colors by Nathan Fairbairn, Rex Lokus, and Adriano Lucas.

The official description is included below.

"Alfred Pennyworth served the Wayne family for decades-even through the tragic loss of Bruce Wayne's parents. His death at the hands of Bane is the only event that could possibly compare to that fateful night in Crime Alley, and it leaves Bruce at a similar crossroads. If Alfred was the glue that held the Bat-Family together, how will Batman deal with that all falling apart? And if the Caped Crusader is to be truly alone, he might either hang that cape up once and for all…or double down and carry on with this vengeful quest forever. Batman: Pennyworth R.I.P. #1 celebrates the life of one of the most important people in the history of Gotham City, while also addressing questions about what's next."

Pennyworth RIP is in comic stores now.

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