I'm so used to Greg Capullo's artwork that Rafael Albuquerque's pales a bit in comparison. I do like, though, how Alfred rose to more of a central role, if just for this trade collection. The execution of the plot line, though, left me feeling a little mixed.

I found this to be quite interesting to see Alfred in a different light in which he is more of a mentor than a caregiver. He was always seen as just a butler, but this book really shines on him. Not the best I have read but good enough for me and I would recommend this to any Batman fans to check it out!

Of all the Batman characters, and these days they are legion, possibly the most important and overlooked is Alfred. The man who raised Bruce Wayne and facilitated his quest is far more than a loyal butler, but that story doesn't get told very often. This collection fixes that...in a big way. Concentrating on Alfred's background as an elite British spy, The First Ally brings the decisions Alfred made decades ago into the current Bat mythos. It's a fascinating look at family, loyalty and the consequences of both. Scott Snyder does it again.

Unfortunately, this series continues to pale next to the regular Bat-books in Batman and Detective Comics. This attempt to retcon Alfred into Batman-lite doesn't have the desired effect. Anyone looking for continuity can skip this one.

Wow! I love discovering Batman through the eyes of Alfred. Alfred is a bit of a mystery in his own right. He's Batman's go-to guy for just about everything. He never feels the need to sugar coat anything he needs to say to Batman. Although The First Ally is a bit of departure from the usual comic in the Batman series, it was important to showcase the life of our super hero from another vantage point. Snyder introduces and reminds us of old foes in an effortless way. A must read. Delve into the past and discover.

ARC from Netgalley.
For a title like All-Star Batman, this Volume didn't have Batman as the star, but Alfred. The story bounces back and forth a little too much for my liking, but was easy enough to comprehend. A new enemy, known as Nemesis, shows up with incredibly sharp claws, and though he attacks Batman, he is actually looking for Alfred.
In the past, Alfred, a great soldier in the British Army, is recruited to become part of the division that creates Nemesis, training under Briar, a grizzled older agent. Briar claims to be "The First Ally", a position of note for assassins, being the only person above all who they can trust. Briar betrays Alfred by heading to Gotham to kill his father, who is working to take care of the Wayne family, but Alfred stops him, no longer desiring to become Nemesis.
In the present, Batman is searching for the Genesis Engine, a device that is capable repair people, miracle biotech. Standing in his way are Penguin, Black Mask and Great White Shark, but it turns out that they too are working towards Briar's cause.
See? With the time jumps, it gets a little confusing. Snyder has done an amazing job with Batman over the years, but I'm glad All-Star Batman is running to its conclusion. Back him back on the main title where he belongs!
Kind of recommend...

For a Scott Snyder penned Batman book, this one was not very good. Yes it was a glimpse into the past of Alfred but overall not entertaining and seemed below the caliber of work I've come to depend on from a Scott Snyder book.

I love batman just know that. I adore him and everything about him. I love reading various versions of him from others. Batman has become an obsession of mine

Alfred and Batman are in Florida trying to stop Gotham villains from getting the Genesis Engine. But there is more at stake when Alfred's past as comes calling. Alfred and Batman have to each make hard choices to survive this crisis. And then in a side-story, Batman goes to Moscow to stop a crime family from importing weapons into Gotham. Plenty of action, plenty of angst and dark shadows to move the stories along. But the blocky Batman figure threw a damper on my enjoyment of the stories.

DC continues its revisionist approach to Alfred in volume 3 of All Star Batman. I’m generally opposed to revising iconic characters, but I have to admit I like the presentation of the new Alfred. Who knew he was such a badass in the Falklands? I mean, all Brits think they’re James Bond, but it turns out that Alfred was the real deal. And after all, it’s been decades since DC cared about continuity, so why not remake Alfred? At DC, if the current universe gets out of control, just blow it up and start a new one. The past doesn’t exist at DC, so writers are free to do any damn thing they please. Sort of like Trump. But anyway . . . .

The story takes us back to Alfred’s youth while, in the present, it takes Batman and Alfred to Miami. Hush is pretending to be Bruce Wayne for reasons that have to do with the Genesis Engine, which is apparently in the hands of some pirates. Batman wants it and the Penguin and crew want to help him for territorial reasons (Miami muscling in on Gotham? Never!). So Batman and Alfred have to save each other multiple times while Batman tries to get control of the Genesis Thing.

Eventually the past and present merge, as they always do. Alfred’s mentor from the past becomes Batman’s nemesis in the present, except there’s another villain who is actually named Nemesis, so try not to get them confused. There’s even another Alfred.

Put aside the convoluted comic book logic, and Scott Snyder’s strong prose actually makes the story worth reading. It’s genuinely touching without being melodramatic, and there’s no shortage of action.

The next story is a flashback to a time when Batman went to Russia pretending to be a fighter named Knockout (Nokaut) so he could infiltrate a crime syndicate that is moving into Gotham. He might also infiltrate the hot daughter of a Russian crime boss, a chick named Vik, if she doesn’t kill him first. He wants to stop a weapons shipment because the Gotham police, Coast Guard, FBI, CIA, NSA, and other agencies that handle that sort of thing just aren’t up to the task. Flashing forward to the present, Vik has become the Killer Queen and is seeking revenge by doing business with Penguin, bringing us full circle back to the Genesis Engine.

Art in this volume is generally pretty good, although it continues the modern tradition of artists drawing iconic characters as they see fit, without regard to how any other artist has drawn the character over the last several decades, but apart from that quibble, the art is pleasing and that’s better than the modern DC often delivers.

The world knows the early history of Batman, the man whose parents died one evening when out for dinner. Bruce Wayne would be raised by the families faithful butler, Alfred. What most of us do not know (this reader at least did not) is the early history of Alfred Pennyworth and his connection to British Intelligence. This edition of All-Star Batman provides some of that backstory.

The story moves back and forth between flashbacks and current history, occasionally making the story difficult to follow. But even with that small flaw, the story is fun and kept this Sexagenarian's interest. The artwork (both for images displaying the past and that displaying the present) appears to show a somewhat aged set of characters. I might expect the modern set of characters to show aging - but it was disappointing to see some of that same aging to appear on the historical Batman et al.

I expect those who are fans of DC Comics or Batman, whether earlier generations of the story or of the current generation will find the story and book of interest. I know I did.
______________

This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

I find I am panning most this particular collection. There are some good moments, but overall, I did not find it satisfying. I especially disliked the backstory of Arthur. Is it necessary for everyone (every character) to have a secret espionage background?

Ouch; this is just painfully bad. A very wordy Alfred and Bats are forced to behave in parallel, a story from Alfred's past comes back to hurt Bats, and we get added pirate metaphors which Just. Don't. Work. Even Pirate Language, which of course Bruce is fluent in, gets a look-in. Yup, it's as bad as you fear, and little about the artwork is on hand to redeem anything, either.

'All Star Batman, Volume 3: The First Ally' by Scott Snyder with art by Rafael Albuquerque and other fine artists continues Scott Snyder's run on the title and collects issues 10-14.

Batman tracks down a device in Miami that is being sought by a group of villains, including Hush who is impersonating Bruce Wayne. There is another Dark Knight on the trail, and his origins may have something to do with Alfred Pennyworth's tale. And pirates, for some reason.

In the backup story, Batman infiltrates a Russian mob in Russia and tries to stop an arms shipment bound for Gotham.
Sebastian Fiumara's art elevates an average story to something worth reading.

I liked the main story well enough, but felt like the lost boy, father/child theme was laid on just a bit too thick. I like the character of Alfred, and giving him a cool backstory is a great idea, but this felt heavy-handed.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

This is volume three of “All-Star Batman” that is a part of DC Comics’ recent “rebirth” reboot. I enjoyed the storyline for this present work more than the previous two volumes. It seems the “All-Star Batman” is more fast-paced than other Batman titles which can have its strength and weaknesses but being bored won’t be one of them. But in volume three the timing was right in my opinion along with a great reoccurring theme and human interest’s angle. The artwork is great as well. I give this a rating of five out of five.
This work contain two stories. The first is titled “The First Ally” and the second is titled “Killers-In-Law.” The bulk of this volume is dedicated to “The First Ally.” At first it might seem to be two unrelated stories but by the end of the volume the author gives enough clues of how they relate but it does so in a way that builds anticipation for the next volume.
Concerning the first story, “The First Ally,” I love how the story is told from the perspective of Alfred narrating the story. The author did a good job of bringing a character that is usually in a supporting role of helping Batman and placing him to the limelight. What we have here is not just only a story about Bruce Wayne/Batman but also Alfred the man, his past and also his motivation and relationship with Bruce Wayne and his adventure of being Batman. The plot for this story is centered on Batman trying to find and retrieve a mysterious “Genesis Engine” device but we also the narrating voice of Alfred and flashback scenes from Alfred’s younger days. Here we see Alfred’s youth and how much it parallel that of Bruce Wayne. I thought that is a fascinating angle, where you discover there is more to Alfred than the stoic butler. In fact Alfred’s lives isn’t just parallel to Bruce in the story but also becomes relevant to what’s going on in the present as readers discover more about Batman’s latest villains that he is fighting. Both the villain Blair and the knight Nemesis has ties to Alfred and towards the end of the story there is a fascinating twist concerning their relationship to Alfred.
Concerning the second story, “Killers-In-Law” Batman sneaks into Russia pretending to be a Russian thug in order to penetrate into a powerful Russian crime organization run by the Myasnik Family to pre-emptively stop a weapons smuggling operation into Gotham. As the story progress we see Batman’s philosophy of not killing being contrasted with how the father and daughter of the Myasnik Family operate. The daughter Vik is the chief villain against Batman in this story and like the first story there is a theme of fathers, secrets and betrayal. The ending is gold in how it ties it to the first story in the volume. Readers shouldn’t miss the last few panels of this work.
Overall I enjoyed this volume very much and one reason is that the story takes Batman out of Gotham to other locations such as the islands off of Florida, a deep sea in a submarine and to Russia. Like the other “All-Star Batman” volumes there is a hosts of various villains and with many of them being new ones. It is nice to see some new characters with different personalities and motivations being introduced. This volume also is a testament to the author’s creativity of having a running theme that unified the two stories which at first glance seems so different and unrelated but towards the end of both stories the saying of “the first and last ally” and echoes of the theme of fathers and lost children occurs. I think this work was quite deeper for a comic for exploring the theme of the impact of fathers on their children, whether for good or for ill. It also explore the theme of dark secrets, authoritarianism, love, betrayal and more complicated is the theme of how being a father with good intention can still bring about questions of enabling problems for one’s son. Again I give this work a five out of five rating.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by DC Comics and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

There were two main stories in this TPB, and then a third at the end that also tied in.

First we got to see Pennyworth before he came to work for the Waynes. That story went right alongside the story of Bruce and Alfred going after something called the Genesis Machine, that I guess can do something with DNA or something (that part I was a little fuzzy on).

Then we have Batman going undercover in the past and the results of that in the present.

I liked seeing more of Alfred and I have to say that the story at the end was very interesting (and cliffhanger-y) as well.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to DC Entertainment.

I'm split on this one, which is Snyder at his most Snyder. The story winds back around and everything ties back into secrets from the past. There's a formal structure that has become predictable and unnecessary (especially seen in light of the larger vision rather than as a stand-alone story). Snyder spends too much time explaining his narration, of making sure we get every last connection. It reminds me of the worst of the Court of Owls storyline.

At the same time, it's fun. Snyder's never afraid to write these big crazy adventures with secret backstories and last-second, impossible escapes. This one's not his best, but it's a fun read.

I suspect if you've already formed an opinion on Snyder's work [I generally like it], you'll know whether you'll like this one or not.

As for the art, it's fine, but it doesn't fit the feel of the story, which could have been a sleek Bond sort of thing or even a campy pirate adventure, but something here doesn't quite fit for me. It's not jab at Albuquerque, who's both skilled and flexible. This is probably more of a personal disconnect than anything.

All-Star Batman Vol. 3: The First Ally is the final volume of Scott Snyder’s All-Star series. When the Dark Knight is taken down by a new enemy whose attacks he cannot counter, Batman uncovers a plot spanning generations...whose mastermind might be one of his closest allies! But who is the First Ally? And as painful secrets from the past are revealed, Batman must face down a nemesis unlike any he’s seen before—or risk the horrific consequences of the Genesis Engine falling into the wrong hands!

WORDS:
All-Star Batman Vol. 3: The First Ally reunites Snyder & Albuquerque, the Eisner Award-winning creative team of American Vampire. They work some of that same magic here. Snyder delves deep into Alfred’s past, the impact of which is felt in the present day proceedings. I really enjoyed the relationship between Alfred and Bruce. The way Alfred sees him as his son, and the way his background influences this, is a beautiful thing. We get a glimpse of the relationship between Alfred and his father, who was also a butler for the Waynes.

Alfred narrates the story, which allows us to get a deeper sense of who he is, and what he is to Bruce.  We also get a healthy dose of his wit and sense of humor;  he even includes a great riff on the whole “Be the best you can be, unless you can be Batman” adage.

The action and set pieces are phenomenal, especially Fort Dexter, a secret bunker just off the coast that used to be used by pirates to store their booty. The action flows well, and the switching between Alfred’s past and the present is seamless. If you’ve always wanted to know why Snyder’s New 52 version of Alfred was such a badass, then this book is for you.

I also really enjoyed the theme of pirates, and pirate stories, that Alfred refers to throughout the story, highlighted by a splash page where he says, “Yo $%^& Ho!”

PICTURES:
Albuquerque, also known for his great work on Huck, does some great things here. His kinetic, almost frantic style, works great for this story. It really shines though in any panels that contain movement or action. His heavy, streaky brush strokes lend a great sense of depth and ambiance.

While Albuquerque’s art is wonderful here, it is beautifully enhanced by color extraordinaire Jordie Bellaire’s brilliant colors. Her choice of colors, especially her backgrounds, tie certain scenes together. And her selections for some of the sunsets are just downright mesmerizing. I caught myself staring at pages for longer than I’m willing to admit.

The finishing touch is Wand’s lettering. The font, spacing and balloon breaks are perfectly suited for this story. His lettering really adds a solid flow from panel to panel, and page to page. This book reads like a cool summer’s breeze (let’s all just assume you know what I mean here).

BACKUP STORY:
Albuquerque was on writing duties for the backup story, which involves Batman infiltrating a Russian mob to prevent the shipment of deadly weapons to Gotham. As far as backup stories go, this one was pretty solid. Albuquerque’s pacing was good. I enjoyed the aspect of Bruce going undercover in Russia.

The art by Fiumara was dark and gritty. It really excelled when he got to play with a lot of shadows. The fact that the majority of this story takes place at night was a huge bonus. Lots of dark, gritty ambiance. I particularly liked a sequence where Batman is perched in a tree at night while eavesdropping on the criminal family he has infiltrated.

The ending of this story really ties into the main story. In fact, I suggest reading the backup story first. It’s all collected as one story in the back, naturally.

VERDICT:
Buy it. All-Star Batman Vol. 3: The First Ally is a great look into Alfred’s past and how it shaped the kind of person he is today. You do not need to read the first two volumes to understand what is going on here. The art is fun to look at and it keeps you engaged throughout.

From the publisher: #1 New York Times best-selling BATMAN author Scott Snyder's ALL-STAR BATMAN continues with a new volume featuring new stories drawn by some of the top artists in all of comics!

In the third volume of Scott Snyder's best-selling ALL-STAR BATMAN, a rotating team of all-star artists join the Bat-scribe to tell tales featuring some of Batman's most deadly foes! For more than 75 years, Batman has been one of the most widely recognized and revered superheroes in all of comics. But what would the Dark Knight be without an equally iconic roster of villains to keep him fighting all these years?

When the Dark Knight is taken down by a new enemy whose attacks he cannot counter, he uncovers a plot spanning generations...whose mastermind might be one of his closest allies! But who is the First Ally?

In ALL-STAR BATMAN VOL. 3, Scott Snyder is joined by Rafael Albuquerque and other superstar artists to pit Batman against his darkest enemies. Collects issues #10-14.

Scott Snyder delivers with All-Star Batman Vol. 3: The First Ally. One of my favorite things about Snyder's Batman stories is how he is able to new ideas and characters to Batman's past while making it seem like they'd been there all along. That is what he's done with The First Ally, only in this case, he's added to Alfred Pennyworth's past.

Batman tracks Hush to Miami to try and acquire the Genesis Engine before Hush, Penguin, Black Mask, and Great White can get there hands on it. As Batman nears his goal in a confrontation with the descendants of actual pirates, he encounters an unexpected new foe: a Black Knight, or Nemesis, and his handler, a man named Briar. While Nemesis is new to Batman, he is familiar to Alfred, who at one point in his life was on the path to be a Nemesis Black Knight. As the struggle for the Genesis Engine heats up, Alfred will revisit a part of his past he thought was over.

There was a lot to like about the First Ally storyline. I really liked the focus on Alfred, who narrated the entire story. Snyder alternates between Alfred's past as an SAS agent and his present as Bruce Wayne's ally. We are given a very open, and interesting, look into Alfred's relationship with his father and some unresolved feelings that led him to join the military. The confrontation between Batman and Briar and his Black Knight dovetails with Alfred's training in the Nemesis program. Additionally, the modern pirates tie in with Alfred's story, as well, which ends up bringing The First Ally full circle. All of these things made for a rich, deep story, one which was really enjoyable. I've found that often times my favorite Batman stories are the ones that deepen the characters that surround Batman, rather than just focus on Batman himself. This is what Snyder did with The First Ally, and it paid off.

Along with The First Ally arc, there was a back-up story arc called Killers-in-Law that focused on Bruce Wayne going undercover in Russia as a part of a Russian crime family known as the Myasniks. Batman wants to stop a shipment of weapons from making their way to Gotham for the Russian crime families there to start a war with the Falcone family. While in Russia, Bruce makes the acquaintance of Vik Myasnik, who will become known as Killer Queen. Snyder makes this an interesting story with Batman out of his normal element, and also finds a way to tie it into his main First Ally story arc.

Overall, I found All-Star Batman Vol. 3: The First Ally by Scott Snyder to an excellent read. I highly recommend this story of fathers and sons, especially to Batman fans who like their supporting cast to be rounded out with depth of character.

I received a preview copy of this book from DC Comics and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Branching from Batman Vol. 8: Superheavy, All-Star Batman Vol. 3: The First Ally plumbs Alfred's misgivings over the role he plays in Batman's war on crime, assisting and abetting and giving tacit permission for his tacit son Bruce to continue living this life. Here at All-Star Batman's conclusion, this is perhaps the most self-contained of Scott Snyder's tertiary Batman stories, the most standalone and the most fully realized, with lofty, seemingly effortless art by Rafael Albuquerque. This is the best saved for last, Snyder finally hitting his groove on All-Star in a manner that will hopefully inform Snyder's standalone Batman stories to come.

The First Ally is modeled on classic pirate stories, and takes place as much in the daylight of Miami as it does in the night. To that extent, though First Ally is neither as gory nor wonderfully vulgar as some of the All-Star Batman stories that preceded it, it does again see Snyder playing fast and loose with Batman-as-caped-superhero, not necessarily as Dark Knight, up to and including dangling the Bruce Wayne identity in front of Batman's greatest foes (though they believe it's just a disguise). Snyder has been wont to say recently, "This is not a Batman story," and indeed First Ally -- perhaps more so than All-Star Batman Vol. 2: Ends of the Earth -- is really not a Batman story, but in its wild adventurousness it feels more of the cloth than the stories that came before.

It's a sometimes-rare treasure to find a book totally drawn by one artist (in the main story), and Rafael Albuquerque's work here is flawless. Albuquerque's active but semi-cartoony take befits an Alfred pirate story exactly, not to mention the glossy Miami backdrop. Despite full main issues, the book also has back-ups, a tale of a Russian mob heiress by Albuquerque and writing partner Rafael Scavone. "Killers-in-Law" is slightly besides the point, but there's so much material already that the back-up feels like a bonus; artist Sebastian Fiumara resembles Leonardo Manco, evoking Vertigo's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo comics, which shares as a matter of fact a pretty close aesthetic with this story.

By the time All-Star Batman closed, Scott Snyder's Dark Nights: Metal was already underway, but due to the vagaries of collected comics, of course, I'm reading All-Star Batman Vol. 3: The First Ally before that crossover. Snyder's Batman stories, especially toward the end, have been feel-good comics, with a clear and reoccurring humanist thesis that's fun to spot, a la the recurring themes of Snyder's Batman predecessor Grant Morrison. First Ally is fun and funny, dramatic and interesting, and whets my appetite significantly to follow Snyder into Metal.