Batman Proves Alfred's Death Has Changed Him For The Better
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman #106
In the latest issue of DC Comics' Batman, it seems as though the Dark Knight is starting to become the better Bat he promised Alfred he would be. In Batman #106, a seemingly small moment shared between Batman and his recently reunited friend Ghost-Maker actually communicates volumes about the positive growth Batman has had in the last couple years. In the moments just before the Joker War, Batman promised the late Alfred that he would become a better Bat not just for Gotham, but also for himself and for his family. A big part part of that has been allowing himself to lighten up a bit around those he trusts.
As an example, Batman #55 saw Nightwing joining Batman for a night patrolling Gotham, and Dick was trying to convince the Dark Knight to join him in a contest as they jumped rooftops looking for crime. Batman was his usual distant and disapproving self, and while he did concede to Nightwing's free-fall contest, he abandoned the game prematurely. Unfortunately, Batman's lack of interest in this game was made even worse as this was the same issue where Nightwing was shot in the head, which lead to Dick having lost his memories up until fairly recently.
In direct contrast, Batman was recently open and honest enough to reforge an old friendship that had long been broken, reuniting with the Ghost-Maker, who agreed to stick around Gotham for awhile to help the Dark Knight in his crusade. While they work together to stop a new group known as the Unsanity Collective in Batman #106 from writer James Tynion IV with art by Jorge Jimenez, Batman actually agrees to race back home with Ghost-Maker once the criminals have been apprehended.
While one has to wonder if Nightwing is jealous, the main difference between the two events is the death of Alfred. Losing Alfred has seemingly forced Batman to take stock of his methods and how he operates, not only as Batman, but also with his own family members. Combined with his son Damian choosing to leave his role as Robin in favor of walking his own path alone after Alfred's death, it's possible that Batman has finally realized that he needs to stop shutting out those closest to him. Instead, he needs to trust them now more than ever, especially considering that the levels of anti-vigilante sentiments in Gotham are at an all-time high.
It seems as though Batman being more open has also led to him loosening up a little more around his Bat Family and allies, hence his agreement to a race with Ghost-Maker. Again, while it's a small moment in an issue with arguably much bigger things going on, it truly does show that Batman has perhaps begun to change for the better with the provided context, and it's all due to his attempts to fulfill his promise to Alfred to be that better Bat in DC Comics going forward.
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