Poor Alfred Pennyworth can’t seem to catch a break. I remember reading an issue of Batman Eternal where he got jabbed in the head by one of Batman’s enemies. Ouch. And now, Scott Snyder’s penultimate chapter in an amazing Batman run has the seemingly immortal Joker lopping off Alfred’s right hand. Double ouch. It’s that symbolic of the Joker cutting off Batman’s right-hand man (Alfred)? I don’t know but Batman #40 (a.k.a Batman: Endgame Part 6) promises to be a doozy.

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Now what other comic books caught my eye this week? It would be Mark Millar’s The Secret Service. There are plenty of reasons he is one of the best comic book writers out there. He brought us Kickass and Civil War but to me, his original run with The Ultimates was the best thing in comic books. I took a train right to what were known as the tallest buildings in world (the KLCC Twin Towers), just to get to the Kinokuniya book store to purchase The Ultimates #1 when it was released. That book, is the very inspiration for the Marvel Cinematic Universe that you see in cinemas today.

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I wouldn’t fault you if you feel that there’s something familiar about The Secret Service. This is because the recent blockbuster hit Kingsman: The Secret Service is actually loosely based on this comic book. Given that it’s written by Mark Millar, there’s plenty of violence, cursing and some skin. It’s an overall pretty good read and I’m actually looking forward to catch the movie on the small screen.