Young Alfred: Pain in the Butler

Bruce Wayne wouldn’t be Batman without his righthand man, Alfred Pennyworth. But was Alfred born to be the greatest butler in the world? Not exactly…

When Alfred attends the prestigious Gotham Servants School, he is a clumsy and nervous boy going to fulfill his father’s last wish—he will become…a butler! Pushed out of his comfort zone, Alfred must adjust to new surroundings and responsibilities while trying to ace his courses and get along with his classmates. But when he suspects that his school may be involved in a criminal plot, Alfred must look within himself to see if he has what it takes to be not only a butler, but a hero.

Want to know how the iconic Gotham butler got his start? From New York Times bestselling writer Michael Northrop (TombQuest) with striking visuals from artist Sam Lotfi comes the story of a scrappy boy who becomes a legend.

Michael Northrop is the New York Times bestselling author of 15 books for young readers, including the bestselling TombQuest adventure series and the hit graphic novel Dear Justice League. He’s been named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start, and his books have been selected for the Indie Next List, the Junior Library Guild, and numerous state lists. Collectively, they have sold more than a million copies. He is originally from Salisbury, Connecticut, a small town in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, where he mastered the arts of tree climbing, BB gun shooting, and field goal kicking with only moderate injuries. After graduating from NYU, he worked at Sports Illustrated for Kids magazine for 12 years, the last five of those as baseball editor.

Sam Lotfi is the co-creator/artist of the supernatural thriller Last Stop on the Red Line from Dark Horse Comics. He was selected for the DC Comics’ Talent Development Artist’s Workshop in 2016 and has since worked on characters such as Superman, Flash, Doctor Fate, Harley Quinn, and Secret Squirrel, as well as the DC graphic novels Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend and Antihero. Other works include Marvel/Icon’s Painkiller Jane: Price of Freedom, Dynamite’s Ash vs the Army of Darkness, 1First Comics Lark’s Killer, and covers for IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Micronauts, and Hasbro Heroes. In addition to comics, Sam has worked on various animation and video game projects. He lives in Austin, TX with his lovely wife and their two adventurous boys.
For more of Sam’s work you can follow him on social media @slotfi and his website SAMLOTFI.COM