It's not the logistics of it for me. I don't see where it fits in with his personality.

Extended trailer for the film adaptation of Cloud Atlas: [link]

That looks amazing. I haven't read the book yet -- I have a copy at home, but I keep picking it up and putting it down because it's too dense for what passes as my brain nowadays.

It's not the logistics of it for me. I don't see where it fits in with his personality.

I have a harder time with the actual events of the movie, because I just don't believe, in terms of his personality, that Bruce would quit being Batman while he was still alive. I don't. Or -- I'm perfectly willing to entertain the possibility of a Dark Knight Returns scenario where he retires from the cape and the cowl but keeps training young vigilantes. Or -- and this is a long shot -- a Kingdom Come (not Kingdom Come, damn it, I can't remember -- was it in JSA where the "sequel" to Kingdom Come" was done?) scenario where he shacks up with Superman and Wonder Woman. I'm cool with a superthreesome.

I'm going to get the audiobook from the library. It has a full cast!

I can, weirdly, see that Batman doing it, without feeling like that's not one of my Batmen, if that makes sense. It's a pretty huge departure, as well as Alfred walking away during a crisis moment, even if it is for his own good, but I think both things work for that particular story arc.

But I would be less accepting in anything other than such a clear trilogy with the peaks and valleys that implies.

The more I think about it, the more Alfred walking away bugs me. Because Alfred wouldn't DO that. He's there for Bruce no matter what. Or am I forgetting something from comics canon that matches up?

ita and Jilli, that pulled me out of the film, too. Alfred just doesn’t do that!

I guess the point is (and it took me till the second viewing to try and accept it for what it is) that it's Just That Bad. Yes, it's a thing we consider inconceivable--that's how serious he is.

I would be more surprised to see it in the comics, but I'm not sure how I'd take Alfred lying about Rachel there too. I'm torn on that also.

That is straight from the comics. The only difference is the timing: in the comics, Alfred quit when Bruce decided to return to Gotham after his spine was handwaved back together.

I remember that now!