Batman: Year One

Review

Frank Miller presents an absolutely memorable origin story for Batman--the best of any origin story for this character.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A mans journey

The first thing people think of when batman is said, is a man in a garish neon outfit making him look like a transvestite bat. They categorize him as a needless distraction in any media, especially in comics. But this comic transcends all opinions and delivers a story that is undeniably realistic and exciting. Gone is the neon jump suit, replaced by a emotionally wounded man trying to make sense of his in an urban jungle eating itself alive. Where the only wasy to make change is to become fear itself and make all that inflict evil on innocents pay. This book in a nutshell makes the Untouchables look like barney miller.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Very good. Same story, different take.

As much Gordon's story as it is Bruce Waynes. This tells the story behind the story. The thinking...and mistakes...that lead to the man behind the mask. And the lonely honest cop trying to make a difference by himself.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

O

Amazing

They should change the title to "Jim Gordon: Year One."

They should change the title to "Jim Gordon: Year One." I'm not going to say I didn't like it, it was a good read. However, it's not like this is the "definitive" origin story or even the best one. For starters, it's less than half about Batman. It's told from the perspective of Bruce/Batman and Jim Gordon, but it seems to center more on Gordon than Batman. Sure, you see Bruce coming back to Gotham and trying to be a vigilante, but it's patchy. They go from him trying a simple disguise that doesn't work to deciding to become a bat through the usual means (one comes through his window) and, the next thing you know, he's Batman. We see some of the stuff he does as Batman, but not a lot of it. We mostly see him fight thugs and corrupt city officials. We don't see him doing much investigation or even hunting down criminals. He just pops up to do things and then goes away. The rest of the book is a very in-depth telling of Jim Gordon's first year in Gotham. He comes to Gotham after getting into some unspecified trouble in Chicago and then has to deal with a pregnant wife, corrupt cops and a lot of other stuff, including the Batman problem. It just seems like the book is more about Gordon than it is Batman. That's not really a problem, I like Jim Gordon's character. However, the book shouldn't really be called "Batman: Year One" when it's hardly about Batman. Most Batman books center solely around the title character, this is one of the few I've read that doesn't. I just don't get people raving about this book like it's the ultimate origin story for Batman when that part of the plot is overshadowed by Jim Gordon's part of the plot.

"Batman: Year One" Book Review

The only way I can actually explain the sheer genius of this story is to say that if you don't read this book, you're not a Batman fan. Period. Now, why is it so awesome? Well, because it revolutionizes the character by doing this: it makes Batman relateable and cool after decades of him not being cool ( this book was written in the '80's, remember ) while not just turning him into a run of the mill amarchist you hear about on the evening news. No, this Batman is out there to take his city back. Many people argue that the story is not Bruce's at all, but Jim's. I respectfully disagree, because I think this book is actually about the both of them coming together under extraordinary circumstances. It's about two men, two friends, much like Butch and Sundance, Kirk and Spock, Holmes and Watson, Harry and Ron and Frodo and Sam. So, like I said, if you don't read this, you're not a Batman fan
( heck, you're not a comic fan ).

Good, incitive

The comic movie was really accurate

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome

Great origin story for Batman!!!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Better the second time for me

The first time I read Batman Year One, I thought that it was the most overrated p.o.s. I've read. But after I read it again I thought that it was actually really good. It is about batman's first year after coming home from years of training to avenge his parent's death. Don't expect to see the Joker, Scarecrow or any other Batman's villains because in this he's taking on the mob and police corruption with a surprise visit from assistant district attorney Harvey Dent. This maybe the most important Batman book to read.

Miller & Mazzucchelli = Greatness.

The pinnacle.

A back to basics approach re-telling the tale of Batman's origins.

No other work draws you into the world of Gotham City and it's malcontents quite like this one. This Gotham actually feels like a real place.

The story does a superb job of chronicling the daily grind of a vigilante's existence.

And it is a grind.

Enough cannot be said of Mazzucchelli's artwork. His rudimentary approach is perfect for Batman. It's timeless. No one has ever done a better job of capturing the noirish quality of Batman's crime-ridden world. You can almost feel the grit and grime.

No other installment of Batman holds up over the years quite like this one does.

Good but not as good as advertised!!

Most Bat-fans will tell you Miller's Year One is one of if not the best Batman story ever told. I finally got to read it and have to say that while its good, its not anywhere the best. Batman/Bruce Wayne actually plays second fiddle to Jim Gordon who gets treated the best. Gordon comes off as how I have always pictured him in my head. Mazzuchelli's art is very good and much apppreciated over Miller's. Good but not great stuff!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The only written version of The Dark Knight's Origin worth reading...

Like many other comic characters, Batman's origin has been retold many times. This is the single attempt that actually IS worth it.

THE FIRST YEAR OF THE BATMAN

Frank Miller is a big reason that BATMAN means so much to me. This story is the chronicle of the Bat's first year. GET THIS IF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A BAT-FAN.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Brilliant Batman Introduction

If you want to get into Batman, and have no idea where to start, buy this. This book is considered one of the best Batman origins ever written. After witnessing his parent's death, Bruce Wayne left America to travel around Eurasia to learn crime fighting and detective techniques. The book starts right as Bruce hops off the plane at Gotham airport. Of course the press is there barraging him with questions in their usual fashion (Including asking him if there's any truth to the rumor about him and Princess Caroline, WTF?). This may sound strange, but this book is as much about Jim Gordon as it is about Bruce Wayne (maybe even more). Gordon is a Lieutenant transferring from Chicago to Gotham following a pretty bad scandal back in Chicago. Anyway, Gordon learns right away that Gotham City is ruled by corruption. The officers, detectives, and commissioner are all bought. Jim learns how hard things are fast. Bruce knows he wants to fight crime, but he doesn't know how. He tries to fight crime but he ends up failing because of the lack of fear the criminals have for him. The answer comes to him when a bat crashes through his window in his study. Batman is born. Meanwhile, the very mild-mannered Bruce Wayne is trying to shake suspicions that the single faced Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon have of him being Batman (imagine that). Throw in a dash of Batman action, a dash of a prostitute Selina Kyle, and a Jim Gordon that's not exactly faithful to his wife. I do have a few beefs with this book though. It's a little short at just under 100 pages with only a few chapters. Also, I've never seen a bald Selina Kyle as a prostitute and Catwoman. I don't read the Catwoman comic, but that's new to me. I also don't see why Batman wouldn't carry a gun, it's his first week of crime fighting, I don't think he has his set morals yet. But all in all this is a great book, I definitely suggest reading this before seeing Batman Begins because Begins 'borrows' a lot of concepts from this book (I read the script).

The way Batman was meant to be

The best origin story ever. Watch as Batman first wears the cape and cowl in an effort not to stop the Joker or Mr. Freeze, but to stop a corrupt Gotham city from destroying itself. And the only help he gets is from Gordon, but he is still a Lieutenent!

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