Brief History: To be honest, I have actually first heard about Batman through the 90s cartoon series “Batman: The Animated Series,” which apparently, I have actually had my first exposure to the world of comics through so many animated series throughout the 90s. Since I have been reading a lot of comics lately, especially the “X-Men” comics, I wanted to try a different comic book series and that is where I started reading up on “Batman.” So, the first “Batman” comic I have actually came upon recently is a little gem that I have just noticed lately and that is “Batman: Year One” by Frank Miller along with artwork by David Mazzucchelli along with coloring by Richmond Lewis. “Batman: Year One” is truly a brilliant comic book that newer fans of “Batman” can easily get into! What is this story about?This story basically retells the origins of Bruce Wayne as Batman as it details Bruce Wayne’s first year as Batman and all the struggles he overcomes in his new role as Batman. This story also details about Commissioner James Gordon’s first year as a lieutenant of the police force before he became a commissioner. What I loved about this story:Frank Miller’s writing: Frank Miller’s writing was so amazing and simple to read through, especially if you are new to the “Batman” comics and you need a good place to jump right in the series. Frank Miller has created a more modern spin on the origins of Batman without changing the original history of Batman (his parents are killed before him when he was a child and he decides to become the famous caped crusader he is today) and I especially loved the way that Frank Miller details Batman’s first year fighting crime as being difficult since Bruce Wayne had difficulties in becoming the crime fighting caped crusader since the public viewed him as a menace the moment he started fighting crime. I also loved the way that Frank Miller shown the months that all of this was taking place from January fourth to December third which gave an extremely detailed timeline of this story. What really interested me about this story was learning about the origins of Commissioner James Gordon since I have not really been exposed to his origins and it was interesting to see how James Gordon actually started out as a lieutenant of a police force that was corrupted by the crimes of Gotham City and how he tried to do his best to protect the citizens of Gotham City from such criminal activities.David Mazzucchelli and Richmond Lewis’ artwork: David Mazzucchelli and Richmond Lewis’ artwork is simplistic yet gives a dramatic feel to the story, especially during the scenes where the characters are in shadows and they give out an eerie feel to the scene they are associated with, like during the scene where James Gordon is attacked by hit men and Richmond Lewis’ red coloring that flashes on the characters’ faces makes this scene extremely intense as you can see the pain and sorrow on James Gordon’s face. I also loved the shadowing that Richmond Lewis applies to Batman as Batman is usually shown in the dark and the dark shadowing makes him look menacing. What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:The only problem with this comic book novel is that there is some blood in some scenes, especially during the scenes where some of the characters are shot. Also, there is some language in this book that might offend some readers, so if you do not like dark themed books that deal with crimes in the cities, then this graphic novel might be hard to read through. Final Thoughts:Overall, “Batman: Year One” is not only a brilliant read for “Batman” fans everywhere, but it is also a great place to get into the “Batman” comic series, especially for new fans who are just getting into the “Batman” comics and want to know how Batman’s origins came about!Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
In the late 1980's, following the events of the “crisis crossover” story, Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC Comics began altering continuity in a big way. Especially, they wanted new continuities and origin stories for the “big three”, i.e., Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Supes and Wonder Woman had some pretty significant changes made to their characters back stories (especially Wonder Woman, who had quite a few changes), but with Batman, large-scale changes were not feasible. This is because his back-story was simple, powerful, and worked so well. So what can they do for a unique new spin on the character? Frank Miller volunteered to write a story that followed Bruce Wayne in his first year as a vigilante, and show how he became Batman in the first place. Batman isn't just skills and tech, or even his suit, it's about the man who is able to put them in practice. Growing from plans to become a vague vigilante to someone who could use his skills so well included some mess-ups which we see here. For those who have seen Batman Begins, it is heavily influenced by the story line of this graphic novel.This story, Batman: Year One is both well-loved and very much criticized by Batman fans. This is because while the story and characterization were top-notch, Lieutenant (and future Commissioner) James Gordon was given a really big role. In fact, it was bigger than Bruce's. I myself have no problem with this idea, as it works within the overall plot line of the comics. When Bruce comes back to Gotham and it is perhaps even more of a crime-infested city than before he left, with crooked cops and gangs in control, very little Batman can do can make a difference by himself. He can fight and scare folks, but given his (which I agree with) no-kill rule, he needs police to do their jobs as well. Enter Gordon rising through the ranks as someone whose honesty as a cop causes him to be the most beloved (really, the only beloved) cop in Gotham City. This is one of my favorite Batman stories, and I earnestly encourage others to read it as well, but with just one small caveat. There are some scenes and content that (while NOT designed to pique any immoral or sinful senses) are simply too much for younger children. This portrays a dying, economically depressed, hopeless area well, with the sin and evil you would expect from those who live in such dire straits. Batman and Gordon have their work cut out for them, but they can do it. How they do it is well-worth reading, but just not to anyone younger than high school age. I didn't care for the artwork, as much as it's raved about. Miller and his artist went a tad too far on the noir side in the dingy, faded looks. More color would not have killed the story. Other than that, a fun graphic novel, and no complaints.
What do You think about Batman: Year One (2007)?
کمیک به روزهای ابتدایی بتمن می پردازه. فیلم "بتمن آغاز میکند" از کریستوفر نولان تا حد زیادی از روی این کمیک اقتباس کرده (تقابل بتمن و پلیس های فاسد مثل "فلاس"، تقابل با رییس مافیا "فالکونی"، استفاده از خفاش ها برای فرار و، انتهای داستان که با معرفی جوکر تموم میشه و...)نسبت به کمیک دیگه ی همین نویسنده (شوالیه ی تاریکی باز میگردد) خیلی ضعیف بود. بیشتر از اون که به شخصیت بتمن بپردازه و انگیزه های بتمن شدنش، به گوردون و پلیس فاسد گاتهام پرداخته بود.یکی دو تا شخصیت که معرفی شدن هم (از جمله سلینا کایل/زن گربه ای، یا آلفرد خدمتکار بتمن) خیلی مختصر و بدون پرداخت بودن.خلاصه، خیلی میتونست بهتر از این باشه. همچنان برای آشنا شدن با شروع بتمن، کمیک "بتمن: زمین نخست" رو پیشنهاد میکنم.
—Mahdi
THE definitive Batman origin story. Miller's body of work is kind of off-and-on, but this is dead-on throughout, and takes a fantastically human look at both Batman AND Jim Gordon's first year.Both are so well-done, and what I really love is the little touches... like Batman saving Otto the cat from a SWAT-team member, and THEN beating the holy hell out of the guy for taking a shot at the cat. It's stuff like that which truly makes Batman someone worth cheering for, and something which most comic writers seem to have forgotten nowadays.I could care less about Batman taking down Darkseid with a magic bullet (or whatever that was), but show me a wounded Batman who'll risk his ass to save a stray cat from harm, and I'll be riveted. That shows me that beneath the cape and cowl is a man, and a good man at that... this is the kind of human storytelling I want from superhero books.Perfectly executed, this makes all other Batman origin tales needless... if you want to know how Batman got started, all you need to do is read this.
—Matt R. R.
Three and a half stars. This is the first Batman book I've read, and I decided to start with this one because the screenwriters of the movie reboot Batman Begins (a movie I love) were influenced by it. It's really more about Jim Gordon than it is about Bruce Wayne. Gordon is a good cop on a corrupt force, in a corrupt town; and he does his best to maintain his integrity, endangering himself. He isn't quite as saintly as Gary Oldman's character in Batman Begins or The Dark Knight, but he's still very sympathetic. There is some insight into Bruce Wayne's reinvention of himself as the Caped Crusader; and, wow, does he make some serious mistakes and get himself hurt. He's definitely on a steep learning curve. I was disappointed that there wasn't more about where Bruce had been, how he'd trained to implement his plan once he returned to Gotham, and how he got or made his gadgets. I like to see the details of the origin story, and that's a big part of why I really enjoyed the movie Batman Begins. Bruce's struggle, his wounded humanity, is still evident in this story; and he does finally come into his own by the end. I liked the way he crashes the Mayor's dinner party and how he helps Gordon's family. Harvey Dent is part of the story, but mostly on the sidelines. I would've liked to know more about his apparent alliance with Batman, but it isn't explained. The Catwoman mini-sub-plot was okay but could've been developed a little more.Overall, I wish the story had been longer. The art is fine, more stylised than I prefer but functional. It seems rather retro to me, more 1960s than 1980s, but Gotham seems to exist in a mixture of times and styles, anyway. It's interesting that the artist based his rendition of Bruce Wayne on Gregory Peck, good ol' Atticus Finch himself. The supplemental material in this deluxe edition gives some good insights on the characters and the process of making the book.
—Callista
