Customer Reviews

Batman: Year One Deluxe Edition

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Batman is a character I've always enjoyed, but I've only recently started getting into the Batman comics. After reading Frank Miller's exceptional "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" graphic novel, I really wanted to acquire more Batman comics that depicted the characters in a similar manner: as deep, well-thought-out characters that you really feel emotionally attached to by the end of the story. The problem was that, being new to comics, I was tossed into a sea of nearly endless Batman comics, and I didn't really know where to begin.

Well, where better to start than at the very beginning?

Batman: Year One is the story of Batman's first year in Gotham City after returning from training abroad, making it the perfect book for someone unfamiliar with Batman's origins, or just looking for a fresh take on the classic story. But the book is as much about the origins of Jim Gordon, who will later become the famed police commissioner of Gotham City, as it is about Batman's beginning. The story hinges on Gordon's attempts to clean up a police force that is corrupt to its very core, and his encounters with the Batman that finally lead up to a climactic confrontation that brings both men together in their fight against crime.

Firse of all, the packaging and presentation of the story is top-notch. The book is hard bound and comes with a very nice partial sleeve that makes it look very classy. The cover itself depicts a simple black and white drawing of Batman that is quite effective for portraying what the book is about. Each chapter of the story opens with the origin comic book cover from each issue, and they are very vivid and clean. There are many extras, from an amusing illustrated afterword by the artist, David Mazzuccelli, and many pages of preliminary and promotional artwork. In the end, I felt that some of these features could have probably been dropped in favor of a slightly lower price tag, but they are nice additions that give the book a more "deluxe edition" feel.

The artwork in the story is very good. I really like David Mazzuccelli's style. He's really not entirely different from Miller himself in that his artwork isn't terribly elaborate, but is supremely effective in telling a story. Mazzuccelli really has a strength when it comes to facial expressions. You can really see how the characters feel by the looks on their faces, particularly in the more emotional spots of the book. The backgrounds and characters are beautiful, though, and the colors are very nice and vivid. The artwork brilliantly aids in telling the dark story of Batman's birth and Gordon's struggles.

The storyline is nothing short of superb as well. I've held Frank Miller in high regard ever since reading "The Dark Knight Returns", and this book is written in a very similar style. You can tell that Miller really likes using internal monologues to convey the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and they are very effective and give the story a depth that other comics don't have. The story progresses logically and is very readable. It's a great retelling of the familiar story of Batman's beginning infused with an almost literary style.

Miller is an expert at characterization. I was amazed at how much depth and likeability he could give even minor characters. A character that I found myself sympathizing with and surprisingly liking is Gordon's wife Barbara. With only powerful artwork and a few lines, I felt that she was portrayed very powerfully and believably, making her a great character that further enhances the personality and depth of Gordon. You can tell that Miller really likes Jim Gordon, as he is given more characterization than anyone else in the story. I really felt connected to the character by the end of the story, because he is so remarkably human, and not totally unlike myself. He makes mistakes, but he is in the end a good person, and I think this is what makes him so appealing, perhaps even more than Batman himself. This is not to say that the characterization of Batman is lacking in the story; quite the contrary, in fact. Bruce Wayne is also portrayed as a man who has his fair share of problems that he is trying to overcome in his never-ending fight to purge Gotham of corruption. The deep characterizations are what really make this book shine.

The only gripe I have with the storyline and characterizations is a subplot involving Catwoman in the story. While she is brilliantly portrayed, I ended up feeling as if her role in the story didn't have much meaning other than to set her up as a potential romantic interest of Batman in the future as well as a recognized rogue and thief. But her actions have relatively little bearing on where the story goes. The subplot is still enjoyable, and in the end it doesn't detract from the overall greatness of the storyline.

Some may be disappointed by the utter lack of classic Batman villains in the story. There is no Joker, no Two-Face, no Riddler, no Scarecrow, no one. Instead, Batman fights criminals that don't seem very different from the ones we find in real life. He is combating thugs and the corruption at the heart of the Gotham City: the politicians and police officers that are on the take and are part of the problem instead of the solution. I felt this gave the comic more credibility, but some will undoubtedly be disappointed that Batman isn't fighting one of his famous and colorful enemies. In fact, the only mention of one such villain in the entire book is in the very last panel on the very last page of the very last chapter.

The only major problem I have with the overall graphic novel is that it is short. The story itself is only around ninety pages. But they are a great ninety pages, and you won't be disappointed with them. But you will be left wishing that the story wouldn't end, making the length of the story the comic's greatest shortcoming.

This graphic novel is definitely a must-have for Batman fanatics, and I would heartily recommend it to people who are new to the world of Batman. After all, what better way is there to get into the world of the Dark Knight than by reading the story of where it all began?

When this miniseries first came out back in the eighties it left everyone breathless. David Mazzucchelli's art is some of the finest I've ever seen. It moves like a motion picture yet every still is ready to be framed (nice homage to the famous Hopper painting on the side: Gorden and Sgt. Essen having a late night coffee in a cafe called ... Hopper)
Frank Miller tells a story right from the beginning of the Batman saga. Bruce Wayne and Lieutenant Gordon discover they are both fighting on the same side to clean Gotham from the human filth. The only way to survive in the mess is as a team. They become friends.
On top of the fantastic graphic novel this book includes over 40 pages of sketches, layouts and script pages. Every Batman fan should have it, what do I say, this is one for you. Buy it. You won't be disappointed, I swear.

This story first came out back in 1988 in standard comic format. Frank Miller had just done the Dark Knight Returns a couple of years earlier and returned to Batman for this series although he turned the art chores over to Dave Mazzuchelli who produced a very noir-ish look to it, much like Miller's Sin City. At the time I wasn't crazy about the more stylized art but I've come to appreciate it now in the 17 years since.

As the title suggests the story revolves around Batman's troubled first year as Batman and how The death of his Parents drove Bruce Wayne to take on the Batman persona and fight crime in Gotham. His early attempts were failures as he was thought a worse criminal than even those he sought to bring to justice. This is not the confident, even cocky Batman we know today as he is very much trying to find his way.

As interesting as this is, it's Miller's story involving a young cop Jim Gordon that is really enthralling and detailing his early days, going up against corrpution in the police force as well as his early relationship with Batman. Gordon is at first assigned to bring this costumed vigilante in no matter what it takes. The two eventually come to a meeting of the minds and Gordon would generally begin looking the other way knowing what Batman was really all about.

Miller also takes a crack at re-defining Catwoman and putting forth the idea that it was Batman who influenced her to get out of prostitution and take up burglary as a new profession.

The book is very dark. Heavily inked and washed out colors. Certainly not like many of today's blind your eyes with color comics. This is one that still holds up well all these years later and helped cement Frank Miller as one of the greatest writers in comics.

Only after seeing the phenomenal Batman Begins did I seek out this fabulous graphic novel. I was absolutely floored to learn that it predates Tim Burton's take on the Bat. Miller really delves into the psyche of the traumatized Bruce Wayne It offers a dark, harsh picture of Gotham City and the one officer who was willing to fight the corruption present. Anyone who reads this novel will totally forget that there was ever a '60s TV calamity called Batman.

My original rating for the story is actually 4 stars. But with all the awsome extras thrown into this stylish hard cover graphic novel it's hard to give it 4. The writing in this batman book is exceptional, Frank Miller realy does it again in the batman series. As for the art, the style is a little retro, but still impressive.
This one is certainly worth buying, but if you want absolutely brilliant batman books, go for The dark knight returns, arkham asylum, and the long halloween. I reccomend this one in anyone's graphic novel collection, especialy if you like or LOVE batman.

Batman is one of the most iconic literary characters of this or any other age so the fact that such a pitch perfect origin story took 50 years for DC to release comes as quite a shock. Looking back on this book 20 years after its release it seems obvious that this is the way Batman should have been done from the word 'go' but better late than never.

Frank Miller's Year One starts with Lieutenant James Gordon's transfer from the Chicago police department and the simultaneous return of 25-year-old millionaire Bruce Wayne from his training stint around the world. Gordon is quickly learning that he will have to struggle to maintain his morals while being a cop in Gotham City and Bruce is realizing that he needs more than training in order to take on the crime that plagues his city. As the story unravels, the pathes of Gordon and Batman become increasingly intertwined and we get the beginnings of their lifelong friendship. The story focuses more on Gordon's point of view for character development as his problems are far more personal than those Bruce goes through during the book. The shift in focus to Gordon works because it plays up his importance in making Batman the success that we know him to be today. Another interesting spin on Batman here is that he starts out fighting organized crime and there isn't a supervillain to be found; this makes Batman's origin all the more plausible and psychologically interesting as Joker is just briefly mentioned towards the end implying that the extreme measures taken by Batman have a huge impact on the changes Gotham will go through in the next few years.

Frank Miller's writing is superb and his dialogue has never seemed more natural than it is here. If you're a fan of Frank Miller's art as well, you may be disappointed when you first get the book to find out that he doesn't illustrate. A few pages in, though, and you'll agree that no one other than David Mazzuchelli could have made it work as well; his character renderings are all classic interpretations and his pencils and inks are simply flawless.

In every aspect, Batman: Year One is a classic story. Not only is it the best interpretation of Batman's beginnings but it is one of the best tellings of a legend's roots in comics or any other medium and a must own of any Batman fan, comic book fan, or fan of timeless stories.

Frank Miller opens this absolutely must own graphic novel classic from 1987-88 by telling us that if the only Batman we remember was Adam West on Saturday mornings, then we do not know the Batman he once met, a much darker batman, a more real batman, the kind of Batman that Tim Burton would succeed somewhat in bringing to the screen in 1989, but Batman: Year One is just so much better in so many ways, and probably will remain better than any movie or television program you can expect to see or have seen. If you want to know Batman, then you should really be meeting him right here.

I especially like the Batman: Year one story. It is an excellent beginning, lots of in-jokes and capturing moments, even on-the-edge of the seat suspense, almost 100 pages of intense artwork. It is about the beginning of Batman like you have never seen it before, but also and probably more importantly, includes the beginning of Commissioner Gordon, a Lieutenant Gordon here, with a pregnant wife, who comes to Gotham City and finds his whole department on the take. The millionaire Bruce Wayne, has been training to become a vigilante since his parents where murdered by a gang of thieves. It is a psychological condition of revenge. He is trying to find the right formula to scare his victims. When he does, he goes up against the same criminals and kingpins that Lieutenant Gordon finds himself up against, no Jokers or Penguins here, but regular underworld types making it all the more level-headed, and thus a more accepting Batman and story. Batman fails in first few attempts, but manages miraculously to survive and continue on, both Gordon and Batman building their careers as crime fighters in Gotham City throughout the pages, a surprise bonus Catwoman introduced in the final act which sees the new crime-fighting duo of Batman and Gordon finally meeting up, without any sign of Robin among the 96 pages, this is certainly an alternative Batman and probably the best one. Miller's look is a murky color bleeding hard edges and smears, resulting in a Batman graphic novel that takes your breath away. The action sequences are better than any movie I can think off to date, your eyes go wide open from frame to frame as this is the kind of animate Batman you have always wanted to see in action. It is not the kind of high quality artwork you see in advanced graphic novels, this was a series character that had to meet publication dates, but is still gloriously presented none the less. Just check out the sequence with Batman in the burning building fighting the SWAT team. It is the end of Chapter Two and most of Chapter 3. That is some of the best action sequences you have ever seen committed to the page.

I would suggest that you also try and get "Batman: The Dark Night Returns" as that was the other Batman graphic novel and "Batman: The Dark Night Strikes Again", totally different types of art to Year One, as these are both Frank Miller's work, the sequels to Batman: Year One, are mostly other artists, DC comics has a list at the back, very interesting ones at that also, like Alan Moore's Batman: Killing Joke, but get all of Miller's Batman before you try any other Year One or Year Two books. I would also recommend that you actually try a BEST OF GRAPHIC NOVELS before you venture down any path. And for those who are hearing that they must read and see some graphic novels to get to know Batman, let me ask you this. Do you like to read? Do you like movies? Then why don't you try Graphic Novels? Comics you say? Don't say that. This stuff is art. Do you like to read? Then why not Graphic Novels? Do you like movies? Then why not Graphic Novels? Why not? Why? Because it can be... "More fun than going to the movies" - Kevin Smith, Director Clerks. **At this time of writing I do not believe that the movie Batman: Begins is related to this classic piece of art**

If you come to this book looking for end-to-end Batman action, you may come away surprised, but I doubt you'll be disappointed. In tone, this book shares something with Miller's preceding Batman opus, The Dark Night Returns, in that it sets up the whole milieu in which Batman appears, the culture on which he's trying to make an impact.

It is also as much about Jim Gordon as it is about Bruce Wayne/Batman. Other key players in the Batman passion-play make appearances of varying impact (Alfred, Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent), but by and large this book lays out how Gordon and the Batman become unlikely partners. It's well-done, laying out step-by-step how this man who is so obviously commited to the idea of the rule of law comes to trust and even work with a man who believes that rule of law must take second place to justice. This is as much a story about a upright cop making his way in a corrupt police force as it is about Bruce donning the tights, and is the stronger for it.

Miller's great strength is characterisation and this book is no exception - much of it is in fact scripted as interior monologues from Gordon and Bruce, and he effectively evokes the way each character thinks. What spoken dialogue appears in the book is sparingly used, almost like a noir thriller. In fact, one can see elements from this book carrying through into the Sin City books that Miller began writing soon after.

Mazucchelli's art is excellent, walking a fine line - as he himself admits - between the realism that the noir approach demands, and the the fantastical that a guy running around in a cape throwing batarangs equally requires. As he says, superheroes don't really stand up to realistic representation, it needs that step of artistic remove to 'keep it real'. Still, the art is excellent in a gritty, kinetic way that seems relatively normal now but was striking back in the mid-80s.

And if you are looking at this book after having seen Batman Begins, and wondering if there's a connection, just buy it and try to spot how many things Cris Nolan lifted from it wholesale...

Frank Miller was hot enough at Marvel with his successful overhauling of Daredevil, and DC wanted the same thing done with their Batman. Miller clearly loved the Man, and had his own personal agenda: "I had just turned 30. For just once, I wanted Bruce Wayne to be older than me again." The twilight of the Batman, as portrayed in "The Dark Knight Returns," hadn't been done before; it allowed Miller to distance himself from what everyone had done previously on the character, and find his own way. He drew and wrote it all himself, and took his graphic style one notch closer to the stark, brilliant chiarscuro that would define "Sin City". He used maddeningly shapless abstract blobs of ink to represent the cape in motion, hanging over a drain pipe, covering an adversary's face-- and it worked incredibly well. He used tiny panels of TV commentators like a Greek Chorus, weaving myths and anecdotes around the main action.

It was very popular. No one wanted it to end.

When it did, Miller, or his editorial staff, had the idea to follow it up with another story from the other end of Batman/Bruce Waynes life. Although the story of the murder of Wayne's parents in Crime Alley had been told ad infinitum, Miller realized that no-one had ever told the story of how Wayne actually created the Dark Knight. This gave Miller the opportunity once again to tell the emotional story of who he is (both Wayne & Miller) without being encumbered by the baggage of 60 years of Detective Comics.

This time, Miller got his old Daredevil collaborator David Mazzuchelli to draw the story, creating a very different effect than Miller's own artwork had on the The Dark Knight Returns. Mazzuchelli more than rose to the occassion; he suddenly created a new way of drawing that seemed to fuse Bob Kane's original flat, vital, crude pulp style, with a literary, photographic brush stroke that delineated not the outlines but the shadows; like the earlier Daredevil artist(and Tomb 0f Dracula/Blade creator) Gene Colan. The result was astonishingly fresh, deceptively simple, and surprisingly evocotive of character.

Miller also worked against expectations by putting Batman/Bruce Wayne in the background of his own comic, focusing rather on the story of usually under-used Jim Gordon. This was a different device, apart from the storytelling strategies in TDKR, to maintain the title character's air of mystery and shadow even as we watched him stumble through his puppyhood. We watched Gordon grow in the foreground, only glimpsing Wayne in our periphery.

I didn't know I could say so much about one story.

Batman: Year One, written by Frank Miller and art by David Mazzucchelli and Richmond Lewis was a break-out follow-up to The Dark Knight Returns, yet while the Dark Knight was a retirement story of sorts, Year One was a "Batman Begins" story. Miller retells the origins story with steady narrative and character development that brings to life old friends, some of whom go back to 1939.

Miller gives Gordon a major part and as Batman is begging, Gordon is arriving and the developing relationship is thoughtful and plausible. The Catwoman is introduced, but subtly so, giving the reader who knows the future a hint of her origins as well. The tag for the Joker is great (similarly borrowed for the new Batman movie as well as year one's book 3 where Batman is being hunted by SWAT and calls his bats to help out).

Frank Miller helped bring comic story telling to the modern era and us comic fans are eternally grateful. I have this story in many versions, and this special addition has extra photos and notes that are fun for the avid collector.