Batman: Year One (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Whether you grew up reading Batman comics, watched the campy television show, or eagerly await each new movie, this is the book for you. A retelling of the events that led to Bruce Wayne's becoming Batman, this book combines Frank Miller's tight film-noir writing with David Mazucchelli's solid artwork. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up–In the late 1980s, DC Comics revamped many superheroes but realized that Batman should remain true to his 1939 history. According to the introduction, the editors also decided that the public needed to know more about Batman's early life as a vigilante, and Miller and Mazzucchelli came together to produce Batman: Year One. Originally released in 1988 in four parts, the stories have been combined into one book. Opening with the arrival of Lieutenant James Gordon in Gotham's police force, the story goes on to inform readers about the level of corruption permeating the force. They also witness Bruce Wayne's first encounter with the prostitute named Selina, who will become Catwoman. Wayne speaks to his dead father, asking for guidance, and is answered with a bat on the windowsill, and Batman is born. The remaining chapters highlight Gordon's continuing difficulties with the corrupt police force, Batman's early difficulties in protecting and using his arsenal of weapons, and the first villains he chooses to pursue. At the end of the book, readers are treated to some background on Mazzucchelli's art, the production of Year One, and details on Richmond Lewis's coloring techniques. Both beginning and devoted Batman fans will enjoy this edition.–Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA
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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (January 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401207529
• ISBN-13: 978-1401207526
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (126 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,337 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book of Genesis according to Frank, January 20, 2000

By	Ramon Varela "pcrossland" (Panama City, Panama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman: Year One (Paperback)

It is a shame that, Tim Burton's excellent two outings notwithstanding, the Batman of film and television is the one that is most solidly rooted in the collective psyche of the public. What many current readers may not remember, however, is that the campiness of the 1966-68 TV show was reflected in, and fed off the Batman titles at the time.

All of that changed when Dennis O'Neil took over the writing chores and returned the character to the dark roots laid out by the late, great, Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Dennis O'Neil brought Batman comics into and through puberty. Frank Miller brought them into adulthood.

Along with the brilliant "Dark Knight Returns," "Year One" bookends the saga of Bruce Wayne by re-interpreting and sometimes redefining the character's roots. In so doing, Frank Miller laid the foundation for the character that today populates the monthly titles. Although not as grim as "Dark Knight," "Year One" nonetheless hits closer to home and is, in my opinion, the best introduction to the character for anyone unfamiliar with it outside of film and TV.

The parallel struggles of Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon to "clean up a city that likes being dirty" are brilliantly rendered by Miller, possibly the finest comics writer EVER. Miller's Jim Gordon is a far cry from the incompetent beat cop shown in movies and TV. He is a passionate, crusading man, the sort of cop Bruce Wayne might have been in another reality.

Opinions have always been strong one way or the other about the art in "Year One." For my money, you couldn't ask for more. Mazzucchelli's pencils work wonders even beyond what he did in "Daredevil: Born Again," and the coloring is particularly striking in its subtlety, even more so when you consider the "beat you over the head" standards of late-'80s comics.

All in all, this is the definitive Batman origin story. That Miller, Mazzucchelli and Lewis also manage to turn it into one of the finest Batman stories ever told is evidenced by the lasting impact it had on all subsequent interpretations of the characters involved. An all-around winner.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Batman As You've Never Seen Him Before--A Rookie..., July 6, 2000

By	Jeffrey A. Veyera "Jeff Veyera" (Matthews, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Batman: Year One (Paperback)

Following up on his 1986 renovation of the Batman myth with "The Dark Knight Returns", Frank Miller teamed with David Mazzucchelli to produce "Batman: Year One", a novel retelling of how Bruce Wayne came to don tights to fight crime.

Miller's Gotham City is a corrupt and festering cesspool, much as he would later depict in his Sin City series. Two good men come to town to clean things up: Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon, a new detective on the Gotham police force fresh from his role in cleaning up another police department.

Wayne himself has returned to his hometown after a long absence, during which he trained himself to become a vigilante. Wayne's first foray into crimefighting nearly ends in disaster, but leads him ultimately to adopt the Batman motif to frighten criminals. Gordon becomes his unlikely ally as he strives to clean up Gotham's police department.

The writing remains more mature and gritty than the typical comic book fare of the time. Batman is not the invincible denizen of the dark we've come to know and love, but an awkward guy in a goofy costume who seems always to be within an inch of death. Gordon is no paragon of virtue either; the main subplot deals with his affair with another cop while his wife waits to give birth to his son.

The result is a gripping, gritty, and ultimately redeeming tale which once again reinvents the familiar figure of the Batman.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great buy!, January 3, 2004

By	Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Batman Year One (Comic)

It's January 4th, and Gotham City witness two arrivals: the arrival of Lieutenant James Gordan, and the return of millionaire Bruce Wayne. Wayne and Gordon both see that Gotham needs to be cleaned up, but each has his own ideas of how it should be done. While Gordon begins his cleaning under the eyes of the press, Bruce Wayne assumes the identity of a bat and begins cleaning up the city under the cover of darkness. But, with the two working from such very different angles, confrontation is inevitable, and out of the confrontation comes...friendship?

This book was published in 1988, containing BATMAN #404-407 (1987). The quality of the illustrations is a bit lower than one has come to expect from more recent graphic novels, but the fact is that the story is excellent and makes the whole book a great buy! As with the stories of the Golden Age comic books, this story pits Batman against an array of regular bad guys, rather than super-powerful super-villains (although the genesis of Catwoman is included!), which I rather enjoyed! Overall, I found this to be a great introduction to Batman, one that keeps up the excellent tradition. I highly recommend this book!