Yes Father... I Shall Become A Bat
Image via The Gothamite
I've said it countless times before, and I'll say it again, I am a HUGE Batman fan. Lately I've been thinking about doing some comic book and/or graphic novel reviews, so i figure where is a better place to start than with Batman: Year One? So lets dive into it, shall we?
This book is written by the man, the master, the somewhat crazy (in a good way, of course) Frank Miller. Miller has brought you the amazing Daredevil: Born Again run, 300, Sin City, and the masterpieceThe Dark Knight Returns. Frank Miller is the man behind the story, but no Bat-tale would be complete without some outstanding artwork, and that is exactly what you get when you open this book. The pages come to life as you burn through the story, you can feel the emotions of James Gordon when he sits awake at night pondering his decisions in the dark, you can sense the determination of Bruce Wayne when he dawns the cowl for the first time, and all of this is possible because of David Mazzucchelli. Mazzucchelli also illustrated Daredevil: Born Again with Miller as his writer, but other notable works are City of Glass: The Graphic Novel, and Asterios Polyps.
The two main characters of Batman: Year One are Bruce Wayne and Lieutenant James Gordon. As the story opens, James Gordon is just arriving in Gotham for his new job as Lieutenant of the Gotham City PD. Gordon is the only non-crooked cop in the county, and the corruption of Gotham City just keeps spreading. Everyone in town sees it, but no one dares to try to stop it... Except of course for Bruce Wayne. The first time we see Bruce he is inside a massive private airplane just about to arrive in Gotham. Wayne is 25 years old, and has been "abroad" for roughly 12 years. I'm sure you can imagine what he'd been doing for those 12 years. The book goes on to explain the story of how the lives of the corrupt, the righteous, the innocent, and the brave, were changed by the actions of Police Lieutenant Gordon and The Batman, as the two try to rid the city of corruption as best they can.
Image via The Gothamite
Batman: Year One isn't all just punching bad guys in the face, car chases, and explosions, though. I mean, don't get me wrong here, there is plenty of action in this book, but that's not all there is to it. The book details not only the physical side of the two main characters, but also the emotional. Bruce Wayne knows that if he hits someone too hard, or kicks someone at the wrong angle he could paralyze them for life. He realizes that if he's not quick enough, not strong enough, not smart enough, some innocent Gothamite could perish because of him. Jim Gordon's emotional distress is even worse than Bruce's (hard to believe, right?). He tears himself apart on a nightly basis for getting his wife pregnant in Gotham City; he knows he should've waited until they were out of that corrupt city to start a family, because after all, "This Gotham City gig won't be permanent." In my opinion Frank Miller did an outstanding job with the dynamic between the two characters. He made the readers believe that these two people were going through a rough patch that may never get better. He made the readers believe that for once there may be no hope.
So I've talked about the story, the creators, and the emotional distress of the characters, but how about what this story inspired? Ever heard of a little movie called Batman Begins , directed by Christopher Nolan? There are countless references to this book in that movie! For instance, remember the scene where batman presses the little red button on the rubber part of his boot, and the bats come rushing into the building? That's a direct reference to a scene that takes place in Frank Miller's story! Remember how in the movie that Gordon and Flass don't get along by any stretch of the imagination? Also a direct reference to Miller's story! Not to mention that this book spawned its own DC animated movie, also called Batman: Year One , which stays 95% true to the original story, with just slight changes to make the story easier to follow.
Alright, now for my verdict! This book is an absolute must-read for every Bat-fan out there, heck, it's a must-read for any comic book fan out there. For the Batman universe this story is ground breaking, so much so that every
Batman story before DC's relaunch "The New 52" is somehow tied into it. Batman: Year One is my personal favorite Batman origin story, but not even just that, the book is one of my favorite stories in all forms of media! If you're a comic book fan, I can't urge you enough to buy this book, it's worth your time, it's worth your hard earned money, this is a 100% must-buy.