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Title: Batman: Year One by Frank Miller ISBN: 0-930289-33-1 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 October, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.61 (57 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A prequel to DARK KNIGHT, gordon steals the show
Comment: Another example of a great comic book that definately isn't for kids.
After the success of DARK KNIGHT we saw the sequel BATMAN YEAR ONE. I remember this one flying off the shelves at the comic store when the issues came out.
We see a two new arrivals in Gotham. One a police lieutenant with a bit of a past who finds corruption rampart in the force and a fellow officer who he falls for creating corruption in his marriage.
We also find a rich playboy who thinks he is ready to begin his revenge on the underworld for the lives of his parents, starting with the corrupt police force.
Several things in the Batman mythos are re-written. Gordon is a thirty something cop, Selina Kyle is a hooker instead of a jewel thief, it is a darker and gritter story, more in the genre of the Japaneese style of comics for adults. Considering the direction Miller took daredevil it is no big shock.
It was the second step on the road to comics no longer being something for kids. It was a great story, and a fine plot. The artwork was done well, the style fit the story well, but save it for when the kids hit 15.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Wonderful Detective Thriller
Comment: Following the time after I read Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns", whenever I hear the name "Batman", my mind immediately conjures up a vision of a lonely, troubled, ordinary man who, night by night, uses his detective skills to apprehend the criminals. He moves in the shadows and strikes fear into all those who are guilty and he. Never. Smiles.
Thanks to Miller, comic book writers proceeding after "Dark Knight Returns" have, for the most part, remained true to this vision. "Batman: Year One" is such an example and is truly a seminal body of work in the Batman canon.
"Batman: Year One" introduces us to two main characters, one being the aforementioned Dark Knight and the other being his most trusting friend and ally, (Lieutenant) James Gordon. The story is interwoven between these two men of Gotham City. Bruce Wayne has returned after having spent twelve years abroad with only one thing firmly rooted in his mind: to catch the bad guys. This desire runs parallel to (new cop in town) Gordon's own, in his case with addition to dealing with a corrupt police force.
Which is the beauty of this story. We see two men, one working for the law, and the other outside it, trying to come to terms with what they have to face. Gordon hates his job and corrupt superiors, regrets that his wife is bringing a child into this godforsaken city and has an affair to forget his troubles. Bruce Wayne/Batman on the other hand, has to come to deal with how he can strike fear into the hearts of men and maintain the image of a social elite at the same time. Something tells me they will get the hang of it.
Mazzuchelli's artwork is beautiful. Although I have always been a comic book fan, I've never really cared for the art unless it fails to help the story along. In this case, it does so much more. The art makes me feel totally uneasy with Gotham City, like I'm in Jim Gordon's place. It is perfect.
The most astounding feature of "Batman: Year One" is that it reads like a detective story and not a blockbusting special effects bonanza. Batman has always been a detective first and a "super-hero" second. He doesn't work like Superman, a character with whom comparisons are constant. It reminded me why I like him more than Superman: because he is, to all ends and purposes, only human. Miller keeps him that way which makes this a gritty and thrilling read.
I liked this book because it revived my interest in the Batman. I hear the film will be based on this story - I hope that the final script remains true to the detective aspect of "Batman: Year One", because it works best like that. The last two Batman movies were guilty of making Batman less mysterious. I want the real Batman back and if you read this book, you will too.
Rating: 5
Summary: Telling Batman's beginnings as they were meant to be told!
Comment: I recently read "Year One" in one sitting. After about page 11 or 12, I just couldn't stop! The story synopsis can be known through other reviews, so I'll just contribute my own reactions.
I've rarely been this engrossed in a graphic novel/comic series. Due to its length, "The Dark Knight Returns" seems a little more daunting to bite into, so the simplicity and brisk length of Batman's beginnings in "Year One" make it very attractive and accessible to the first-time seeker of Frank Miller's brilliant and important work on Batman. The story and art really plays out like a neo-noir film, complete with dates (i.e. "January 4;" think of the film, "Seven") that give you a sense of where Batman and the "scene stealer," Lt. Gordon, are in the progression of the first year of both characters' careers as Gotham's new "hope." The other brilliant aspect of this story is that the villains aren't super-villains; I don't want to give anymore than that away.
What really attracted me to "catching up" on "Year One," more than anything else, is the fact that I grew up with quite an obsession with Burton's films and highly anticipate Christopher Nolan's upcoming "Batman Begins." What I found out is that, although Burton's filmic treatments are admirable, it's not quite as faithful to Miller's most-definitive work as it should be. However, I was watching Nolan's first film, "Following," recently and noticed that, on one of the doors of a flat in the movie, there was a Batman logo sticker! First and foremost, "Following" is a stylish and intelligent neo-noir thriller that I highly recommend, but the film was released in 1999; four years before Nolan became involved with the new Batman project! This confirms that, not only is he the perfect young director for the Batman that Miller gave us, but he is also a true and caring "Bat-fan!"
In concluding, I kept Nolan's films and directing style in mind while reading "Year One," and 1) this may prompt you to "bone up" on the material that "Batman Begins" is inspired by and 2) thoroughly informs you that Batman is the most intriquing of all comic characters and deserves a faithful filmic treatment that can inform the rest of the world who Batman really is!
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Title: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by DC Comics ISBN: 1563893428 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 May, 1997 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore ISBN: 0930289455 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 December, 1995 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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Title: Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb ISBN: 1563894696 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Batman : Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale ISBN: 1563898683 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons ISBN: 0930289234 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 April, 1995 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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