Frank Miller

Batman.

David Mazzucchelli

Richmond Lewis

For use in schools and libraries only. Chronicles the events that led to Bruce Wayne's becoming Batman and his first year fighting crime.

Batman: Year One

fira

“Off again, Sir? Shall I fetch your tights?”

the delivery of this line made me giggle i am a terrible person

“Our vigilante—or Batman, as he’s called—has apparently committed seventy-eight acts of assault in the past five weeks.”

Chronicles the events that led to Bruce Wayne's becoming Batman and his first year fighting crime.

sani

yeah so reread this after years and i STILL think batman is the coolest

"A man doesn't live forever-- a legend does. From the moment he declared war on crime, the Batman knew his story would eventually come to an end. But for each soul he has touched, either as an ally or an enemy, a lover or a friend, an inspiration or an obsession, the life of the Dark Knight-- and its tragic conclusion-- is viewed differently. Now those closest to the Caped Crusader gather for his memorial service. Stories are told, feelings are revealed and tears are shed in a final retrospective of Batman's long and astonishing career. And for those of you who think you know the Dark Knight, prepare to find out you never did" -- dust jacket flap.

with other tales of the Dark Knight

london

Great story, great illustration work, a little too short.

Arjo Gupto

Read it for the first time for the 24th time. This book is the reason I do what I do. It's the purest manifestation of one single thought, great art comes from truly, honestly inspired fact based creativity.

Dave | Storyphoria

This is a classic that every Batman fan should read at some point. 

The rise of Jim Gordon through the corrupt ranks, his troubled home life showing he's not perfect, is a great contrast to Bruce Wayne finding his footing as Batman. 

Add in the introduction to Selina Kyle's Catwoman as she takes her first steps in the dark streets of Gotham nights and it's a very satisfying tale.

Ryan LaFerney

This was a beautiful, atypical Batman story about his friends and foes recounting their admiration for Bruce Wayne/Batman as well as Batman trying to figure out if he is truly dead. The art, the story, simply everything was stunning and the ending quite emotional. It's set up in a manner that it could take place at any time during Batman's legacy and it is also set up in a manner to where this could be read as the first volume of an on-going series that recounts Bruce Wayne's youth. 

Wonderful, emotional, and touching. Damnit Gaiman!

"Batman: Year One", is an American comic book story arc published by DC Comics which recounts the superhero Batman's first year as a crime-fighter. Alongside of Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, this comic helped redefine Batman. No longer was Batman a cartoony, pop art, comical Adam West - he was a complex, dark individual. Year One was written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein. Batman: Year One originally appeared in issues #404–407 of the comic book title Batman in 1987. As well as recounting Batman's early crime-fighting career, the story simultaneously examines the life of recently transferred officer James Gordon – eventually building towards their partnership.

Year One helped to redefine the Batman mythos, and served as a relaunching of Batman origins. Christopher Nolan was heavily inspired by this comic when he developed Batman Begins. I really love this comic because the characters feel fully human (flaws and all), Batman doesn't feel fully fleshed out (you can see that Wayne is clearly trying to figure out how to be the caped crusader). 
Unlike The Dark Knight Returns, "Year One"'s Batman is more vulnerable and inexperienced, which made the story more memorable.

If you read one Batman story. Make it this one.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is one of most important comics in history. This 1986 four-issue comic book miniseries starring Batman, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Miller and Klaus Janson, and published by DC Comics helped turn the Batman franchise back into a gritty, dark, noirish story and has inspired countless comicbook writers as well as film makers (especially Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, and Zack Synder). The Dark Knight Returns tells an alternative story of Bruce Wayne, who at 55 years old returns from retirement to fight crime and faces opposition from the Gotham City police force and the United States government. The story introduces Carrie Kelley as the new Robin and the hyper-violent street gang known as the Mutants. The story also features the return of classic foes such as Two-Face and The Joker, and culminates with a confrontation against Superman, who works on behalf of the government. 

While the gritty tone of TDKR ushered in the Modern Age of comics, and while it is a thrilling adventure, it is not without its problems (hence the four stars). For one, I was not a fan of how the series employed a 16-panel grid for its pages. Each page was composed of either a combination of 16 panels, or anywhere between sixteen and one panel per page. This gave the story a claustrophobic feel and it was often hard to follow who was speaking/who the action was referring to. I actually think Miller and company employ this style much better in Batman: Year One. Additionally, the plot is a bit convoluted and is neatly wrapped up in the Batman vs. Superman climax.

However, if you're a superhero fan or a comic book fan, this remains a must read, if for anything, for the impact it has had on pop culture.

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

Batman

Izza

Omar AlHashmi

I enjoyed it. This is the first Neil Gaiman comic I read, and I liked his writing style. This would have been a 5 star rating if it wasnt this short. I didnt see anything else wrong with it, but I closed the comic wanting more. It went by way too fast~

Nick Ringwood

Was going to give it a 3, but it really came together in that last half.
Self-aware, conflicting, chaotic, brutal and savage.
It also has a lot in common with things that I’ve been working for 10 years, now, which was a pleasant surprise.

I didn’t want to read the alternate ending yet, want to sit and think on this one.
Really liked Batman quite a bit in this, as well as Commissioner Gordon, and I think this is my favorite Robin, and a neat Superman.
I liked the idea of, and was a little frustrated by, the constant talking heads segments, but it hits on such truth, and gives such an accurate representation of the media in such a good way, that I think it was actually a really good move.
This was a really long book, it may only be 4 issues, but they were supercharged, and I’d say it was a lot close to 8 issues.
This is definitely what I’d call a graphic novel. A fully formed, fleshed-out and standalone story that, while based on, and expanding on the Batman comics that came before it, radically alter the stakes, and could be read and understood on its own, without having read or seen any other Batman media.
I didn’t love all of the art, here, and I honestly hated the Mutants for most of it, but there’s such a volume of it, and most of it is good, and illustrates what’s going on really well, often, that it is, good, 
Even though it feels like a preliminary version of Miller’s later work, and like it’s a sort of watercolor version, which was very new to me.
The themes and concept of this book are really interesting, and it has a ton of character.
It hits on a lot of levels, conceptually, that really appeal to me, and my opinion of the book really shifted for the better in that later half.
It’s also interesting to see what it was inspired by, including Watchmen, one of my favorites, 
And what it later inspired, in huge takes, Batman: The Animated Series and Batman vs Superman, especially, but also Invincible, and others.
I really think this is book that is probably going to be more clear on a second reading, I’m not sure if it feels rushed, or that was just me, tearing through it, but this was a long book, and I wanted to finish it for good and bad reasons, but later on, it was definitely good. I was hooked.

Rose Stanley

This is great - devoured in less than an hour. I particularly like how Jim Gordon's character is fleshed out, like I always knew he was a badass but this gives him way more depth than the films do. Highly recommend.

Nat Welch

Jade Flynn

“Gotham City. Clean shafts of concrete and snowy rooftops. The work of men who died generations ago. From here, it looks like an achievement. From here, you can't see the enemy.”

Year One

Daniela V.

The Batman's beginnings. Presumed a criminal at start, he build his path through the dark Gotham City. But, even the Batman needs a partner.
A good graphic novel to comprehend how it all started.

Mahasin S Ameen

Sets up the "Bale era/The Dark Knight" of Batman time line. I don't generally like Frank Miller (aside from Sin City) but this was actually funny and engaging.

Kireth Sandhu

Oh man. What a retelling of the dark knight's beginning's, definitely the definitive Batman origin story for his time as a young man returning to Gotham. What was really cool for me was seeing how moments from the Batman Begins and The Dark Knight movies were directly inspired by this key entry in the mythos. Some scenes felt a bit cut-up or cut short, but overall the graphic novel gives a great story with some very cool moments.
What surprised me was the dual-perspective of Lieutenant Gordon and Bruce Wayne, which meant less time with Batman but more time with the inhabitants and city of Gotham itself. It is presented as a dark, gritty and very adult world but the dialogue and brilliant art draw the reader in. And the theme of luck concludes in the beginning of a long-term friendship that adds realism to the tale by considering what is and isn't plausible in the Batman world.

Batman.

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