Batman: Year One
by David Mazzucchelli, Frank Miller
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Book Reviews of Batman: Year One
Book Review: Great origin story! Just a tad on the short side.
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a fan of Frank Miller's other works like Sin City, 300, and Dark Knight Returns. He brings his trademark "gritty" style to this tale. This is an origin story, but more so, it is a character examination of the duality of of the Bruce Wayne/Batman character. Mazzucchelli's art is effective as always, if a little "dated" by today's standards.
I was surprised to see the majority of the story devoted to Lt. Gordon and not Batman. However, this is not necessarily a weekness in the story, it is just something interested buyers should be aware of. I enjoyed Miller's successfull attempt at fleshing out Gordon's character beyond the standard "Batman's ally."
Upon finishing the book, I couldn't help thinking about how Christopher Nolan and the rest of the crew who worked on Batman Begins did a great job of mining this book--and dare I say--improving on the origin story of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Although I enjoyed Batman: Year One, Batman Begins continues to be the definitive origin story of Batman in my opinion. With that said, the story is great and would be worthy of five stars if it wasn't for the compressed nature of the narrative. The new trade paperback from DC is high quality and looks good on the book shelf. I would recommend any interested Batman fan pick this up as long as they are aware of what to expect from the story.
Book Review: Clasico entre los clasicos
Summary: 5 Stars
BATMAN YEAR ONE es un comic pionero en muchos aspectos.Desde un Frank Miller con una tematica mas cercana a su rompedor DAREDEVIL de Marvel que a su archiconocido BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, vemos a un Bruce Wayne en los inicios de su carrera de justiciero, y la justificacion psicologica de ello - la violenta muerte de sus padres. En una personalidad menos compleja que la de Bruce, este horrendo hecho hubiese quedado en una serie interminable de visitas a algun psicoanalista, pero en él fue el desencadenante de un afan no tanto justiciero como de venganza, sino de poner control al caos que se llevó a sus padres y amenaza tragarse completa a Gotham City.Esto lo entendió a la perfeccion Miller y nos da una poderosa fabula de iniciacion del Murciélago que nos lleva de tour a la mente de este peculiar personaje, que si bien no tiene motivaciones lógicas que digamos, si crea un inmediato vinculo empatico con el lector de cualquier gusto o genero de lectura. Este es el merito de este comic, que es para todos y pide mas de una lectura para entender su profundidad, a pesar de los superficial que pudiese parecer a simple vista el tema. No se dejen engañar, este comic es oro puro, y si ya lo leiste, releelo; y sino lo tienes, pues que envidia el poder leerlo por primera vez.Book Review: No other book humanizes the Batman like Y1
Summary: 5 Stars
You can't put this book down. It chronicles Batman's humble beginning in Gotham City, and how he had to work up to the relationship he currently enjoys with Jim Gordon. Moreover, it depicts Gordon as a man struggling to do the right thing. It also shows him as one who isn't clueless about Batman's secret identity, but rather CHOOSES to overlook the connections when he realizes that Batman's a valuable ally in their battle to clean up the city.
The book juxtaposes Wayne's and Gordon's entry into Gotham City since the very beginning: Wayne, on a plane, wished he'd taken the train into Gotham to be closer to the riff raff, whereas Gordon, on a train, wished he'd taken a plane instead.
The journey that each man takes is very engaging, but if you want to know more, know that Batman Begins was clearly influenced by this book, from the plot right down to the characters (i.e., Flass, Commissioner Loeb, Carmine Falcone, etc), to the very last scene.
Also, for fans of TDKR, in case you didn't understand what Gordon was referring to when he toasts Wayne and claims that he's finally learned to drink, despite filling champagne bottles with Ginger Ale, you'll understand it in this book.
Definitely a must-have for Batman fans!
Book Review: The Rise of Jim Gordon and Batman
Summary: 5 Stars
Batman: Year One was the first Batman graphic novel I read. It remains my favorite and has sparked me to read other Batman graphic novels.
For anyone new to graphic novels or comics, Batman: Year One is a great place to start. It is fairly brief and quick to read. Frank Miller's writing is engrossing and powerful, yet remains simple and accessible. David Mazzucchelli's artwork isn't overly detailed but possesses substance and the dull colors give the drawings an old-fashioned look. The use of colors, light, and shadows is outstanding and really captures the mood of each frame.
For anyone interested in Batman, Batman: Year One is a must have. Not only is it an origin story of Batman, but it's also Jim Gordon's (later Lt. Gordon) first year in Gotham City. The story focuses equally on Batman and Gordon, soon to become Gotham City's top crime fighters. As the story develops, their long-standing relationship begins to take shape, a relationship that becomes crucial to Batman and Gotham.
Batman and comic fans alike will not be disappointed with Batman: Year One. Even if you're new to the graphic novel medium, Year One is a great first. It is a great example of how good this often overlooked art form can be.
Book Review: Great, but eclipsed by Nolan's film.
Summary: 4 Stars
A strong, thoughtful Batman origin story that's unfortunately eclipsed by the Nolan Batman films. There's no doubt that, had I read Year One before seeing Batman Begins, it would have blown me away. As an antidote to the increasingly silly, campy Batman, Miller returns to the roots of the character, spinning a fascinating two-pronged tale about the arrival of both Batman and Gordon to Gotham City, as both attempt to cope with and battle the corruption they find there. It's a simple tale, and far shorter than I expected - I didn't realize that it was just four issues long. That being said, there are some incredible scenes, and the stark artwork brings an impact to some of the imagery, especially a shot of Gordon in his house one night. All of that being said, it's hard not to have the shadow of Begins hanging over this, which took on a lot of this and more, spinning an even more complex origin tale, and in some ways, one-upping it. Taken on its own, Year One is an impressive Batman tale, and a powerful one (though Dark Knight Returns is still my favorite that I've read); it's just hard to read it as a standalone entity, and not be aware of what it inspired.