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This story has two streams, a Jim Gordon stream, and a Bruce Wayne stream, detailing their early history opposing crime in Gotham. Gordon is now an honest cop having to fight his Commissioner, head detective and the criminals. Batman is much the same, but Gordon is after him too, and after he screws up and gets hurt badly, he comes up with the Batman persona.
Gordon also has marriage problems, particularly involving an attractive fellow cop.
Rating:  -
I like Year One better than Miller's the Dark Knight Returns. The reason being is that Miller keeps the character of Batman more in tuned to what is, in my opinion, the true Batman. In the Dark Knight Returns, Batman comes across as too much of an anti-hero who is rebelling against the "system". I felt Miller may have injected too many of his political views into that story. However, in Year One I do not feel this is the case. Overall, this is a very interesting take on Batman's origin. Also, the story focuses quite a bit on Gordon as well. Anyone who liked the movie Batman Begins should read Batman: Year One.
Rating: -
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!
Rating:  -
I bought this TPB after having read "The Dark Knight Returns" and I think most Batman comics would pale in comparison to the depth and sheer coolness of that story. Having said that, "Year One" is a good read but I was expecting... more. More exposition on Batman's origins. The new film Batman Begins (which obviously draws on this book for inspiration) showed a more complex and "real" version of the Batman myth. I was hoping for something along those lines but it's more like getting a third of that story in comic book form. Very good... but not great.
Rating: -
The trade paperback edition of Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli's four issue Batman Year One run is like a remastered CD.
Colorist Richmond Lewis completely repainted the entire artwork because the original comics came out on cheap newsprint and could support just 60 different color palettes.
This trade paperback edition is on slick, glossy high quality paper and also boasts a great 40 page Mazzuchelli sketchbook and original Miller scripts.
Now that we've addressed the form, what about the content? Thematically, Year One bookends The Dark Knight Returns. DKR represented a future Batman while Year One goes back to the beginning to explore Batman's origins.
Miller bucks convention by pitting Batman against corruption, greed and lethargy. Rather than trotting out garish supervillains, Miller uses the grime and grit of Gotham City to humanize Batman.
I own both the original comics, which I bought and read as a child, and this great newly remastered version.
I love 'em and so will you.
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