Batman: Year One (1986)
Written by Frank Miller
Illustrated by David Mazzucchelli
Colored by Richmond Lewis
Lettering by Todd Klein
I began writing a review for Year One, the movie, a long time ago, but for some reason I haven't finished it. Instead here I am writing for the comic. I guess it's fitting that this be written before the movie.
This cover for the film is more or less what the last page of vol. 4 looks like. Image from http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Batman:_Year_One_%28film%29
Anyway, so this is based on my experience of reading the 2005 4-volume compilation. I haven't seen any of the original Year One trades in person, probably never will.
This was lovely. Because I didn't know a lot of what the commentary says in the beginning and end of the book I had the mindset of, hmm... interesting palette and style choice. After finishing the whole thing, commentary and all, I know understand and respect the choices a lot more. The style is definitely far from Batman comics now, which is what threw me originally. Commentary explains how Year One was originally printed on newsprint and had only a select few colors available for printing. There's several example pages in the back of how the original run looked and it's cool flipping back and forth between how the colors looked on newsprint (which has a slight beige-y yellow-y tint to it by nature) versus on the brilliant white this compilation is printed on.
Cover of the print of Year One I was reading. Image from http://comicnewbie.com/comic-books/batman-year-one-comic-book-review/
~~~
Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after 12 years. Immediately off the plane he's greeted by the press and asked about affairs with beautiful high profile people. Jim Gordon is also just moving into town and will soon be joined by wife Barbara. On his seedy train ride in Gordon hopes the next time he hears from his wife the pregnancy test will be negative. On page 2 we see Gordon on the train next to a breastfeeding woman who is the only other colored character. Everyone else is ink and monochrome. This is small foreshadowing about how babies are really on Gordon's mind, as it's not until a few panels later we know Gordon's wife may be pregnant.
Gordon is picked up at the station and brought to the current commissioner's office. Gotham has taken in Gordon when no other city would, because Gordon has a tarnished file. Commissioner Loeb, being a criminal himself, feels Gordon's past will lend himself well to becoming crooked like most of Gotham's finest. Gordon, however, promises nothing but honesty.
Meanwhile Bruce is trying to find a way to make the city better. He wants every child, including another young millionaire, to be safe. He wants to be something that ultimately he hopes will not be needed one day. In an early run at justice, Bruce heads to the East End, the worst place in the city he can think of. He winds up getting stabbed, shot, and in a car crash on this messy early mission. Later on he decides he needs to be more than a man. He needs to be something that will instill fear within the unjust. And then... an omen. A bat crashes through the window and perches itself on what I assume to be a bust of Bruce's father. He will become a bat.
The moment when he knows what he must do. Image from http://virtualpizza.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/book-review-batman-year-one/
In the heart of the city, Barbara's stomach grows and Gordon hopes it's a boy.
In the force Gordon encounters tons of corruption seemingly from everyone. The one light in the darkness--Dent. Regardless of Dent's good will, Gordon eventually finds himself in danger from his own coworkers, eventually saying it would be a shame if something bad were to happen to someone close...
Gordon has amazing physical abilities and will not take threats lightly.
With the new suit, Bruce heads out and finds several kids stealing from an apartment. He catches them on the fire escape, but the stolen good is dropped, and of course things get messy. One kid almost falls to his death, while the other two get beat pretty bad. Need more practice, Bruce.
With this Batman running around 'assaulting' people, Loeb wants Gordon to catch this guy right away. Gordon's first suspect--Dent. He's 'passionate' enough to go through all this crazy vigilante stuff; since his criminals always seem to get away this is the only way to really get 'em. Unfortunately that's not the case, though Dent has spoken with Batman. Next suspect--Bruce Wayne.
Gordon sets up traps around the city, fake crimes, to try to luer Batman out, to no avail. He does nearly catch him though, when he sees Batman's not just some crazy dude that beats up anyone. He's purposeful in his actions. Gordon sees with his own eyes Batman save an older woman from a truck.
Unfortunately what Gordon saw doesn't seem to matter, because right afterwards a pursued Batman seeks shelter in an abandoned building and ends up severely wounded. After making a narrow escape from a SWAT team, Gordon tries to get an appointment to speak with Bruce.
Long after the initial call Gordon is able to meet Bruce. Him and Barbara go to Wayne Manor and meet a womanizing pig of a man. Barbara is fooled and disgusted while Gordon thinks something's suspicious... Upon their departure, Gordon also ends up telling his wife about an affair with a woman at the office. She'll be transferring soon because this can't go on. We don't hear what Barbara has to say, but whatever the two decide on, Barbara and Jim stay together.
When the baby finally arrives Loeb finds its the perfect time to go rough Gordon up by messing with his family. Gordon has, after all, taken down a lot of criminals that were in turn friends of Loeb's. Gordon, after all, doesn't take bribes. Gordon, after all, tries to be honest and just at all times.
Late at night Gordon get's called out to work, only to return to his parking complex after just exiting. Something's not right. Calling him out so late on his day off and then the bike speeding into the parking complex he came from, it's not adding up.
When he gets out of his car he's looking for the biker. What he finds instead are Gotham 'police' holding his wife and son for ransom. He takes a shot, giving Barbara time enough to slip away, but the car with his son takes off.
The bike tries to go after, but Gordon gets another shot in. The man falls from the bike and Gordon takes it to pursue.
With the biker on the ground, Barbara holds him at gunpoint. The man however tells her he won't let her son die, and the man leaves.
The car has crashed on a bridge when Gordon catches up. He's horrified that he can't hear his baby cry and approaches the car. The driver is dead, but a man steps out from the back with the child, hitting Jim in the face and knocking his glasses off. Meanwhile in the back another man arrives on the scene.
Gordon wrestles with the man and then the baby is dropped.
The third man dives off the bridge after the child and catches it right before hitting the water. Gordon and the other man tumble over the rail as well. Gordon makes it out fine and the man gives the child to him. Gordon looks at him and says how he's practically blind without his glasses and that the man should probably leave.
Some time later Gordon mentions a psycho named Joker, who is planning to poison the water supply, but thinks he has a friend who can help. The batsignal lights up the sky.
~~~
I want to take a moment to also talk about batfamily ages, a topic lots of people love to dissect.
This book states Bruce is 25 when he begins his life as Batman.
He presumably takes on Dick Grayson 2-3 years later (so Bruce is 27-28).
There's around a 6-7 year gap between Robin and Batgirl, making her about 18 when Robin first takes to the scene.
The age gap in regards to the Dick/Babs romance is funny to think about. Babs and Dick flirt a bit in the early comics, but nothing comes of it really until the age gap doesn't involve a professional woman and a teenager.
Yup.
Written by Frank Miller
Illustrated by David Mazzucchelli
Colored by Richmond Lewis
Lettering by Todd Klein
I began writing a review for Year One, the movie, a long time ago, but for some reason I haven't finished it. Instead here I am writing for the comic. I guess it's fitting that this be written before the movie.
Anyway, so this is based on my experience of reading the 2005 4-volume compilation. I haven't seen any of the original Year One trades in person, probably never will.
This was lovely. Because I didn't know a lot of what the commentary says in the beginning and end of the book I had the mindset of, hmm... interesting palette and style choice. After finishing the whole thing, commentary and all, I know understand and respect the choices a lot more. The style is definitely far from Batman comics now, which is what threw me originally. Commentary explains how Year One was originally printed on newsprint and had only a select few colors available for printing. There's several example pages in the back of how the original run looked and it's cool flipping back and forth between how the colors looked on newsprint (which has a slight beige-y yellow-y tint to it by nature) versus on the brilliant white this compilation is printed on.
~~~
Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after 12 years. Immediately off the plane he's greeted by the press and asked about affairs with beautiful high profile people. Jim Gordon is also just moving into town and will soon be joined by wife Barbara. On his seedy train ride in Gordon hopes the next time he hears from his wife the pregnancy test will be negative. On page 2 we see Gordon on the train next to a breastfeeding woman who is the only other colored character. Everyone else is ink and monochrome. This is small foreshadowing about how babies are really on Gordon's mind, as it's not until a few panels later we know Gordon's wife may be pregnant.
Gordon is picked up at the station and brought to the current commissioner's office. Gotham has taken in Gordon when no other city would, because Gordon has a tarnished file. Commissioner Loeb, being a criminal himself, feels Gordon's past will lend himself well to becoming crooked like most of Gotham's finest. Gordon, however, promises nothing but honesty.
Meanwhile Bruce is trying to find a way to make the city better. He wants every child, including another young millionaire, to be safe. He wants to be something that ultimately he hopes will not be needed one day. In an early run at justice, Bruce heads to the East End, the worst place in the city he can think of. He winds up getting stabbed, shot, and in a car crash on this messy early mission. Later on he decides he needs to be more than a man. He needs to be something that will instill fear within the unjust. And then... an omen. A bat crashes through the window and perches itself on what I assume to be a bust of Bruce's father. He will become a bat.
In the heart of the city, Barbara's stomach grows and Gordon hopes it's a boy.
In the force Gordon encounters tons of corruption seemingly from everyone. The one light in the darkness--Dent. Regardless of Dent's good will, Gordon eventually finds himself in danger from his own coworkers, eventually saying it would be a shame if something bad were to happen to someone close...
Gordon has amazing physical abilities and will not take threats lightly.
With the new suit, Bruce heads out and finds several kids stealing from an apartment. He catches them on the fire escape, but the stolen good is dropped, and of course things get messy. One kid almost falls to his death, while the other two get beat pretty bad. Need more practice, Bruce.
With this Batman running around 'assaulting' people, Loeb wants Gordon to catch this guy right away. Gordon's first suspect--Dent. He's 'passionate' enough to go through all this crazy vigilante stuff; since his criminals always seem to get away this is the only way to really get 'em. Unfortunately that's not the case, though Dent has spoken with Batman. Next suspect--Bruce Wayne.
Gordon sets up traps around the city, fake crimes, to try to luer Batman out, to no avail. He does nearly catch him though, when he sees Batman's not just some crazy dude that beats up anyone. He's purposeful in his actions. Gordon sees with his own eyes Batman save an older woman from a truck.
Unfortunately what Gordon saw doesn't seem to matter, because right afterwards a pursued Batman seeks shelter in an abandoned building and ends up severely wounded. After making a narrow escape from a SWAT team, Gordon tries to get an appointment to speak with Bruce.
Long after the initial call Gordon is able to meet Bruce. Him and Barbara go to Wayne Manor and meet a womanizing pig of a man. Barbara is fooled and disgusted while Gordon thinks something's suspicious... Upon their departure, Gordon also ends up telling his wife about an affair with a woman at the office. She'll be transferring soon because this can't go on. We don't hear what Barbara has to say, but whatever the two decide on, Barbara and Jim stay together.
When the baby finally arrives Loeb finds its the perfect time to go rough Gordon up by messing with his family. Gordon has, after all, taken down a lot of criminals that were in turn friends of Loeb's. Gordon, after all, doesn't take bribes. Gordon, after all, tries to be honest and just at all times.
Late at night Gordon get's called out to work, only to return to his parking complex after just exiting. Something's not right. Calling him out so late on his day off and then the bike speeding into the parking complex he came from, it's not adding up.
When he gets out of his car he's looking for the biker. What he finds instead are Gotham 'police' holding his wife and son for ransom. He takes a shot, giving Barbara time enough to slip away, but the car with his son takes off.
The bike tries to go after, but Gordon gets another shot in. The man falls from the bike and Gordon takes it to pursue.
With the biker on the ground, Barbara holds him at gunpoint. The man however tells her he won't let her son die, and the man leaves.
The car has crashed on a bridge when Gordon catches up. He's horrified that he can't hear his baby cry and approaches the car. The driver is dead, but a man steps out from the back with the child, hitting Jim in the face and knocking his glasses off. Meanwhile in the back another man arrives on the scene.
Gordon wrestles with the man and then the baby is dropped.
The third man dives off the bridge after the child and catches it right before hitting the water. Gordon and the other man tumble over the rail as well. Gordon makes it out fine and the man gives the child to him. Gordon looks at him and says how he's practically blind without his glasses and that the man should probably leave.
Some time later Gordon mentions a psycho named Joker, who is planning to poison the water supply, but thinks he has a friend who can help. The batsignal lights up the sky.
~~~
I want to take a moment to also talk about batfamily ages, a topic lots of people love to dissect.
This book states Bruce is 25 when he begins his life as Batman.
He presumably takes on Dick Grayson 2-3 years later (so Bruce is 27-28).
There's around a 6-7 year gap between Robin and Batgirl, making her about 18 when Robin first takes to the scene.
The age gap in regards to the Dick/Babs romance is funny to think about. Babs and Dick flirt a bit in the early comics, but nothing comes of it really until the age gap doesn't involve a professional woman and a teenager.
Yup.
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