
Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after many years abroad, still intent on obtaining vengeance against Crime for the murder of his parents so long ago. At around the same time, a young detective named James Gordon begins work at the Gotham City Police Department, widely known as one of the most corrupt law enforcement agencies there is. While Bruce Wayne takes his first tentative steps as a vigilante, Gordon tries to hold onto his strong convictions and ethics in a town that seems almost designed to destroy good cops. But as Bruce Wayne's vigilante alter-ego Batman gains notoriety, Gordon is tasked with tracking him down. Both men have the same goal – bringing down the gangs that dominate the city, and to prove themselves as warriors against injustice, but they approach those goals from entirely opposite directions. Will they be able to find a middle ground or will their conflicting methods bring about a violent confrontation?
Originally released in 1987, written by Frank Miller and drawn by David Mazzucchelli, Batman: Year One is rightly one of the most iconic stories in the history of Batman. Miller's gritty style suits the grim Gotham City we encounter throughout the book, and Mazzucchelli brings that city to life with outstanding art. The story is brutally violent, but sets the tone for how Batman would be seen for years to come – he is a shadow in the night, a terror to strike into the hearts of criminals everywhere. Most importantly, it focuses on the parallels between Gordon and Batman as crime-fighters on the opposite sides of the law. Batman's origin isn't exactly new information to most people (HIS PARENTS ARE DEAD) so including the 'origin' of one of Batman's closest allies, and how he came to become one of the closest allies is vital to making the plot interesting. Over the course of the story you can see them changing, starting to trust each other and changing their methods to suit – Gordon accepting that Batman's ways of working outside the law are more effective than the corrupt police force and Batman realising that he needs allies in his war on Crime.
It's not difficult to see how influential this comic has been on the Batman mythos – Batman Begins drew on it heavily and there was actually going to be a film adaptation prior to Christopher Nolan rebooting the franchise. Batman had been moving towards this style already (Miller had already written The Dark Knight Returns) but this, coupled with the Crisis on Infinite Earths gave DC the chance to reboot a character that had gotten a little 'silly', which, as we know is

It's also a great place for new readers to start, as I've said before. Part of this is the huge influence it has had, but it's also a story that lays out all the groundwork for understanding the character of Batman. It gives the reader a chance to see how his world operates, and then gives the option of continuing with the character, rather than immediately starting a new arc. This stand alone book is one every Batman fan should have on their shelf and should be read even be non-Batfans.
Batman: Year One – 9781401207526 – Frank Miller - $27.99 – 144 pages
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