Written by Frank Miller and drawn by David Mazzucchelli, Batman: Year One is a great story on Batman’s origin.  The graphic novel is a compilation of the 4 part series originally released in 1988.

The story focuses on Bruce Wayne’s first adventures as Batman and his relationship with Gotham PD’s new lieutenant, James Gordon.  Along the way, we also get a glimpse of Gotham’s mob, the Maroni family(main focus on The Long Halloween), Catwoman and Harvey Dent (also a focus on The Long Halloween).

Surprisingly, Year One, is a pretty short read at 144 pages.  Besides the pointless Catwoman pestering Batman, the story was tight and straight to the point.  Readers get a glimpse of the inexperience Bruce Wayne starting out as the Caped Crusader and making mistakes along the way.  What I found more interesting was the origin of James Gordon.  He is far from perfect and makes him a character we root for.  The ending is a surprise but it’s also what makes Year One, one of the best Batman stories ever told.  Although I’m going to this book the same rating as The Killing Joke,  I enjoyed Year One more because Frank Miller created a Gotham City that has lost hope and the two men that tries to change it.

Grade: A

Did you know Batman Begins gives many references to Batman: Year One.

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