Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

So you want to start reading Batman comics? I bet you've searched all over the internet, on sites such as comic vine, youtube, yahoo answers, and they all tell you the same thing: Start with Batman: Year One. Why start with this book? Well, this review will explain everything: The cover, the artwork, the extra features, the story, and what I recommend you read next. Without further ado, let us begin. Once upon a time, there was a man named Frank Miller. In 1986, Frank wrote a little story called The Dark Knight Returns. This critically acclaimed alternate-universe novel featured Miller's revolutionary interpretation of Batman. Shortly after, he was asked to write something else. Anything. He took a very general route: a Batman origin story. Little did he know, this 4-issue story would become a classic, essential Batman collection. Batman Year One collects Batman issues 404-407 into one remastered collection, complete with bonus features of extra artwork, preludes, afterwords, etc. Here is a breakdown of the book's contents: - A one page long newspaper clipping titled The Crime Blotter written by Slam Bradley, the original star of Detective Comics #1, perhaps as a homage to him. - A 2 page introduction by Dennis O'Neil from March 1988 explaining how the idea for Batman Year one was introduced. - The 97 page long story itself. More on that later. - A 37 page afterword(s) complete with original sketches, the process of remastering the color, original scripts, black and white artwork, etc. - An advertisement at the end for other graphic novels, The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Haunted Knight, and Catwoman: When in Rome, all by the Dynamic Duo of comics whose names aren't Batman and Robin, Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale. Perhaps DC is trying to tell us something... The story itself is phenomenal. I'm not going to spoil anything, but here's a little opening to draw you in: Lieutenant James Gordon has been called in to work in Gotham City. During the train ride there, we learn of his opinions towards his new workplace. He complains about the long ride, the scummy people, the lousy effort of the police force in a mob-ruled city, how he knows it will be difficult to raise his family. Think Detroit. While there, he learns of the corrupt Gotham police force, and the return of Bruce Wayne, a millionaire playboy who inherited his dead parents' wealth by default. Bruce himself is struggling mentally. He wants to become a vigilante, a self-appointed crime fighter, but he lacks one minor thing: others simply won't fear him. It finally dawns to him that he should become what he feared, a bat. Cover art for the book is basic. That's all it has to be. A red book with a sketch of Batman that stretches from front to back cover (I purchased the paperback version) The story hits everyone differently. If your memory of Batman is the Adam West, joke-cracking pun-filled crime fighter, this story will come as a shock to you. You may have to read the story a second time before you can really appreciate it. It is very dark, filled with blood, cheating, alcohol, prostitutes, and drugs. What I'm trying to get at here is that this isn't a story to read to your kids at bed time. Nevertheless, it is still a masterpiece. Speaking of masterpieces, David Mazzucchelli absolutely nails it on the artwork. It focuses a lot on lighting and shadows, perfect for the noir mood of the story. It also focuses on little, tiny details, the lining of the bricks of the apartment building being staked out by a psychopath, the raindrops on Gordon's car window, the debris of the collapsed house Batman uses to hide from the police (yes, I just said that, Batman hiding from the police) The story occasionally switches narration between Batman, Jim Gordon, and Catwoman. The amount of use of this tool can be what makes or breaks a story. Miller balanced it perfectly. There are no "supercriminals" so to speak, no Joker, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze; just the mob, police force, and some no-named petty thieves. After all, it's just Batman's first year. It broadcasts the successes, failures, and luck of Batman. All-in-all, it was a fantastic read. It's really something you can read again and again. This book will start you comic/TPB collection, and hopefully it will be a long one. You will see some connections to the Nolan films in this book, as it played a vital role as inspiration for Batman Begins. Upon putting this book down, it immediately poses another question: Where to next? Perhaps you didn't like this new spin on the Batman. Maybe you want a more vibrant kid friendly version. I would suggest picking up Batman: Chronicles Volume 1 or Batman: Archives. They are a collection of older Batman comics from the Gold, Silver, and Bronze age. Perhaps you did like this Batman and what to further oversee his development into the Dark Knight. Batman Year One in my opinion is the starting point for the modern age Batman. If this interests you, I'd pick up at least one of the following graphic novels: - Batman the Long Halloween - a murder-mystery spanning over a year - Batman: Dark Victory - an intended sequel for The Long Halloween, introduction of Dick Grayson AKA Robin - Batman Haunted Knight - a collection of 3 Batman short stories - Catwoman: When in Rome - further reading on Catwoman - Batman: The Man who Laughs - introduction to the Joker - Batman and the Monster Men - my recommendation if you want to read Batman in a chronological order. However, it is very expensive at this time on amazon. - Legends of the Dark Knight - a comic series consisting of several batman short stories, no order is required, though some are sequels to others. - Anything you firggin' want - no explanation needed. I payed $8 for the book via Amazon, and it was a steal. If you see the book for under 10 bucks, don't hesitate to pick it up. I hoped I helped all you new readers, or veterans who never read this your time around. 5/5 stars, 100/5 stars, actually. It doesn't matter. Read it if you haven't. You won't regret it.