I just copped the Batman: Year One series from the Virgin Megastore. After watching ‘Sin City’ over the weekend I am really in tune with MILLER’s narrative style. It works so well with the Batman character because MILLER describes the thought processes of the Bat. He gives us this omniscient view inside the brain of a raging pyschopath.
Batman remains my favorite comic book hero of all time because of the fact that he has no super powers. All he has is a shiiteload of bucks and the single-minded determination to kick everyone’s ass. Think for a second about the origins of the character. Bruce Wayne watched his parents get merc’ked while he held their hands. Wayne carries this rage with him forever. He feeds off it whenever he needs that extra kick ass fire.
In ‘BATMAN: Year One’, MILLER’s writing is paired with the pencilling of DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI. It reminds me of early MILLER / KLAUS JANSON collaborations on the Daredevil book. The artwork is bathed in shadows and silhouettes giving Gotham City that perpetual feeling of dusk. MAZZUCCHELLI’s economy of linework is his asset.
The Year One story arc is all about Bruce Wayne trying to find himself upon his return to Gotham after over a decade abroad in training. The city is dying from the inside out as politicians and criminals are nearly indistinguishable. A detective is brought in from outside of Gotham to shake things up. His name is Jim Gordon. We see the beginnings of the Bat and Commissioner Gordon before they become the heroes that we are already familiar with. MILLER uses his pen to construct characters that are as conflicted as they are courageous.
‘BATMAN: Year One’ is required reading for all my FRANK MILLER / Batman folks. As a matter of fact, I will send you my copy of Year One (in case you haven’t read it already) if you can give me the Catwoman’s fictional government name.
Selina Kyle, yes? Lemme at that prize, Billy.
Damn you, Capt. Backslap!
Adina Howard
Yeah it’s Selina Kyle…but when I read Adina Howard I was glad I’m alone in the office.
Julie Newmar?
*time machine induced drool*
Selina Kyle..though I know I’m late.
Just discovered a closer comic book store to the crib about 5 mins drive as opposed to the former 15 mins…its OVER now.
I gave this to my 10 and 9 year old sons as “required reading” 2 mos back. They were pissed at first but were mad thankful afterwards. Great post D!!! Btw, no album yet!!!
by fictional do you mean her alias after she had her daughter, if thats the case it’s Irena Dubrovna
i’m not gonna even front… in my opinion daredevil’s “born again” storyline ethers the ever-loving shit out of “year one.” and that’s no easy task since this is one of the greatest stories of all time.
^ Meka Soul, I must disagree. Although Miller got his nut off on Daredevil, the context in which he revamped Batman is unprecedented. “Born Again” might be the “illest shit he ever wrote” but “Year One” (along with “Return Of The Dark Knight” was/is the blueprint. Either way, reading any of the aforementioned jernts = win, win, win.
i want to see a live-action batman year one or return of the dark knight movies in the style of 300. that would be the shit. for sure these would be ready to dethrone the original Batman movie.
cj, maybe i’m being biased since i just read “born again” at work, but maaaan, anybody who didn’t feel for matt murdock during that shit has no remorse whatsoever.
shame that they got slow-mo lookin’ ass “green mile” duncan-hines to play the kingpin’s role in that flagrantly-sauce ass flick.
My favorite Bat book ever, sometimes my favorite comic ever.
Watchmen usually wins though.
Cats shopped Y1-esque ideas around for years and they ended up with Bat Begins. At one stage Darren Aronofsky was rumoured to be doing it and I thought that he would have done an ill rendition if he could give a Bat movie some of that Requiem grit. But WB are never going to miss out on the $ in toys, mang!
^ Actually, as I remember, D. Aronofsky was slated to do BMY1 as a televison series, not the movie.
“As a matter of fact, I will send you my copy of Year One (in case you haven’t read it already) if you can give me the Catwoman’s fictional government name.”
^^ Selena Kyle
Batman: Year One is on beast mode. I do give DC credit for revolutionizing the graphic novel format for comic book…too bad Marvel still stomps them as far as characters/heroes go overall. That being the case: Batman > Daredevil (by a thin margin).
One.
Dart_Adams Says:
July 14th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Batman: Year One is on beast mode. I do give DC credit for revolutionizing the graphic novel format for comic book…too bad Marvel still stomps them as far as characters/heroes go overall. That being the case: Batman > Daredevil (by a thin margin).
One.
^^^^^^^
Hmm, I think Bats has the blind man beat by Miles. Frank Miller’s run on DD is STILL all people talk about.
YEar One is pure comic piff, I’ve read that thing at least 20 times, BATMAN BEGINS is the closest think we’ll ever get to a Year One story on film, and I have no problem with that.
Good Drop DP.