Books: Batman: Year One

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Batman: Year One
Written by Frank Miller
Art by David Mazzucchelli
1988




Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/


"Year One" is a term used in political history to refer to the start of a radical, revolutionary change. So - when Frank Miller (fresh of the success of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) got given the chance to re-tell the first faltering steps of Bruce Wayne's crime-fighting career - he thought not only is it a cool-sounding title [1] but it's also a place to make a radical, revolutionary change that (not to get too hyperbolic about things) has since swept the entire world of entertainment: what if you told a realistic Batman story? Yeah. That's right. A superhero comic book that doesn't take place in some faraway fantasy land: but in a world that looks and acts and feels just like our own.

Of course nowadays what with the Christopher Nolan Batman films [2] and things like Kick-Ass and Defendor and Special and Super [3] and stuff like that (hell - it's particularly it's own mini-genre at this point) it no longer seems like such a radical idea: but back in the day it just wasn't the sort of thing that was done. Hell - Tim Burton's Batman film (released the year after this) - thought that the only way to make Batman make sense was to put him into an oh-so-obviously artificial looking Gotham City where all the backgrounds are matte paintings [4] and everything looks like a sound-stage [5].

Although often referred to as an origin story - Year One actually skips the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne (already well covered in The Dark Knight Returns [6]) and goes straight to Bruce as a young adult - returning from his travels aboard and sends him straight into the fray - making it all up as he goes along. With a real-world kinda vibe that has him going up against gangsters and crooked cops - as opposed to his typical rogues gallery of costumed loons - and with stark and crispy artwork from David Mazzucchelli (better known now for his sterling work drawing and writing Asterios Polyp) this is a Batman that's less Tim Burton and more Martin Scorsese - (thinking particularly of Taxi Driver). And because it's written by Frank Miller - it's tense, edgy and thrilling in all the right places.

My only gripe is that I wish it were longer - even knowing that Frank Miller continues his Batman run in other Batman books - Year One has such a great feeling and atmosphere, Miller and Mazzucchelli such good chemistry and the story feels like it's only just got going that it's a shame that there's not more (although there is a Batman: Year Two by a different creative team - that although I've never actually read it - doesn't seem like much to get excited about).

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[1] And one that caught on with lots of other DC characters which is why the world has: Robin: Year One, Black Lightning: Year One, JLA: Year One, Green Arrow: Year One etc (none of which are worth your time).

[2] And he owes Frank Miller a drink. At the very least.

[3] Which in my humble opinion is the best of the bunch.

[4] What? You thought this was real?

[5] And just going back to the Chris Nolan's Batman films just a sec: gotta say even that doesn't quite manage to make things feel that realistic. Pretty much everytime you see Christian Bale in his full get-up he looks more like a chump dressed up as Batman than - you know - actually Batman.

[6] Which you could kinda see as a sequel - altho one with a completely different tone and sense of place.

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Links: Robot 6: Your Wednesday Sequence | David Mazzucchelli’s Year One, The M0vie Blog Review, IGN Review, Nerd Bastards Review, NPR Interview with Frank Miller.

Further reading: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: All Star Batman and Robin, Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Daredevil: Born Again, Asterios Polyp, Batman: The Long Halloween, Sin City, Batman: Broken City, Batman: Year 100, Gotham Central.

Profiles: Frank Miller.

All comments welcome.