Rating: 
Summary: Year One - Batman for Grown-ups
Review: Frank Miller's Batman: Year One is without a doubt one of Miller's best stories and arguably the greatest Batman tale ever told. In this series, Frank Miller was given the task of basically re-inventing the Batman character which he did such amazing work on in The Dark Knight Returns. This time, rather than tell of Batman's future, Miller retells the origin of the then 50-year-old comics character. The story is reset in a contemporary ('80s) setting, though the tale retains a timeless feel and overall, the basic story could be set anywhere in the 20th century.
For this story, Miller has stripped Batman of all the wild and crazy additions which he made use of in DKR (and to excess in the sequel DK2.)
It tells the tale of a 25-year-old Bruce Wayne first beginning his career as the Batman. Unlike in the original 1939 comics, James Gordon is younger and still a Lieutenant when the Dark Knight begins his crusade. The story is told from the persective of both good cop Gordon and the outlaw viligante Wayne
and tells how they eventually find they must unite in order to continue their respective battles in a totally corrupt Gotham City.
Young Wayne/Batman is convincingly portrayed as a youthful beginner still learning the ropes of being a superhero. He has not yet become the magnificently crazy force of nature shown in DKR. Gordon is shown as a very human hero who must fight evil in a more normal way. Catwoman is also introduced as a vengeful ex-prostitute.
The story has a noirish feel, and Mazzuchelli's understated but strong drawing looks unimpressive at first glance, but tells the story in a direct, undistracting manner.
I wish there were more Batman tales like this - mature, noir dramas without a lot of silly sci-fi/fantasy gimickry. I hope they are able to get that movie made!
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Detective Thriller
Review: Following the time after I read Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns", whenever I hear the name "Batman", my mind immediately conjures up a vision of a lonely, troubled, ordinary man who, night by night, uses his detective skills to apprehend the criminals. He moves in the shadows and strikes fear into all those who are guilty and he. Never. Smiles.Thanks to Miller, comic book writers proceeding after "Dark Knight Returns" have, for the most part, remained true to this vision. "Batman: Year One" is such an example and is truly a seminal body of work in the Batman canon. "Batman: Year One" introduces us to two main characters, one being the aforementioned Dark Knight and the other being his most trusting friend and ally, (Lieutenant) James Gordon. The story is interwoven between these two men of Gotham City. Bruce Wayne has returned after having spent twelve years abroad with only one thing firmly rooted in his mind: to catch the bad guys. This desire runs parallel to (new cop in town) Gordon's own, in his case with addition to dealing with a corrupt police force. Which is the beauty of this story. We see two men, one working for the law, and the other outside it, trying to come to terms with what they have to face. Gordon hates his job and corrupt superiors, regrets that his wife is bringing a child into this godforsaken city and has an affair to forget his troubles. Bruce Wayne/Batman on the other hand, has to come to deal with how he can strike fear into the hearts of men and maintain the image of a social elite at the same time. Something tells me they will get the hang of it. Mazzuchelli's artwork is beautiful. Although I have always been a comic book fan, I've never really cared for the art unless it fails to help the story along. In this case, it does so much more. The art makes me feel totally uneasy with Gotham City, like I'm in Jim Gordon's place. It is perfect. The most astounding feature of "Batman: Year One" is that it reads like a detective story and not a blockbusting special effects bonanza. Batman has always been a detective first and a "super-hero" second. He doesn't work like Superman, a character with whom comparisons are constant. It reminded me why I like him more than Superman: because he is, to all ends and purposes, only human. Miller keeps him that way which makes this a gritty and thrilling read. I liked this book because it revived my interest in the Batman. I hear the film will be based on this story - I hope that the final script remains true to the detective aspect of "Batman: Year One", because it works best like that. The last two Batman movies were guilty of making Batman less mysterious. I want the real Batman back and if you read this book, you will too.
Rating:
Summary: A great buy!
Review: It's January 4th, and Gotham City witness two arrivals: the arrival of Lieutenant James Gordan, and the return of millionaire Bruce Wayne. Wayne and Gordon both see that Gotham needs to be cleaned up, but each has his own ideas of how it should be done. While Gordon begins his cleaning under the eyes of the press, Bruce Wayne assumes the identity of a bat and begins cleaning up the city under the cover of darkness. But, with the two working from such very different angles, confrontation is inevitable, and out of the confrontation comes...friendship? This book was published in 1988, containing BATMAN #404-407 (1987). The quality of the illustrations is a bit lower than one has come to expect from more recent graphic novels, but the fact is that the story is excellent and makes the whole book a great buy! As with the stories of the Golden Age comic books, this story pits Batman against an array of regular bad guys, rather than super-powerful super-villains (although the genesis of Catwoman is included!), which I rather enjoyed! Overall, I found this to be a great introduction to Batman, one that keeps up the excellent tradition. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: True rarity- a "Miller" story that deserves attention
Review: I am not a Frank Miller fan. Nope. Didn't care for Daredevil (Hurt. Pain. Captions. Too many. Disjointed.), not a Sin City fan, though I admire its novelty, and although "Dark Knight" (and one other book) protrayed the Batman in a competent manner, the ghastly "Return of the Dark Knight/DK2" has shattered any credibility in the "Miller" name, as regards the Batman franchise. That said, the "one other book" besides DK that Miller actually performed on was Year One. An EXCELLENT portrayal of Batman's early career, with the major focus on a young, pre-Commissioner Jim Gordon, brilliantly rendered by Dave Mazzuchelli, a true illustrative master and the main reason why this dark and gritty book shines so bright in the firmament of Graphic Novels. If you are even REMOTELY interested in the Batman mythos, this should be in your collection- moody, pensive, with a decidedly heavy film noir atmosphere (and brilliant pre-computer coloring), this story captures the flavor of Gotham City and its troubled denizens like few other Batman narratives ever published. Highest possible recommendation
Rating:
Summary: I can't say a bad thing about this book...
Review: This is my favorite Frank Miller book. I've read some of his work on Daredevil (basically what's included in Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller 1, 2, and 3) along with some of his other Batman stories (Dark Knight Returns, Dark Knight Strikes Back), and Batman: Year One outshines the rest. It's simple, it's gritty and I love it for that. Year One follows the first year of Commissioner Gordon (then Lieutenant Gordon) and Batman in Gotham City. Reading about Batman barely holding his own against some two-bit thugs is such a welcome change after reading so many other books where Batman is a figure more invincible than Superman. And reading about Gordon's struggle against a corrupt police department is equally compelling. The book's only [low priced], and it's easily worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Telling Batman's beginnings as they were meant to be told!
Review: I recently read "Year One" in one sitting. After about page 11 or 12, I just couldn't stop! The story synopsis can be known through other reviews, so I'll just contribute my own reactions. I've rarely been this engrossed in a graphic novel/comic series. Due to its length, "The Dark Knight Returns" seems a little more daunting to bite into, so the simplicity and brisk length of Batman's beginnings in "Year One" make it very attractive and accessible to the first-time seeker of Frank Miller's brilliant and important work on Batman. The story and art really plays out like a neo-noir film, complete with dates (i.e. "January 4;" think of the film, "Seven") that give you a sense of where Batman and the "scene stealer," Lt. Gordon, are in the progression of the first year of both characters' careers as Gotham's new "hope." The other brilliant aspect of this story is that the villains aren't super-villains; I don't want to give anymore than that away. What really attracted me to "catching up" on "Year One," more than anything else, is the fact that I grew up with quite an obsession with Burton's films and highly anticipate Christopher Nolan's upcoming "Batman Begins." What I found out is that, although Burton's filmic treatments are admirable, it's not quite as faithful to Miller's most-definitive work as it should be. However, I was watching Nolan's first film, "Following," recently and noticed that, on one of the doors of a flat in the movie, there was a Batman logo sticker! First and foremost, "Following" is a stylish and intelligent neo-noir thriller that I highly recommend, but the film was released in 1999; four years before Nolan became involved with the new Batman project! This confirms that, not only is he the perfect young director for the Batman that Miller gave us, but he is also a true and caring "Bat-fan!" In concluding, I kept Nolan's films and directing style in mind while reading "Year One," and 1) this may prompt you to "bone up" on the material that "Batman Begins" is inspired by and 2) thoroughly informs you that Batman is the most intriquing of all comic characters and deserves a faithful filmic treatment that can inform the rest of the world who Batman really is!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: Frank Miller will always be best known for The Dark Knight Returns, and many people (myself included) regard Batman: The Killing Joke to be the greatest single Batman story ever. But this is a very close second.
The story begins with recent Gotham City Police Department hiree Jim Gordon arriving for the first time in Gotham. Coincidentally, it is the day that 25 year old multimillionaire Bruce Wayne returns to his hometown after many years of mysterious travel abroad. The story takes us through a year to see how Gordon reacts to corruption and graft in the Police Force, and how Bruce Wayne will become the Batman. It is also told through Gordon's and Wayne's point of view, which was a nice touch. It climaxes when Police Commissioner Loeb orders Batman to be taken down, with a really spectacular ending.
David Mazuchelli's artwork is dynamic and gritty. He draws the Dark Knight and his world beautifully. Frank Miller's words are simply marvelous. I was captured from the first page, and didn't put it down until I had read it.
Overall, this is a great place to start if you're looking to become a Batman fan. The story isn't complicated, but is still riveting. If you don't read this, you're missing out on some of the best comics literature there has ever been. I can't recommend this book enough.
Rating:
Summary: prelude to Sin City
Review: This book is an excellent read for me. It focuses less on Batman and more on Jim Gordon. It sets up Gordon as a man instead of someone Batman can get info from. What Miller did for Batman in The Dark Knight, he does here for Jim Gordon. The Gotham Police Department is truely shown as the cesspool af graft and corruption it was always reputed to be. It works great as a kind of for runner to Miller's SinCity tales in later years. It is also a great lead in to Jeph Loeb and Tim Sales excellent "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" stories. Mazzucchelli's art is simple and powerful. Batman looks like a guy in a funny costume with a cape, yet it somhow works. I just wish Miller had a little more room to tell his story. There is only one real action scene, when Bats is cornered by the police. still, it is very good and well worth a read for all Miller and Batman fans.
Rating:
Summary: Discover the man behind the bat.
Review: I didn't want to get this graphic novel. I honestly didn't. I had a lot of faith in Daredevil and of course, what Frank Miller did for the series, but at no point did I have interest in the Batman comics (I did like Batman in the movies, and the animated series and whatnot, though). I'm not going to rant about Frank Miller's genius story and Mazzucchelli's lively artwork, but at one point the characters in the comic, are no longer drawn characters in a comic. They're human. Even Batman. You see the insecurity and confusion that Bruce Wayne suffers from before he becomes the crimefighter we know him as. You see James Gordon, living with high morals in a city where that is unheard of. The one thing I hate about this book, is that you won't find another like it.
Rating:
Summary: Easy
Review: Frank Miller is one of my all time favorite comic book/graphic novelists...why? because he's an icon? because he's well known? nope...because he's a great writer.....this book is different and refreshing.
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