Rating: 
Summary: In the Begining...
Review: Dark, gritty, and striking. This is a crime story pure and simple, even if it does involve a man in a costume. Two things are suprising: that it focuses more on James Gordon, then on Batman and that it works. If there is anything that I don't like about the book is the portrayal of Catwoman. I don't know why she is even in here to begin with. What I like most is that Miller shows Batman fighting real evils like organized crime and police corruption.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book For Diehard Batman Fans
Review: This book is pretty good. It has a greta intirpritation of how bataman came to be and about a young police cop named Gordan. This is great because it shows batman bleeding and not always succeding like in many other books and movies. it shows him learning as he goes along. The thing that dissappointed me was that I felt like this book could of gone on for a couple more pages. it has a great plot but i thought the ending happended to quickly. It's still a great book though and hopefully the next batman movie they make will be based of this book.
Rating:
Summary: A classic Bat story- for a reason.
Review: When you think of Batman, you usually think of a bad@$$ crime fighter. An ingenious detective. A man who is perpetually poised and highly skilled. In Year One, Batman is none of these. Year One is the story of Bruce Wayne's first year as Batman, which also happens to be Jim Gordon's first year on the Gotham Police Force. Gordon, a lowly lieutenant at the time, finds himself and his pregnant wife in a city full of crime, and working in a police force that is full of corruption. The story goes back and forth between Gordon, as he struggles to be a good cop in a bad force and Bruce Wayne as he undertakes the role to be a crimefighter that he has been training so long for. The most interesting thing about Year One is that here, Batman, who is usually seen as a seasoned veteran and tough as nails, is a rookie. He's uncertain and he makes mistakes. Basically, he's an amateur feeling out his abilities. Also interesting is seeing Gotham city and the police force react to the appearance of the costumed vigilante. Gordon and Batman's paths cross for the first time as Batman targets the corrupt higher-ups running Gotham, and Gordon is ordered to find out who the Bat is and stop him. Frank Miller carried the story through the two different viewpoints very well. He did a good job writing a young Batman, but I actually enjoyed reading from Gordon's viewpoint more. The art, by David Mazzucchelli is nothing spectacular but it really fits the story. Overall, Batman: Year One is an excellent piece of work. People who's impressions of Batman are from the horrible, horrible movies should definitely pick it up and get to know one the greatest characters in all fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Great material for Batman interns
Review: As someone who read most (almost all) of Millers works, the first thing I have to admit about this book (which collects Batman #404-407) is that this is not the best thing he ever wrote, for "the un-trained eye" (His "Daredevil" run and "Dark Knight Returns were better for that purpose for example). Meaning, the things that happen in this book are great for people who've been Batman fans for a longer period of time (and I mean really good. It sheds a new light on what drives the characters), but for people who aren't that 'loyal' to Batman and who are looking for a story that's a great single story, this is not the best example. About the story: It's been 12 years since Bruce Wayne's parents were killed and he left Gotham. Now the time has come for him to return to the mansion were he used to live when he was young. Soon sightings will be reported of a man in a batsuit hunting the night, beating up smalltime criminals. On the same airplane is James Gordon, a man who has accepted a job as a lieutenant on the Gotham police force. He soon learns how corrupt the force is in Gotham and what it takes to make it there. Gordon has to show what kind of man he really is. The current commissioner doesn't care about right or wrong, just if there's any profit in it for him. It's up to Gordon and Batman, without knowing they have the same goal, to 'clean up' the city. Several good things need to be mentioned in my opinion: It's really great to see Batman making errors and screwing up things as that's how it should be with a newbie, to anything. Here he is not portrayed as the Batman who comes to save the day in a heartbeat, but rather as a man who is struggling to become what he is today, by falling and getting up. He's learning from his mistakes. With that it's nice to see that Miller thought of giving him his silver age suit, not the modern one he wears now. That really comes to the good of the 'feel' of the story. What's also very good is that it's not your typical superhero book, but that the main focus is on James Gordon, who is not only the man Batman comes to report to but also a vital point in his crime-fighting carreer. Without Gordon Batman would have never succeeded for all this time, and that gets some much deserved attention here. Over the course of the book we see the two men, Gordon and Batman, grow towards each other and starting to understand and accept that they both need each other. A little minor point I have to make is the art by Mazzucchelli. Don't get me wrong because it's not bad. It tells the story sufficiently, is clear and expresses the mood how it should. Only when compared to his previous work on Daredevil it comes off a little bleak. Next to that my only 'complaint' (for lack of a better word) is that, like I said, it's mainly great for people who've known the character Batman for a longer period of time and now want to see how it all came to what it is today. For people who aren't that up-to-date it's a good story, but not really exceptional (better get "Dark Knight Returns" or "The Long Halloween" in that case). All-in-all not a bad choice to get.
Rating: 
Summary: Ooh, good
Review: Prior to rating this title, I had yet to give any comic book 5 stars. I am not at all hesitant about giving this book that rating. I must say, as I've said before, that this rating does come with the understanding that this is a comic book and not a novel--the two media accomplish entirely different things. That said, this was far from the average, run-of-the-mill Batman yarn (well, while it's very much about Batman, it's just as much if not moreso James Gordon's story). But to me, that shows a kind of maturity. And I believe this book requires some maturity from the reader, too--not because it's gritty so much (it's not objectionable, or hardly at all), but really because this book is not through-and-through a ripping action story. It has such parts, but it's much more an introduction to the characters themselves, as individuals rather than as masked entities. I'd recommend it to anyone who's old enough to care what might happen to the alter-egos and the "normal" people (i.e. Gordon himself) when the monthly plots aren't going full-swing...more "mainstream," I'd say, for the non-fans in the world, than the typical superhero monthlies.
Rating:
Summary: BATMAN IN THE STYLE OF CHANDLER
Review: Frank Miller does one of his best writing jobs in BATMAN YEAR ONE. It lacks the epic sweep and iconic power of DARK KNIGHT but its gritty noirish mileu make it similiar to something thatChandler would have done. Mazzacchuelli uses a simple clean art style that compliments Miller's writing perfectly even though this is clearly Frank's show. First rate superhero comics!
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: This is the compelling story set in the time of a young Bruce Wayne and an old Gotham. One of the things I love about it is the fact that it isn't really the story of Batman coming to Gotham. Given this element is covered thoroughly, but this is the story of the young Jimmy Gordon coming to Gotham. The enemies aren't products of government testing, toxic waste, or birth defects, but policemen. Incredible book.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Miller writes a must have for Bat-fans
Review: I've been introduced to Frank Miller's 'Batman' stories namely by hype alone, and the hype is more than warranted. Miller writes 'Year One' the way Batman needs to be portrayed - gritty, dark and murky; all buzz-words that have become cliches for Millers work, and for the right reason. This is a crime story, true and simple. Batman here is hardly the invincible super-hero steroetyped by our culture. Here he is just a man, one who's committed to the task of cleaning up Gotham City of the criminal element. He can be wounded, he can make mistakes, but he also gets the job done. The book also focuses on the young Jim Gordon, who would one day become Gotham's police commissioner and Batman's confidant. Here he's a young cop with all the failings and imperfections of a man striving to do whats right. Miller writes the dialogue with stark realism, and I felt like I was reading about true multi-dimensional characters. With this book and his seminal 'Dark Knight Returns', Miller takes the icon of Batman out of the garish hands of the neon-lighted buffoonery of Hollywood and back into the shadowed streets where he was meant to be. Buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: A new take on Batman, Gordon, Dent...
Review: Most people have strong conceptions about Batman after the movies, TV Shows, comics, etc. But it's easy to overlook his supporting cast and Bruce Wayne's own transformation. Every time someone does something new (out of their comfort zone), it takes courage, practice, perseverence and hard work. Both Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon experience this in Gotham and it shines light on what they become later in their lives (hardcore justice freaks). Miller's story is fast paced and the narrative switches easily between Wayne and Gordon. Plus, you get the bonus of Catwoman's genesis, a young Harvey Dent and the first mention of the Joker. This is a perfect springboard into any future Batman book and a welcome addition to the Batman mythos. If you like this, be sure to read Miller's other seminal work: The Dark Knight Returns.
Rating:
Summary: Batman As You've Never Seen Him Before--A Rookie...
Review: Following up on his 1986 renovation of the Batman myth with "The Dark Knight Returns", Frank Miller teamed with David Mazzucchelli to produce "Batman: Year One", a novel retelling of how Bruce Wayne came to don tights to fight crime. Miller's Gotham City is a corrupt and festering cesspool, much as he would later depict in his Sin City series. Two good men come to town to clean things up: Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon, a new detective on the Gotham police force fresh from his role in cleaning up another police department. Wayne himself has returned to his hometown after a long absence, during which he trained himself to become a vigilante. Wayne's first foray into crimefighting nearly ends in disaster, but leads him ultimately to adopt the Batman motif to frighten criminals. Gordon becomes his unlikely ally as he strives to clean up Gotham's police department. The writing remains more mature and gritty than the typical comic book fare of the time. Batman is not the invincible denizen of the dark we've come to know and love, but an awkward guy in a goofy costume who seems always to be within an inch of death. Gordon is no paragon of virtue either; the main subplot deals with his affair with another cop while his wife waits to give birth to his son. The result is a gripping, gritty, and ultimately redeeming tale which once again reinvents the familiar figure of the Batman.
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