emsemce123 's review for:

Batman: Year One by Frank Miller

5.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Received this as a birthday gift years ago and I remember not liking it on my first read through. A few years later I gave it another try and liked it immensely and now I think this is my third time re reading it and it still holds up. This is, a version, if not the de facto version of Bruce Wayne's first year as The Batman and Jim Gordon's first year with GCPD. The stories unfold side by side, told over the course of a year as you see how the 2 characters became the icons we know and love today. Things I loved; Batman really is inexperienced here and makes it through most things by luck or chance, Gordon is a badass and very capable fighter, may not be surprising to some fans but that's never the first thing I think of when I think of the character, there's no real villains here, no appearances from Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, Riddler, etc.  But it's not needed. I can definitely see the inspiration and embellishments/additions Christopher Nolan used for Batman Begins. If you consider yourself a Batman fan or have even the slightest curiosity I'd highly recommend Year One.