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some_okie_dude27 's review for:
Batman: Year One
by Frank Miller
“Ladies. Gentlemen. You have eaten well. You've eaten Gotham's wealth. Its spirit. Your feast is nearly over. From this moment on...none of you are safe.”
If there's one thing that I think Frank Miller is good at when it comes to telling a story, it's keeping things simple. Like with Sin City, Frank's retelling of how The Caped Crusader first gained his identity as a crime-fighter is a simple, yet brilliant tale and one that I find to have good reason to be called a classic. This might be a tad controversial, but I think it exceeds what many consider his masterpiece: The Dark Knight Returns.
That's not to say that I find The Dark Knight Returns to be a bad story, it's a very good story and Frank spins it well. But I often find myself coming back to Frank's following excursion with The Dark Knight, which I find to be far better paced, written, and drawn for that matter. It's far more personal, the storytelling is tighter, and what's most relieving about this story is its crispness. There's no bullshit in it, no waxing poetic or strangely erotic musings about the city as Frank is one to do. Much like The Hard Goodbye, Frank doesn't waste any time with the story of Year One, and with that crispness, he makes the dramatic moments of Year One stand out much more.
Another core strength of this book is Frank's characterization, with one of his gifts being that he can flesh out a character without getting bogged down in exposition. It's also inspired in how it's not just a story of Batman starting out as a vigilante, but also a story of Jim Gordon making his first rounds as a police officer and his attempts to clean out the corruption in the police force. One of my favorite aspects of this comic is Gordon's personal journey and the cat and mouse chase turned budding respect and friendship that he has with Batman. Miller effortlessly makes Gordon likable, while also making him flawed, conflicted, and all too human. Just as brilliant is his characterization of Batman, making him a young, still learning vigilante who hasn't quite found his footing yet. But Miller doesn't shirk Batman as a symbol, as his presence is still felt in the story, even when he's not in it.
Another thing that distinguishes Year One is David Mazzucchelli's superb art work, which once again I find to be superior over Miller's ugly, blocky art work from The Dark Knight Returns. Mazzucchelli's style is lush and gorgeous, drawn with a classic cartoon style while also being dynamic in terms of action sequences and gothic chiaroscuro, and one that he would also bring to their other collaboration Daredevil: Born Again. The way that Mazzucchelli's artwork brings out a sense of mood and atmosphere once again shows him as one of the best comics artists of his age.
I've gotten flak for saying that I find Year One to be superior to Born Again (which I also recommend). While Born Again shares the gritty noir of Year One, what makes Year One superior is its more intimate characterization and storytelling. Year One's climactic chase with Viti, Batman, and Gordon is much more thrilling and engaging than the more overblown climax of Born Again because of how grounded it feels. Miller and Mazzucchelli make the stakes of this book more muted, yet more gripping.
What makes Year One as excellent is that it's as perfect of a redefinition of Batman's origin that you could get. It's one of the stories that made Batman cool again. Miller and Mazzucchelli understand keenly that Batman isn't some corny Saturday morning cartoon character. He's a symbol. A dark avenger that makes criminals break in cold sweats when they go about their business at night. He's a folk tale that parents tell their children at night in order to make sure that they remain good. But they also show Batman as a man still figuring it all out and getting all of the kinks to become a costumed vigilante and to be honest, it's never been done quite as brilliantly as it was here.
I tend to be hard on Frank, but here he is at the height of his creative powers and he never again rendered the Dark Knight with the brilliance that he did with Batman: Year One.
If there's one thing that I think Frank Miller is good at when it comes to telling a story, it's keeping things simple. Like with Sin City, Frank's retelling of how The Caped Crusader first gained his identity as a crime-fighter is a simple, yet brilliant tale and one that I find to have good reason to be called a classic. This might be a tad controversial, but I think it exceeds what many consider his masterpiece: The Dark Knight Returns.
That's not to say that I find The Dark Knight Returns to be a bad story, it's a very good story and Frank spins it well. But I often find myself coming back to Frank's following excursion with The Dark Knight, which I find to be far better paced, written, and drawn for that matter. It's far more personal, the storytelling is tighter, and what's most relieving about this story is its crispness. There's no bullshit in it, no waxing poetic or strangely erotic musings about the city as Frank is one to do. Much like The Hard Goodbye, Frank doesn't waste any time with the story of Year One, and with that crispness, he makes the dramatic moments of Year One stand out much more.
Another core strength of this book is Frank's characterization, with one of his gifts being that he can flesh out a character without getting bogged down in exposition. It's also inspired in how it's not just a story of Batman starting out as a vigilante, but also a story of Jim Gordon making his first rounds as a police officer and his attempts to clean out the corruption in the police force. One of my favorite aspects of this comic is Gordon's personal journey and the cat and mouse chase turned budding respect and friendship that he has with Batman. Miller effortlessly makes Gordon likable, while also making him flawed, conflicted, and all too human. Just as brilliant is his characterization of Batman, making him a young, still learning vigilante who hasn't quite found his footing yet. But Miller doesn't shirk Batman as a symbol, as his presence is still felt in the story, even when he's not in it.
Another thing that distinguishes Year One is David Mazzucchelli's superb art work, which once again I find to be superior over Miller's ugly, blocky art work from The Dark Knight Returns. Mazzucchelli's style is lush and gorgeous, drawn with a classic cartoon style while also being dynamic in terms of action sequences and gothic chiaroscuro, and one that he would also bring to their other collaboration Daredevil: Born Again. The way that Mazzucchelli's artwork brings out a sense of mood and atmosphere once again shows him as one of the best comics artists of his age.
I've gotten flak for saying that I find Year One to be superior to Born Again (which I also recommend). While Born Again shares the gritty noir of Year One, what makes Year One superior is its more intimate characterization and storytelling. Year One's climactic chase with Viti, Batman, and Gordon is much more thrilling and engaging than the more overblown climax of Born Again because of how grounded it feels. Miller and Mazzucchelli make the stakes of this book more muted, yet more gripping.
What makes Year One as excellent is that it's as perfect of a redefinition of Batman's origin that you could get. It's one of the stories that made Batman cool again. Miller and Mazzucchelli understand keenly that Batman isn't some corny Saturday morning cartoon character. He's a symbol. A dark avenger that makes criminals break in cold sweats when they go about their business at night. He's a folk tale that parents tell their children at night in order to make sure that they remain good. But they also show Batman as a man still figuring it all out and getting all of the kinks to become a costumed vigilante and to be honest, it's never been done quite as brilliantly as it was here.
I tend to be hard on Frank, but here he is at the height of his creative powers and he never again rendered the Dark Knight with the brilliance that he did with Batman: Year One.