The Daily Planet Review Section

BATMAN: YEAR ONE

Credits: Frank Miller (w); David Mazzuchelli (a)

Collects Batman Vol. 1 #404 to #407

Batman: Year One tells the parallel tale of the beginning of Bruce Wayne's career as Batman and James Gordon's career with Gotham PD. Over the course of the story, Gordon and Batman's individual paths begin to intertwine to become a partnership between two men looking to do some good in one of the most corrupt, crime ridden city's in the USA.

This story shows Bruce Wayne's journey from a man motivated by anger to become a mythic guardian of the city. But the interesting part of Batman: Year One is that this is not a book about Batman, being more of a supporting player, but this is the story of Jim Gordon.

Through Gordon we are introduced to Gotham City. Gotham is owned by the mob. The police are corrupt and above the law they try to uphold. There are very few good, honest cops in the city and Gordon is one of them.

Gordon, in many Batman stories, has felt like a cipher. There to set up the crime and the criminal for Batman to deal with, or act as an expositional sounding board. The James Gordon showcased in Batman: Year One, however, has never felt more human. He is a flawed man who believes in doing what is right to "protect and serve" the people of Gotham, even if that includes becoming an ally of a vigilante in a bat suit.

As the book progresses we are also introduced to Selina Kyle. Over the course of the year Selina goes from being a whore to a cat burglar. This is an interesting departure from the original origin of the character, but fitting in the overall narrative on display, and one that does not seem to have a place in continuity any longer. Selina's reformation from prostitute to costumed thief acts not only as a mirror to Bruce's journey, but also provides us with evidence of the effect the Batman is starting to have on the people of Gotham.

The script by Frank Miller channels 1970's noir movies like Taxi Driver, Serpico and The French Connection and mixes them with a hard boiled dash of Raymond Chandler. Miller offers us a gritty, realistic Gotham whose bleakness can force a man to dress as a giant bat to battle the criminal element that controls every level of the city's infrastructure.

David Mazzuchelli's art is simply stunning. His figures are clean and dynamic. Gotham City itself feels like it is torn from pictures in the newspaper, an ugly city covered in grime and shadows.

Batman: Year One is grim and uncompromising but full of humanity and hope. The strength of the story comes from the fact that Batman: Year One has no big name villains or grand schemes for the destruction of Gotham. This is the story of two men, the friendship they forge and the mistakes they make as they set out, on a what is a losing battle, to tackle street crime and corruption.