Written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzuchelli. I refuse to subscribe to the specious notion that everything there is to say about a book like "Year One" has already been said. If anything, "Year One" has endured as one of the greatest Batman stories ever told precisely because of its ability to stand up to repeated readings and deeper analysis. The revamped origin story has topped many a Best of Bats list since publication in 1987, and rightfully so. I daresay any of the Top 3 on this list could have easily garnered the coveted #1 placement. Aside from featuring a grand total of zero villains from Batman's rogues gallery (besides a young Selina Kyle, if you count that), "Year One" is also unique in that it focuses as much on James Gordon as it does on Bruce Wayne. Both men arrive in Gotham around the same time and find the city to be a wasteland of corruption and vice. Bruce expects this, of course - it's what he's been training for. And with that training he should feel ready to begin his war on crime, and yet something is missing. The "Batman as a symbol" motif that was popularized by Nolan's Batman Begins was used to greatest effect in this comic. Gordon, on the other hand, finds out the hard way that Gotham City can be Hell on Earth. He is just as determined as Bruce to fight back, but is forced to do so through different channels. One of the best moments, though, comes when Gordon stands up to a corrupt former-Green Beret cop twice his size and effectively beats the hell out of him. Not only has Gordon never been as much of a badass, but Frank Miller uses the scene to compare and contrast the lengths to which Bruce and Gordon - and any man in such a city - must go to for any kind of justice. "Year One" was adapted into an animated feature that's pretty faithful to the original book, featuring Bryan Cranston as the voice of Gordon. But Miller doesn't waste a single word throughout the book, and anything that was trimmed off for the movie is noticeably missing once you've read the comic. As far as origin stories go, Batman has the best tale out of any hero in the comic book medium thanks to "Year One".
