Frank Miller: Ranking His Comics From Worst To Best

3. Year One (1987)

Hot off a massively successful Daredevil run in the mid-'80s, Miller turned his talents to original material for a while before returning to superhero comics. When he did return, he still focused on Daredevil - but by then his success at Marvel had caught the attention of DC Comics, and Miller was asked to contribute to the monthly Batman title. There have been countless origin stories for Batman, but Year One is the best of them. Focusing as much on James Gordon as Bruce Wayne, Year One explores how both men manage to extract some kind of justice from the sea of corruption known as Gotham - their methods differ as Gordon is tied to a corrupt system while Bruce struggles to give his crimefighting alter-ego the authority it needs. The juxtaposition of these two heroes is the backbone of Year One. David Mazzuchelli's art is beautiful, perfectly capturing backwoods roads and dirty Gotham alleys with equal care, and the Miller-Mazzuchelli team may be the most fitting pairing of the era. The influence of Year One is evident in everything from Batman Begins to the New 52 comics reboot, and it's showing no signs of slowing. Year One is not only the greatest Batman origin story - it's possibly the best-told superhero origin tale in comics history.