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Frank Miller is, to be blunt, a titan. Entering comics in the tail end of the 1970s and moving on to writing in the early ‘80s, few have had career trajectories as storied as Miller’s. The author’s move from Marvel to DC led to some of the most important comics of his era, as well as some that many fans have disregarded entirely, rather reasonably. One of the first comics Miller wrote for DC is undoubtedly his most famous. And while many debate to this day about his other titles—especially his first attempt on the character, the iconic and controversial The Dark Knight Returns—one thing is nearly universally agreed upon: Batman: Year One is one of the greatest comics ever and Miller’s best Batman outing.
The second Batman book by Miller, Year One was a four-issue arc taking over the pages of the main Batman title. Year One was meant to capitalize on the brand-new company-wide DC Comics relaunch, coming out only three issues after the Earth-1 Batman died in Crisis on Infinite Earths, introducing us to the origin of this Batman. Crisis was a way to rectify the countless continuity mishaps and unclear aspects of the DC Universe by streamlining it into a singular, cohesive timeline, and Year One took strong advantage of this initiative. Miller was enthused with the job offer due to the level of creative freedom that editor Dennis O’Neil—who had previously worked with Miller on Daredevil—allowed him, despite his initial reluctance to write the serialized Batman title in fear of disrupting continuity too heavily. Bringing over his Daredevil: Born Again collaborator David Mazzucchelli for pencils and inks and Mazzucchelli’s wife, Richmond Lewis, on colors, the now-iconic trio got to work on their Batman origin in 1986, with issue one releasing in February of the following year.
What Is Year One About?
Batman: Year One is a rather simple story on paper, but it still impressively 365 days into four normal-length issues
The very beginning of Batman: Year One wastes absolutely no time in its efficiency setting up the story. It’s funny looking at, as in hindsight, Miller was concerned about having to tell the story of Year One in four standard-sized issues, not granted the luxury of taking his time in the same way he was able to in The Dark Knight Returns.
It’s honestly a testament to Miller and Mazzucchelli’s skills as creatives that they were able to flawlessly execute a comic as perfectly paced as Year One—the skill it took to tell such a story that spanned 365 days across four issues at twenty-one to twenty-three pages each is nothing short of remarkable, especially as no other comic with Year One branding pulls off anything like it, but they did it anyways.
Year One opens with the firm assessment that this book isn’t just about Batman: it’s also very much about Jim Gordon.
Miller establishes the dual perspectives that drive the book immediately, and funnily enough, Gordon’s holds a bit more weight than Wayne’s. Jim’s station allows the reader to experience the world of Gotham through a newcomer’s eyes. It’s no surprise that he arrives in the city first and on the ground, compared to Bruce, who arrives from the sky, reflecting their different statuses and views of the city. While the latter prepares for his mission, the former acts as a perfect vehicle for worldbuilding.
Year One also plays with external and internal character journeys, Batman and Jim embodying each one, respectively. Bruce is trying to figure himself and his new role as Batman out. He grapples with his identity and responsibilities as he navigates a path that he has laid out for himself, waging war against the city on his own mission. Gordon, meanwhile, is more reactive than proactive. He is doing his best to survive in Gotham, prevent the city from eating itself, and attempts to keep his own soul intact. Their paths cross a few times, but properly converge in the series’ final issue as a proper alliance between the two is properly established.
The Art Of Year One Is A Masterclass
Drawn by David Mazzucchelli and colored by Richmond Lewis, Year One’s art is critical for its identity
Frank Miller is rightly praised for Year One. He’s the book’s writer, why wouldn’t he be? But one of the primary reasons for the book’s success comes down to the artists behind the book, David Mazzucchelli and Richmond Lewis. The two collaborated with Miller to bring the story arc to life and left readers with one of the most beautifully illustrated Batman comics of all time.
In the book’s first issue, Mazzucchelli and Lewis take great pains to illustrate the differences between Jim and Bruce’s arrivals. The former’s perspective is cramped and grungy. The scenes he occupies are colored in tones that are darker, more unsightly, yet strangely vibrant. Despite how disgusting Gotham is, the underbelly of the city is clearly alive in a way that many of Bruce’s scenes aren’t—they’re deliberately very sterile, with white negative space often used to communicate the cold, distant state he’s in.
When Batman actually debuts within the pages of Year One, the duo takes great care in how they illustrate the Caped Crusader.
In some scenes, he’s an inky stain terrorizing criminals, an ominous spectre of vengeance, but in others, despite the cape and cowl he is visibly vulnerable and human. They walk a fine line, depicting the hero, endearing him to the reader as a nuanced figure through visuals alone.
A subtle thing the art of Year One excels in at times is how some panels are full of clever bait and switches or double-meanings. One example of this is the scene where Gordon goes to a shooting range. This page is one of the comic’s most memorable, as Gordon clearly holds disdain for the violence a firearm is capable of, the “kicks” of the gun’s recoil are interspersed with Gordon talking about the kicks of his unborn son in the womb.
Another is the conclusion of issue #3, the final page featuring Jim sitting on the edge of his bed, his pregnant wife lying asleep next to him, as he holds his police-issued gun in a moment that reads as him deciding to go after Batman, or a beat of suicidal ideation. These scenes stick in the mind of anyone who reads them, a beautiful blend between Mazzucchelli and Lewis’ unparalleled artistic framing, and Miller’s ability to write drama.
The third issue in particular illustrates David Mazzucchelli’s ability as an inker and Richmond Lewis’ atmospheric colors, especially in the recolors, which apply a grimy, decrepit, and dark palette as opposed to the original’s more vibrant take. In general, Batman: Year One makes quite a case for the recoloring of older comics. In 1988, Richmond Lewis returned for the first trade collection of the story, redoing her own colors by hand-painting them.
Her new attempt, later refined by a 2005 remaster that desaturated what needed it and kept the vibrance of other scenes, creates a deeper and richer atmosphere, allowing for darkness to be dark and neon to really glow. Not all recolors are as successful as the 2005 version, as the 2015 recolors were lambasted by Mazzucchelli himself for ruining Lewis’ work without either of them being consulted. DC has since gone back to the ‘05 palettes.
Miller Redefined Batman And His World Forever
Four short issues were enough to change Batman and his basic supporting cast for years to come
Batman: Year One was not just any old good comic. It took what already existed in the character’s mythos and streamlined it through the lens of a mature crime noir story. It was also a comic that was unique in how it emphasized human connection as a key aspect of the Batman mythos. In the iconic scene where Bruce declares “I shall become a bat,” he subconsciously realizes that becoming Batman is not a solo endeavor, as he rings the bell for Alfred to help him. The butler’s presence is as instrumental to the origin of Batman as the death of the Waynes or the bat flying through a window, and Batman’s reliance on others foreshadows the eventual alliance he’ll have to form with Gordon.
Miller also taps into more elemental aspects of the character, both his wit as a master tactician and Batman being a powerful force of nature. Regarding the former, Batman as a battle-ready tactician has since become the default for the character, largely inspired by the magnificent showing he puts on as he evades police storming an abandoned building for him in issue #3. He’s always had gadgets and brains, but Miller puts the Caped Crusader to the test by throwing out his utility belt halfway through the issue—which does little, as much of Batman’s strategy involves his surroundings and using the shadows as a weapon.
This is where Miller truly establishes Batman as a pure force of nature.
In this moment, his strength as an overwhelming beast is truly remarkable, captured in his inability to slow down or stop to consider the countless injuries he’s sustained—even taking a beat to throw a Siamese cat out of a window to safety from the gunfire— as he eventually summons a literal swarm of bats to disguise his tracks and flee. Yet Miller never neglects Batman’s humanity, having the hero pay for a suit he “borrowed” from a shop as a disguise.
Speaking of, as mentioned earlier, a crucial part of what makes Year One so special is the dynamic between its dual protagonists and how Batman impacts all of Gotham. A critical example of the latter point is this book’s take on Catwoman. Selina Kyle is a prostitute who dons the Catwoman costume after being inspired by the Dark Knight. Her rebirth as a superhero reflects very positively on Batman, showing his influence touching everyone in Gotham.
The idea of dual protagonists is something Miller toys with quite a bit later in his career in books such as Daredevil: Born Again, where Karen and Matt’s stories feel so separate, until they suddenly conjoin. Despite the name being Batman: Year One, it really is a “Jim Gordon: Year One” just as much, with the police officer receiving nearly as much page-time as the Dark Knight. The emphasis on Gordon makes him a cynical, broken, and beaten-down man losing his faith in the world, only to, ironically, be saved by the presence of Batman. This is a recurring motif in the story, from the vigilante saving a woman from being run over by a truck to him saving Gordon’s son in the final issue.
The latter is a thrilling action sequence that brings Year One’s two stories together. As Bruce comes to the rescue of Jim’s son James Gordon Jr, it’s worth noting that he is not wearing the Batman uniform, implying that once he steps out of just inspiring fear and brutalizing criminals, he begins to make a more human connection when Gordon ultimately decides to ignore the reveal of Batman’s identity by stating “can’t see without his glasses.” Much has been said about the climax of this book, but what really stands out to most is the two plot lines effortlessly folding together. Jim and Bruce have crossed paths the whole book, but scarcely ever interacted directly, and once they do? Jim begins to trust that Batman is actually who he says he is: someone saving Gotham.
Frank Miller has stated that he believes Batman is a “hero who wishes he didn’t have to exist.” He set out to prevent another child from being hurt in the way he once was, to clean up Gotham and “make the world make sense” for once, after decades of watching his community suffer. As Year One concludes, when Bruce catches James Jr. and returns him to his father happily, he knows there is one less child out there harmed by this city, one more family held together, and it’s a perfect, satisfying conclusion for the comic. It allows the reader to welcome Bruce into becoming the superhero we know him to be for a new age, with the cherished ally by his side.
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