Batman Black and White, Vol. 1

Oh man. What a retelling of the dark knight's beginning's, definitely the definitive Batman origin story for his time as a young man returning to Gotham. What was really cool for me was seeing how moments from the Batman Begins and The Dark Knight movies were directly inspired by this key entry in the mythos. Some scenes felt a bit cut-up or cut short, but overall the graphic novel gives a great story with some very cool moments.
What surprised me was the dual-perspective of Lieutenant Gordon and Bruce Wayne, which meant less time with Batman but more time with the inhabitants and city of Gotham itself. It is presented as a dark, gritty and very adult world but the dialogue and brilliant art draw the reader in. And the theme of luck concludes in the beginning of a long-term friendship that adds realism to the tale by considering what is and isn't plausible in the Batman world.