Batman Black and White, Vol. 1

My reading into the evolution of the Batman character continues...

...Next up, Frank Miller's Batman: Year One, noted by many as one of the top three Batman stories ever told. Batman: Year One tells the story of how Bruce Wayne becomes Batman and how his and Gordon's relationship begins. The novel is structured chronologically, at times going day-by-day and at others skipping several months in a single panel. Typically, in Batman comics, the Bruce/Batman character is the conflicted one; however, in this novel, Gordon bore the conflicted burden, having much difficulty in transitioning into his role as a lieutenant with the Gotham PD. Gordon was insecure as well as arrogant. Forward as well as guilt-ridden. His status as “hero cop” proved to be a grind that he ultimately knew he could not sustain - enter Batman. Such character development was a real high-point in this novel.

Bruce/Batman were nearly secondary characters to this story. While there was some commentary in first person from them, their characters were almost wholly developed through the eyes of others. The break from Batman as the brooding, introverted super hero was another high-point in the novel.

Since this novel gives us insight as to the early days of Batman, it shows us the Batman finding his way in Gotham: how he came to the decision to use a bat disguise, his training, his early attempts at crime fighting. This Batman was careful. He was insecure. His decision-making was dull. He showed weakness, which made him more human than ever.

Mazzucchelli's art, in my opinion, was perfect for this particular Batman novel. The panels read very “noir-ish” and the art captured that. The Batman character was revealed in shades, from afar, and the art supported that. Richmond Lewis' colors were subtle, understated, and beautifully dreary. In a world that was populated by characters with deep insecurities and never-ending personal conflicts, bright and contrasting colors would have been out of place.

In truth, the story, art, themes, and general idea of this novel were all excellent; the weakness for this reader proved to be the actual narrative. As someone still new to the genre, I had been familiar with the Frank Miller name and was looking forward to reading his work. I mean no disrespect with this review nor to say that the writing was bad or sub-par; the writing was simply not the strongest element of the novel.

This edition of the graphic novel contained notes on and images depicting Mazzucchelli's original inks for many of the panels. Cool stuff. There is even one section in which the process of Lewis' coloring is described. Lewis actually colored many of the panels without the inks. Awesome. The ways in which the inks and colors intertwined to create soft edges, blurred lines in places - perfect for a novel explaining how the Batman came into focus. Also, for a self-proclaimed comic/graphic novel novice, these “development of” pages were quite enjoyable!

Batman: Year One is an excellent read for the budding Batman aficionado.