Ratings31
Average rating3.7
Batman is not a hero. He is just a man. Fallible, vulnerable, and angry. In a Gotham City where friend and foe are indistinguishable, Bruce Wayne's path toward becoming the Dark Knight is riddled with more obstacles than ever before. Focused on punishing his parents’ true killers, and the corrupt police that allowed them to go free, Bruce Wayne's thirst for vengeance fuels his mad crusade and no one, not even Alfred, can stop him. In the tradition of the #1 New York Times bestselling Superman: Earth One, writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank re-imagine a new mythology for the Dark Knight, where the familiar is no longer the expected in this long-awaited original graphic novel from DC Comics.
Series
3 primary books4 released booksBatman: Earth One is a 5-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2012 with contributions by Geoff Johns.
Reviews with the most likes.
Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of Batman or Superman origin stories because their beginnings have been told WAY too many times (reason for reading this novel: book club book of the month). That being said, this origin story wasn't the worst, and it definitely was not the best.
Mediocre. That's how I would describe this entire novel–both art and story. I think Geoff Johns's attempt to stick out of the crowd by changing a few of the characters around (Alfred in particular) was admirable, but it just didn't work for me. There was no mystery to this, which is where I feel Batman stories thrive, and there was no in-depth character growth, which is what I expect from any origin story.
3 out of five stars.
How many time can you write a back to the origins story and still make it interesting. Batman: Earth One answers this question with aplomb. There is no limit to re-writes:-). This novel takes us back to Batman's origins, gives us a new take on Alfred and suddenly pops up the Penguin as the villain. The art is beautiful (especially on a tablet) and the writing delightful. Its Batman as we know it but have never read before. That in itself deserves 5 stars. Awesome!