Batman: Year One
Batman: Year One is a series of comics created in 1987 by regular comics writer Frank Miller. This story was included in issues #404 - #407. It was illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis (recolored in 2005), and lettered by Todd Klein. The comics have two stories that intertwine into one in the end, one about the return of billionaire Bruce Wayne to his home city (Gotham) in which he begins a war on crime in a bat costume. He eventually is given the name Batman by the city. The other plot tells a tale of former Chicago cop, James Gordon, who moves to Gotham with his pregnant to begin a new career as Lieutenant of the Gotham City Police Department. Gordon soon finds out how corrupt the Police Department is, and tries to remain the best cop he can be. Both of these plots connect when Batman sees how out of his league he is, with police and thugs outnumbering him, and reaches out to the one non-corrupt cop in the Department as an ally.
The funny thing about this "Batman comic" is that it's not exactly a Batman story. He shares a ton of the spotlight with Gordon, and that is a really cool aspect of this comic. Frank Miller tells an ingenious origin story with the interconnecting stories, the fact that this story really takes place over a year, and the exciting final climax.
The art by David Mazzucchelli is beautiful, with a real gritty tone to the colors (kudos to Richmond Lewis) and atmosphere of Gotham City. The characters are so well written. No matter how far the Department pushes him to do corrupt deeds, Gordon stays a good cop, no matter how much he risks. Bruce Wayne has an awesome origin story that I believe is the definitive beginning for Batman.
Overall, Batman: Year One is a definite recommend. People praise it as one of the most essential Batman stories, and I an see why.
