Batman: Year One
Cover ofBatman #404, the first part of theBatman: Year One storyline. Art byDavid Mazzucchelli
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
Publication date	February – May 1987
Main characters	Batman Jim Gordon
Creative team
Written by	Frank Miller
Artist	David Mazzucchelli
Letterer	Todd Klein
Colorist	Richmond Lewis
Editor	Dennis O'Neil
Collected editions
Trade Paperback	ISBN 0930289331
Hardcover	ISBN 0930289323
Trade Paperback (Warner Books)	ISBN 0446389234
Trade Paperback (Titan Books)	ISBN 1852860774
2005 Deluxe Edition (Hardcover)	ISBN 1401206905
2005 Deluxe Edition (Trade Paperback)	ISBN 1401207529
2012 Deluxe Edition	ISBN 1401233422
Book with Blu-ray & DVD set	ISBN 1401260047
Absolute Edition	ISBN 1401243797
2017 Deluxe Edition	ISBN 1401272940
Artist's Edition	ISBN 9798887240039

Batman: Year One is anAmerican comic bookstory arc written byFrank Miller and illustrated byDavid Mazzucchelli.Year One was originally published byDC Comics inBatman #404-407 monthly issues format in 1987. The story recountsBatman's first year as a crime-fighter as well as exploring the life of recently transferred Gotham police detectiveJim Gordon, building towards their first encounter and their eventual alliance against Gotham's criminal underworld.

In an effort to resolve continuity errors in theDC Universe,Marv Wolfman andGeorge Pérez produced the 12-issuelimited seriesCrisis on Infinite Earths.^[1] Wolfman's plans for the DC Universe afterCrisis on Infinite Earths included relaunching every DC comic with a new first issue.^[2]

During the production ofCrisis on Infinite Earths,Frank Miller was the writer ofMarvel Comics'Daredevil where he finished his long run with the character in issue #191. He went on to work for DC and produced the influential four-issue limited seriesBatman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986).Dennis O'Neil who was the editor for Miller's run onDaredevil took over the duty as the regular writer withDavid Mazzucchelli as the artist. In 1985, Miller briefly returned to Marvel as the writer ofDaredevil only for issue #219 while also fully committed himself into developingDark Knight Returns. By the time theDaredevil series reached to issue #226 in 1986, Miller and Mazzucchelli collaborated for the first time due to O'Neil left Marvel to work for DC again. They collaborated again on the critically acclaimed seven issues #227-233 which eventually titled asDaredevil: Born Again in the collected edition. Mazzucchelli also departed from Marvel to pursue personal creative endeavour.

The contract Miller signed to produceDark Knight Returns also required him to write a revamped Batmanorigin story.Year One was originally conceived as agraphic novel. O'Neil, who had been asked to edit several issues ofBatman, was friends with Miller and was able to learn of the story. Reflecting on poor sales ofBatman, O'Neil caught Miller one day while on a walk inLos Angeles and convinced him and Mazzucchelli to serialize the story in theongoing series.^[3] Miller was initially reluctant; he felt this would be hard because he had to ensure the story stayed canonical to the DC Universe, something he did not have to worry about when writingBatman: The Dark Knight Returns. In addition, Miller's pacing would have to be altered because of ongoing series' relatively small page counts. O'Neil reasoned thatCrisis on Infinite Earths had completely remade the DC Universe, so Miller would be able to have the same creative freedom thatDark Knight Returns provided.^[4] He also reassured Miller that he and Mazzucchelli "weren't going to lose anything" by serializing it.^[3]

Miller has said he keptBob Kane andBill Finger's basic story for Year One but expanded it.^[5] In writing the story, Miller looked for parts of Batman's origin that were never explored. He left the core elements, such as the murder of Bruce's parents, intact, but reduced them to briefflashbacks. Bruce's globe-trotting adventures were removed, as Miller found them uninteresting. Rather than portraying Batman as a larger-than-life icon as he had inThe Dark Knight Returns, Miller chose to characterize Batman inYear One as an average, inexperienced man trying to make a change in society because Miller believed a superhero is least interesting when most effective. Examples of this include Batman underestimating his opponents, getting shot by police, and his costume being too big. The story's violence was kept street-level and gritty, emphasizingnoir and realism.^[4]

Miller's past projects forDaredevil overwhelmed him since he had to handle both writing and illustration duties simultaneously. ForYear One, he once again relied on a comic book artist for illustrations while he simply wrote the story and the script. Mazzucchelli signed on to illustrate the artwork after accepting Miller's offering to do Batman. The team also consisted of Mazzucchelli's wifeRichmond Lewis who was in charge of coloring,Todd Klein as the story'sletterer, and O'Neil editing the overall story.

In illustrating, Mazzucchelli sought to makeYear One look grimy, dark, and muted. His interpretation ofGotham City was designed to symbolize corruption, featuring muddy colors that gave the impression of the city being dirty and needing a hero, so Mazzucchelli took onYear One with a more grounded and darker approach.^[6] Newsprint used in mostBatman titles served as the printing paper forYear One during its monthly issues run. In 1988,Year One was published in the collected edition format with Mazzucchelli specifically opted to change the printing paper from newsprint into theprocess color paper that was used in Miller'sDark Knight Returns. He felt this paper material is designed to print lots of colors, more than what newsprint was capable of. With many sets of color available from thecolor hue, Lewis recolored the entire story in order to match the visuals printed on the paper.

Mazzucchelli: There's a big difference coloring for full process instead of newsprint. Although you have a wide range of colors available in regular comics, the paper can only take so many different colors before they start to look the same. The colors have to be pretty bold for the reader to differentiate between characters and objects.
Lewis: I think newsprint has a lot of possibilites that haven't been explored yet, but of course withprocess color you have a lot more to work with. The trick is in trying to control it, to keep to the simplicity of newsprint color while using the fuller range available in process ... but only where it's needed.

In accordance with Wolfman's plans,^[2] O'Neil initially saw "Year One" as the start of the second volume ofBatman and expected the first part to be its first issue. However, Miller rejected this idea. He explained: "I don't need to slash through continuity with a sharp blade as I thought. DoingThe Dark Knight Returns has shown me there's been enough good material... I didn't feel that fleshing out an unknown part of Batman's history justified wiping out 50 years of [adventures]."^[6] Thus, the four "Year One" issues bear no continuity to past issues ofBatman.^[6]

Following the completion of the 404–407 monthly issues run, Year One received several reprints over the years: collected edition inhardcover andtrade paperbacks, several deluxe editions in hardcover and paperback format, anAbsolute Edition, and anArtist's Edition published byIDW Publishing.

In 1988, Year One was published as collected edition inhardcover (ISBN 0930289323) andtrade paperback (ISBN 0930289331). BothWarner Books (ISBN 0446389234) andTitan Books (ISBN 1852860774) also published trade paperbacks in 1988.

In 1989, Longmeadow Press publishedThe Complete Frank Miller Batman (ISBN 068140969X), collectingYear One,Wanted: Santa Claus - Dead or Alive!, andThe Dark Knight Returns.

In April 2005, DC released the "Deluxe Edition" ofYear One in hardcover (ISBN 1401206905) to coincide with the release ofBatman Begins. This edition reuses the printing paper from the 1988 collected edition with Mazzucchelli supplying the promotional and unseen Batman art, Lewis' color samples, some of the original penciled artwork, and some pages of the original script as bonus materials. The cover was designed by Mazzucchelli and graphic designerChip Kidd. The trade paperback (ISBN 1401207529) was later published in Feb 2007.

The hardcover deluxe edition (ISBN 1401233422) was re-released in March 2012. Mazzucchelli clarified that DC never contacted him to design this edition. Having been sent a copy of the book by DC, Mazzucchelli was unhappy with the quality and opined that "Anybody who's already paid for [the book] should send it back to DC and demand a refund.".

DC just sent me this book last week, and I really hope people don't buy it. I didn't even know they were making it, and I don't understand why they thought it was necessary — several years ago, DC asked me if I'd help put together a deluxe edition of Batman: Year One, and Dale Crain and I worked for months to try to make a definitive version. Now whoever's in charge has thrown all that work in the garbage. First, they redesigned the cover, and recolored my artwork — probably to look more like their little DVD that came out last year; second, they printed the book on shiny paper, which was never a part of the original design, all the way back to the first hardcover in 1988; third — and worst — they printed the color from corrupted, out-of-focus digital files, completely obscuring all of Richmond's hand-painted work. Anybody who's already paid for this should send it back to DC and demand a refund.

In November 2014, to celebrate Batman's 75th anniversary, DC released a sample of Year One as a part of itsDC Comics Essentials line of promotional comics.^[7]

In 2015, DC released a hardcover (ISBN 1401260047) of Year One which included its2011 animated film adaptation on both DVD and Blu-ray.

In November 2016, DC released a 288-pageAbsolute Edition of Year One (ISBN 1401243797). This edition comes in a slipcase with two hardcover books. Book One features a whole new scanning from the original artworks by Mazzucchelli and remastered coloring by Lewis, while Book Two features scanning pages directly from the physical copies of the 404-407 monthly issues. Over 60 pages of bonus materials are also included, including Miller's complete scripts in Book Two.^[8]

In September 2017, the hardcover deluxe edition (ISBN 1401272940) was re-released again, this time with the same printing paper and coloring as Book One of the 2016 Absolute Edition.

In March 2022, to coincide with the release ofThe Batman, DC releasedThe Batman Box Set (ISBN 1779514298), collecting trade paperbacks ofYear One,The Long Halloween, andEgo and Other Tails in a slipcase with art byJim Lee. DirectorMatt Reeves cited the three graphic novels as the major influences for the film.

In August 2024,IDW Publishing published theArtist's Edition (ISBN 9798887240039) of Year One in a 144-page hardcover. Mazzucchelli personally supplied the artworks for scanning withChip Kidd serving as the designer of the book.[3] The 250 copies limited edition (ISBN 9798887241975)[4] was exclusively available only for pre-ordering on the IDW's official website; this version includes a slipcase, a variant design of the front cover, and Mazzucchelli's personal signature printed in an interior page.

BillionaireBruce Wayne returns home toGotham City after twelve years abroad, training for his eventual one-man war against crime.James "Jim" Gordon moves to Gotham with his wife, Barbara, after a transfer fromChicago. Both are swiftly acquainted with the corrupt and violent atmosphere of the city. Gordon tries to focus on purging corruption from theGotham City Police Department after witnessing his partner,Arnold Flass, abuse his power as a cop. Unfortunately, several officers led by Flass beat him on orders from his superior,Commissioner Gillian Loeb. In revenge, Gordon tracks Flass down, beats him, and leaves him naked and handcuffed in the snow.

Bruce believes he is still unprepared to fight against crime despite having the skills he learned abroad. He goes in disguise on a surveillance mission in Gotham'sred-light district but is reluctantly drawn into a brawl with several prostitutes, includingHolly Robinson andSelina Kyle. Two crooked police officers shoot Bruce on sight and take him away in their patrol car. Bruce breaks free, subdues the cops, flees from the scene, and returns toWayne Manor barely alive. He sits beforehis father's bust, requesting guidance in his war against crime. A bat suddenly crashes through a window and settles on the bust, inspiring Bruce to save Gotham as Batman.

With Bruce striking as Batman for weeks, street crime significantly declines. Even Flass is attacked while in the middle of accepting a bribe from Jefferson Skeevers, a drug dealer ofCarmine Falcone. Sometime later, Bruce infiltrates the mansion of Gotham's mayor as Batman where he threatens all the dinner party guests, including Loeb and Falcone. Loeb immediately orders Gordon and GCPDSergeant Sarah Essen to arrest Batman. The two cops and Batman eventually cross paths as they separately prevent an incident of an old lady getting hit by a runaway truck from happening. Soon after, Batman is forced to flee into an abandoned building where Loeb orders a bomb dropped on. ASWAT team led by a trigger-happy commander, Branden, is sent in to kill any survivors left in the building. Batman uses a signal device to attract a swarm of bats from theBatcave as his only route to escape.

Gordon and Essen have a brief affair and they date for two months. Essen, however, chooses to end the relationship upon learning Gordon is going to be the father of Barbara's child. Gordon eventually confesses his affair with Essen to Barbara when they're leaving Wayne Manor after the failed attempt in investigating Bruce's connection to Batman since Bruce uses his playboy charms to divert suspicion. War against corruption within GCPD continues with Flass and Skeevers under interrogations. Skeevers gets bailed with the help of a hired lawyer but is attacked by Batman shortly after, who convinces him to testify against Flass. In retaliation for everything, Loeb uses proof of Gordon's affair with Essen as his own leverage to blackmail Gordon. Skeevers is drugged withrat poison as an attempt of assassination so that he remains silent about the ties between Loeb and the mafia, although Skeevers ultimately survives.

Bruce sneaks into Falcone's manor as Batman and overhears the private conversation between Falcone and his nephew,Johnny Viti. He surmises their intent to target Gordon's family, so he disguises himself as a motorcyclist to help Gordon. Gordon leaves home on Loeb's orders but becomes suspicious and turns back, only to discover Viti and his men already holding his family hostage. Viti flees the scene with Gordon's infant son. Gordon chases after him on Bruce's motorcycle. The two men end up fighting on a bridge until the baby falls. Bruce catches up in time and leaps over the bridge's railing to save the baby. Gordon thanks Bruce for saving his infant son's life and lets him go. Flass supplies AssistantDistrict AttorneyHarvey Dent with the evidence and testimony needed to implicate Loeb, who resigns in disgrace. Gordon is promoted to captain and prepares to meet with Batman to investigate a potential plot orchestrated by a criminal calling himself theJoker.

DC's post-Crisis on Infinite Earths revamp was a major success, raising sales 22% in the first year, and DC beat Marvel indirect market sales for the first time in August and September 1987.^[9] The four "Year One" issues were no exception to this. Two years before the relaunch,Batman had all-time low sales of 75,000 copies per month; "Year One" sold an average of 193,000 copies an issue, numbers not seen since the early 1970s. Despite this, it did not outsell other books likeUncanny X-Men, and the collected edition sold well but never matched the sales ofThe Dark Knight Returns.^[4] The story, with the noir-inspired narrative and ultra-violent tone, quickly caught the attention of readers.^[10] TheLos Angeles Times wrote that "Year One" offered an interesting and entertaining update to the origin of Batman.^[11]

Year One's characterization of Batman and Gordon has been praised. Hilary Goldstein (IGN) compared their journey to friendship to the plot of the filmSerpico; they found that the two characters' respective story arcs—with Gordon's "illustrat[ing] the corruption in Gotham" and Batman's detailing "the transformation from man to myth"—offered an exploration of Batman's world like no other.^[12] Glenn Matchett (ComicsVerse) wrote that, unlikeThe Dark Knight Returns, Batman in Year One is more vulnerable and inexperienced, which made the story more memorable.^[10] Nick Roberts (Geek Syndicate) thought the characters seemed believable,^[13] and comics historian Matthew K. Manning called the characterization realistic and grounded.^[6]

The story's depiction of Gotham and darker, realistic, mature and grittier tone and direction, compared to other contemporary Batman comics at the time, has also been acclaimed. Journalist James Lovegrove described "Year One" as a "noir-inflected pulp tale of vigilantism and integrity, focused on a good man doing the right thing in a dirty world" and noted the brutality of the fight sequences.^[14] Jason Serafino (Complex) wrote that by ignoring many of Batman's trademark gadgets and villains and focusing in the core essentials of the titular character, Miller managed to present Batman in a relatable and thrilling way, which felt both fresh, unique and reinvigorating, while still being faithful to the spirit of the character.^[15] Goldstein found every moment memorable, writing "Miller does not waste a single panel" in presenting a gritty and dark story.^[12] Matchett agreed; he offered particular praise for the scenes depicting Batman clashing with the police, calling them the moment Batman began to become a legend.^[10]

Mazzucchelli's art was noted as a standout by many, praising the minimalistic, noir-influenced and realistic art-work.^[12][10]

BeforeThe New 52 continuity reboot in 2011,Batman: Year One existed in the mainstream DC continuity, and in the same continuity as the other storylines in Miller's "Dark Knight Universe", consisting ofThe Dark Knight Returns, its sequelsThe Dark Knight Strikes Again,The Dark Knight III: The Master Race,The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade,Spawn/Batman, andAll Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder.^[16] Following The New 52 reboot,Batman: Zero Year replacedYear One as the official origin for Batman andYear One was relegated to the continuity of the other Miller storylines.^[17] However, following theDC Rebirth initiative, elements of "Year One" were gradually returned to the mainstream DC continuity.

AfterCrisis on Infinite Earths, DCrebooted many of its titles.Year One was followed byBatman: Year Two, but the 1994Zero Hour: Crisis in Time crossover erasedYear Two from continuity. In another continuity re-arrangement,Catwoman: Year One (Catwoman Annual #2, 1995) posited that Selina Kyle had not actually been a prostitute, but, rather, a thief posing as one to commit crimes.

Launched in 1989, following the success of the filmBatman, the titleBatman: Legends of the Dark Knight examines crime-fighting exploits primarily, not exclusively, from the first four to five years of Batman's career. This title rotated in creative teams and time placement, but several stories directly relate to the events ofYear One, especially the first arc "Batman: Shaman". In 1996 and 1999,Jeph Loeb andTim Sale createdBatman: The Long Halloween andBatman: Dark Victory, two 13-issue maxiseries that recount Batman's early years as a crime-fighter following the events of Miller's original story and retold the origins ofTwo-Face andDick Grayson. TheYear One story was continued in the 2005 graphic novelBatman: The Man Who Laughs, following up on Gordon informing Batman about the Joker, and thus recounting their first official encounter. Two other stories,Batman and the Monster Men andBatman and the Mad Monk tie into the same time period of Batman's career, filling in the gap between Year One and the Man Who Laughs. The comicsRobin: Year One andBatgirl: Year One describe his sidekicks' origin stories.

Two sequels, titledBatman: Year Two andBatman: Year Three, were released in 1987 and 1989.

Joel Schumacher'sBatman Forever, although set during another timespan, adopts some elements directly from the graphic novel. Schumacher claims he originally had in mind an adaptation of Miller'sBatman: Year One. The studio rejected the idea as they wanted a sequel, not a prequel, though Schumacher was able to include brief events in Batman's past.^[18][19]

TheDC Animated Universe filmBatman: Mask of the Phantasm adopted elements of the storyline, depicting flashbacks of how Bruce Wayne became Batman and also combines it with elements ofBatman: Year Two and shows Batman's personal connection with original characterPhantasm inspired by theReaper, another character in the comics with a connection to Batman.

After the critical failure ofBatman & Robin, several attempts were made toreboot theBatman film franchise with an adaptation ofYear One.Joss Whedon andJoel Schumacher both pitched their own takes.^[4] In 2000,Warner Bros. hiredDarren Aronofsky to write and directBatman: Year One. The film was to be written by Miller, who finished an early draft of the script.^[20][21] The script, however, was a loose adaptation, as it kept most of the themes and elements from the graphic novel but shunned other conventions that were otherwise integral to the character.^[22] It was shelved by the studio in 2001,^[23] after an individual who claimed to have read Miller's script published a negative review onAin't It Cool News.^[4] In 2016, Miller explained that the film was canceled because of creative differences between him, Aronofsky, and Warner Bros:^[24]

It was the first time I worked on a Batman project with somebody whose vision of Batman was darker than mine. My Batman was too nice for him. We would argue about it, and I'd say, "Batman wouldn't do that, he wouldn't torture anybody" and so on. We hashed out a screenplay, and we were wonderfully compensated, but then Warner Bros. read it and said, "We don't want to make this movie." The executive wanted to do a Batman he could take his kids to.

In 2005,Christopher Nolan began his series with the reboot filmBatman Begins, which draws inspiration from "Year One" and other stories.^[4]Batman Begins and its sequelThe Dark Knight are set during the same timespan and adopt several elements directly from the graphic novel. Major characters likeGillian B. Loeb,Arnold Flass, andCarmine Falcone are featured prominently inBatman Begins. Film critic Michael Dodd argued that with each major motion picture focused on the Dark Knight's origins, the odes and references to theYear One comic increased. ComparingMask of the Phantasm withBatman Begins he noted that "...Phantasm was a Batman story withYear One elements, whileBatman Begins was aYear One story with added features".^[25] The film's end scene, with Gordon revealing theJoker's arrival in Gotham, mirrors the end ofYear One.

DirectorMatt Reeves citedYear One as one of the inspirations forThe Batman, withRobert Pattinson portraying a younger Bruce Wayne who is in his second year as a crime-fighter.^[26] Similar toYear One, Carmine Falcone is scratched in his right cheek by Catwoman when she assaults his headquarters.

In 2011, ananimated adaptation was released as aDC Universe Animated Original Movie. It was produced byBruce Timm, co-directed byLauren Montgomery andSam Liu.^[27] It features the voices ofBenjamin McKenzie as Bruce Wayne/Batman,Bryan Cranston asJames "Jim" Gordon,Eliza Dushku as Selina Kyle/Catwoman,Katee Sackhoff asSarah Essen,Jon Polito as Commissioner Loeb, andAlex Rocco as Carmine 'The Roman' Falcone.^[28] The movie premiered atComic-Con, with a Catwoman short shown in October.^[29]

The Year One batsuit was available as one of theDLC skins forBatman: Arkham City.

While not a direct adaptation, the video gameBatman: Arkham Origins takes some inspiration fromBatman: Year One and features a younger, less-experienced Batman in his second year of crimefighting.^[30] Set eight years beforeBatman: Arkham Asylum, the prequel follows Batman encountering eight of the world's greatest assassins as they attempt to claimBlack Mask's $50-million bounty on him, all while being hunted by the Gotham City Police Department for his vigilantism.

The second half of thefourth season of the Batman-based television seriesGotham is inspired byBatman: Year One.^[31]

Batman: Year One was adapted as the first four episode ofDC High Volume: Batman, a weekly scripted podcast which adapts seminal Batman comics from across the years. The cast includesJason Spisak as Batman,Jay Paulson as Jim Gordon,Reba Buhr as Selina Kyle, Adam O’Byrne as Harvey Dent,Mike Starr as Carmine Falcone, andSimon Vance as Alfred Pennyworth.^[32]

• Batman: Year One movie official site
• Batman: Year One @ The World's Finest
• Current edition at DC ComicsArchived 2008-07-18 at theWayback MachineISBN 0930289331
• Deluxe Hardcover edition at DC ComicsArchived 2008-07-18 at theWayback MachineISBN 1401206905

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