Le aaa ae Vea ala WITH RICHMOND LEWISBATMAN: YEAR ONE aa Dio -Exentve Editor Published by DC Comics. Cover, introductions end compilation copyright © 2005 DC Comics. All Fights Reserved Originally published i single magozine frm os BATMAN 404407. Copyright © 1986, 1987 DC Comics, Al RightsReserved Dennis ei AM characters tei distinctive likenesses end elated elements feotured in his pablction are tademerks of DC Comics The stories, niin Series characters and incidents feetured inthis publication ae entirely fictional. DC Comics does nt read or acept unsolicited submissions of ides, stories or etwork. DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New Yerk, NY 10019 » A Worner Bes. Enterteinment Company Dale Cin Seo torClleded Edin Cover art by David Mazzucchelli Cover and publication design by Chip Kidd. tebbis Knsternan Senior Art Dien PeulLevite President & Publisher Palen Design & Rta Product Development Fier Braning Sesion VP-Creative Director Pate Caldon SeiorV-Finance& Operations ris Caroma inane Tet Cnnigham VPManaging Er Stephanie Femen Senior VP Salas &Markatig Alsen Gil VeMonutacuing Rich Jobson Book Tad Sales Honk None Genel Manager ldo Lilian Loserson Secir VP & General Coons! Jin oe Editor Diet ildtoo PeulaLovit SeiorV-Business & Legal fais David Melis Advertsing & Costom Pblishig John Wee V?-Besness Development Gregory Noveck Senior VP Creativ Ais (her abn Savior VP-Srand Management Bob Woyne WeSalesby Slam Bradley QOPS! SHE DID IT AGAIN! _ MGossip diva Vicki Vale got her leg- endary, notoriously firm, shapely fanny tossed into the hoosegow yet again after trying to lift an estimated $11,320.00 worth of merchandise from the Sprang. The cutie klepto pled guilty. After paying for the loot and promising on a whole big heap of bibles to seek counseling, she got off with a wink and nod to the judge. Leave us say the dame knows how to wink. One juror says she even blew a kiss to the horny old fart. You can't make this crap up! THE PERP LIKED PISTACHIO. MiHow that little snot pulled off this heist is anybody's guess. I know what my own guess is, but you can figure that out for yourself. I just report this stuff Tt.was like somebody's bad idea for a joke. Like some dumbass screenwriter's idea for a crowd-pleasing gag that every last dim- wit on the planet would laugh at. But only the dimwits. For Christ sake, it was a god- dam doughnut shop. In the middle of the night. And yeah, of course the joint was full of Gotham City cops, more even than you'll find in most saloons. So in waltzes this punk —he is, as of this writing, still unidentified, but I'll get to that in a minute —and this punk, he bellies up to the counter, orders himself a pistachio puff and a cup of joe. Then instead of paying a two-buck bill for the chow, the punk tells the poor sap working the register that he's packing heat. "You know the drill," he says, right in front of a baker's dozen of Gotham’'s Finest. The cops don't need you, and man, they expect the same. So the poor sap clerk empties the register and he empties the joint's safebox and gives with a since-declared fifteen grand. Cash. And Sergeant Novick - yeah, that Novick, the one who's still squeezing all the printer's ink he can out of that one time he did something right and saved a kid - well, it looks like Hero Cop Novick didn't notice any of what was going down, on account of how fixated he was on his Chocolate Chip Crunch Special. The security camera showed some kind of exchange between the perp and the good sergeant before the perp walked out, unidentified. Easy as you please. Scot-free ‘The exchange seemed pleasant enough And it just so happens our hero cop just bought his girlfriend an eight grand boob job. Fancy that. Must've won the lottery. Right. Sure. FUGGEDABOUTIT 22-year-old paralegal Stacy Lynch with- drew charges of gang rape in the notorious Robinson Park incident, that now, she says, despite witnesses, never happened. In her press conference, it was observed that Lynch was missing her right index finger. Prosecutor Harvey Dent could barely keep his lunch down. Hell. He looked like he was about to give birth to something real- ly ugly. What a town. You gotta love it. ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE MOur very serious Mayor confronted the city legislature yesterday, taking no pris- oners in his brave campaign to eliminate ATM fees, What a man. What a champ. What a town,In 1986 the editorial board of DC Comics decided that their heroes, some of whom were nearly a half-century old, had become dated. A massive revamping was clearly in order, and the place to begin was with the compa- ny’s three most popular and enduring characters—Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, The writers and artists assigned to the task had quick and clear ideas about how to update Superman and Wonder Woman, but Batman was a problem. He was fine just as he was. The origin that Bob Kane and Bill Finger had created in 1939 was a perfect explanation of how and why Batman came to be, why he continued his obsessive crusade, and, Pavey y mal ar perhaps more important, it mirrored the fears, frustrations and hopes of a readership coping with the realities of 20th-century urban life. So, DCs editors decided, Batman’s origin should not be changed. But it might be improved. It could be given depth, complexity, a wider context Details could be added to give it focus and credibility. Bruce Wayne's strug- gles to become the thing he was trying to create, the Batman, could be drama- tized. And, finally, all the storytelling techniques that comic book creators had developed in those 50 years could be applied to realize the potential of the basic material. ‘The question then was, who would do all this? Frank Miller volunteered. Miller was generally acknowledged to be the best writer-artist to enter comics since al \S ait «| ott a” a TT the early 1960s; indeed, some said he was the best ever. When he was a beginner at DC's chief competitor, Marvel Comics, he had re-created a minor character called Daredevil and produced a series that was at once faithful to established continuity, daz- zlingly innovative and immensely pop- ular. At DC, he had done an extended graphic novel titled RONTN, which incorporated Japanese and European influences into a personal vision of a horrifying future and, more recently, he had collaborated with Lynn Varley and Klaus Janson to produce the phe- nomenal BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, which portrayed an aging Batman driven out of retire- ment by a society running amok and his own inner needs. Having done Batman's omega, Miller was willing and anxious to do Batman's alpha. But he chose to abandon his role he wanted to function as as arti: writer only. His collaborator of choice was David Mazzucchelli. Mazzucchelli, though only a few years into the field, had already acquired a reputation as one of comics’ extraordinary talents. He had an absolute command of com- position, a powerful sense of visual drama and an unerring eye for the telling details that bring a scene to life. Miller and Mazzuechelli comple- mented each other perfectly. With the help of colorist Richmond Lewis, her- self a gifted artist, and letterer Todd Klein, they produced the definitive version of one of popular culture's enduring stories. Originally published in four parts, BATMAN: YEAR ONE is presented here as the organic whole that Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli mean it to be—a graphic novel that combines a familiar urban myth with an unmistakably modern sensibility and brilliant storytelling. — Denny O'NEIL March 1988By now Barboras n her tests ‘only hate myselfa iit for hopita they come out negative. This is no place to PS The sergonee : OR ON HIS PLANS ON His RETURN TO GOTHAM THE TWENTY- EAR- ¥e OLD HEIR TO THE WAYNE MILLIONS DECLINED TO. COMMENT ON RUMORS OF ROMANCE IN Hi LIKNEW YOU'D LIKE THE ‘AND HE'LL BE JUSTAS Goo?] COMMISSIONER, JIM! TO YOU AS YOU ARE TO HiM, YOU CAN COUN INTONTHAT... A | iyselt Zi ga f Flass has had Green Beret training. ‘Lean tell, And he knows how to use his size, aHAD THIS LITTLE BEAUTY 11'S A COME, A 'M ONLY Haman, ‘POCKET. i IN His’ Tim 9/, THE Bows-- THEY'VE BEEN’ ASKING MET TALK TO.Y0U, O ‘Tinmy, Touche mayer COULD ETA WORD IN, MEAN, YOU CAME BUSINESS IF YOU DON'T LEARN | DOWN PRETTY HARD YO RELAX, JIMMY. I MEAN, (ON MORGAN... WE'VE GOT OUR OWN WAY OF DOING THINGS, HERE IN GOTHAM,February 21 HE'S JUST NoT S TING /N, GILL > ¥ | ; oaerefreses YM] GILLIAN B. NA ETE SS HANSA. aa COMMISSIONET OF POLICE GIVES THE SquAD A Wo-Hour go] T COULD GET THE Boys ToeeTHER-- ‘SOFTEN HIM 2 NO. NOT WHILE T’M IN TOWN. “IWile amt eommaissance mission, Until I uair'mone, T must cumd combat: Unb amd. a sgl, wewonabe Y duslractng’ dela Requested off this 180 Lhope its Four times and no hight shift four times ("| a boy. So what. Feply, Emnot making noW-- damn it, Barbara Friends in the department:- ) needs meat night J =] —— these days, Barbara, [¢ and littie James... GONG 10 WORK, == S8 ; LIEUTENANT? a may HAVE 70 SKIP THE WHOLE NIGHT.Tums sized, ups like a piece of meat ly xc Parke (J éas, ‘aud peg fret Big lad lay sleeping, in.MAN, YOU PUSHIN, YOU ON THE EDGE, TOLP YOU TO OVER LATER, | FINISHED? WITH PA siest cine me 2 NOws, TAcally shouldnt YOU KNOW WHAT TLHATE MOST ABOUT MEN, SKUNK? OH. GEE2...caNT BE Vice. WE'RE PAIL JUST SOME 12IOT OUT=a 4 2% [fot crc | ~Noeter wep tup-) [eHE DIDNT MOVE, MAN. HE'S BLEEDING ALL OVER THE SEAT. WE GOT 10 TAKE HIM 10 THE HOSPITAL. YOU LOOK, BOY, VE RUN IN A 7HOUSAND| LIKE HM. DRIFTERS. WHO NEEDS THEM, YOU TWO. MAYBE! AFTER HE'S BOOKED. ‘COUPLE BUCKS. NO LD WHAT THE! HELL DON'T MIND HIM, BOY. PROBABLY HOPPED UP_ON SOMETHING FAST, Y'KNOW?SMOKE FROM THE DETECTIVE FLASS? HEG OFF DUTY, LIEUTENANT. PROBABLY AT THE POKER. PARTY OVER AT CHUTES:=-should arrest the ¢lown--fto way to ‘treat a Porsche-- THATS BRUCE WAYNES CAR. WHATS HE Dodging the Porsche gives & ‘The bruises are starting to me tah ‘adrenalin ota E form and my spine feels fused || OF course Wilson's the First make the drive fo Bay Ridge. When Wilson says good-bye to | to leave. Doesn't warit to b the guys. make his wife stay up too late waiting for him. Then Renny. Tet them bath go home.et = Bas vine N kt and flow. 4 CY " a | haven't seen a house. interes mrinutes when [) pull up beside him and jerk the wheel. ‘H's beon fifteen: Since I had to tak a Green Ber iat /] in.I don't break his ribs or T do justenough-- punch my hand through ‘chest: --to keep him out | ofthe hospital. | He'll never report Not Fass. He'll mak some story that invoh at loast ten attackers and never admit I did You've shown me. what it Takes tobe 2 cep in Gotham CityLung trish to he ent anRen os aah Oe ee ratHe has trained and planned and waited eighteen years. He thinks he's ready... CHAPTER TWO: WARIS DECLAREDn © 7) aa sn ; fis 2A \K , y (fp ez ‘Vie fesspesiways docs,” nee Ao diner PY fl ae ee se FAT 6 tae = Sa « oo iil fi =I] AHO. SIR, NOT A CRIMINAL RECORD. GOT THE WORD FROM ARKHAM ASYLUM ...YES, SIR ARKHAM... He's holding three children wiaunere cea | “ground Se hime J tee es [eeea7, A 5 Thaee Kids don't have fed fi. --he'll push Hees if i, Bier SeSedges fhe LIinin wf N J ewr!) ‘ar man understands. : =| @0 FIND YOUR OWN WAR, BRANDEN. OR Z'LL HAVE YOU UP ON CHARSES,q LIEUTENANT GORDON HAS ENTERED rbara JHE BUILDING--NO SHOTS YET... i ;NOTHING, YOu po KNOW BUT TROUBLE, I. SYMPATHIZE, DON" THAT ONE. YOU, BRANDEN? YES YOU DO, AND YOU KNOW T'? Like NOTHING BETTER THAN TO REMOVE HIM FROM SERVICE, MY GOOD FRIEND DETECTIVE FLASS HAS MADE SEVERAL SUGGESTIONS ALONG THESE LINES. F Hh= INU Gunpongen burns my Thate thegun.( — Thate my job. eS ‘The wad would leave aneat, round hole and, Tid see the horror in SFIS Be PaaS SRETSH Spell aetna? Another kick.im) > How did I let this i fobring tn | ace Pend Eas A city ao Es PNT ms) a, Lae EF starts out well "Rachmaninoft, pi Sottathar ide. coke, but it works...He's NOT HUMAN "THANKYOU, \_/” WHILE THE VIGILANTE HAS BEEN |] [(THANK YOu, DETECTIVE, TM Just TeLLINe You) | | DETECTIVE — CAREFUL TO REMAIN UNPREDICTABLE, ESSEN HES NoT HUMAN. FLAS. CHOOSING THE NEIGHBORHOODS FOR HIS ASSAULTS AT RANDOM-- P>--He CONSISTENTLY OPERATES BETWEEN THE HOURS OF MIDNIGHT AND FOUR A. HES WORKING His WAY FROM [irs Like MY REPORT LIEUTENANT. [STREET LEVEL CRIME TO ITS T RECEIVED AN ANONYMOUS 7/? UPPER ECHELONS, FROM LEADING MEO AN EAST END STUNKIE MUGGER 10 PUSHER, . COCAINE DELIVERY... TO SUPPLIER-~ =-AND, ALONG THE WAY, TO ANY COPS THAT MIGHT BE HELPING THE WHOLE PROCESS Was inthe ss je-handealy Spprehending the Felons, " = ‘says Flass, ahd coughs. He looks around the. room 70 see if anybody's, going to challengé him, ‘and goes on. its wings were about irty feet across. It bellowed like... well, I've never heard anything’ like"Other members of the gang drew forth their guns~soine- thing flew from tte creature's ‘and tye bullet assed slraight rough the creature ei want here" like it’ wasntt — x he PEN The gnorts and giggles we stop Flas cou for ag Sch oats me mpeatictartedl a lool to frame ” 2nd put onmy wall, Dr his. Twas LITE paar V,.euT\(ceNTiEMeN,) p= [G0 THINGS...THEY PARALYZED ME HE \\ GENTLEMEN... AW Tie Paani, \ Sneted J our. S tas Z ‘I remember noticing it had claws..." Mveaense «gays nay - - 110 6 mromee i me =LIEUTENANT GORDON. WHAT BATMAN 2 \T NO, 1 HAVE NOT FILLED YOuR REQUESTS FOR PERSONNEL. I A PLEASANT SURPRISE TAM EATING, LEUTENANT, /7\W FIND THEM EXCESSIVE. Ti “.. YES, LIEUTENANT, I IVA ‘AM WELL’ AWARE OF HOW MANY — CANS THE VIGILANTE 16 BREAKING YES THERE ARE, AND THE BATMAN |S HAVING A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PUBLIC SPIRIT. ORHAVE YOU NOTICED THE DROP IN STREET CRIME THESE PAST WEEKS?... [Have You SEEN BATMAN, COMMISSIONER? THEY SAY HE'S HUGE... BUT THERE ARE THO SIZES To EVERYTHING, AREN'T THERE? |. FURTHER, TAM NOT IN THE HABIT OF EXPLAINING MYSELF TO My LIELITENANTS. THOPE WE UNPERSTAND EACH OTHER, GORDON, ‘AND I APPRECIATE YOUR TRUST, BOYS. YES I DO, YOU SHOULDN'T PRY, MARIAN. GILL HAS HIS HANDS FULL, THESE ‘GOOD 10 ‘SEE YOU ALL. 1S BEEN A WHILE... WE'RE TRUSTING HIM To COPE WITH BATMAN-- AND WITH[inett, ett, noBooy was pout V" Don't Go (Bs THE THE COUNCILMAN \s BLUNT | ABOUT HIS CONCERNS. THIS /S. AN ELECTION YEAR TO.COME NEAR You UNTIL THE CHEAP ON THE ) ( THINGS YOU POLLS WERE IN ON THE BATMAN \ WINE, MARIAN. SAY. THING. : Vo AY ORGANIZATION 16 L/KEWISE CONCERNED, COMMISSIONER. BATMAN IS COSTING US MONEY. TWO SES TO EVERYTHING, FRIENDS. LOOK AT THE LONG TERM. A FEW STREET OPERATORS ARE PUT. --BuT THe PEOPLE ~\| OF GOTHAM CITY HAVE A HERO. MAKES THEM FEEL SAFE. AND THE SAFER THEY FEEL, THE FEWER Ne Wire vrcnre Ws EREGORDON, 6 ‘oR IT! YOUR JOB! L te & 8 =" INSTANTLY ~~. - _—— Se | ad aa | =I,THINKS HE'S. A DAMNED RoBin Hoop. LAUGHED MYSELF SULLY, LIEUTENANT. A. ROLLS ROYCE... TT UNDERSTAND HE'S USED HIS: MUSCLE To KEEP YOU AN ASSIS TANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SWHEFS You KEEP IN SHAPE, "I NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU WERE ON THE FOLLOWING DATES..."THOUGHT —== ico never My ALIBIS? DENT HAP LEAVE , ONE ALIBI, ESSEN FOR EVERY DATE youl \ + CAN COME ) ~ : OUT NOW ag] SAYS HE WAS HOME: RA se tWcen mionierT AND LY FOUR. WITH HIS WIFE. 'NO POINT IN QUESTIONING, YOU REALLY THINK HE'S BATMAN, } LIEUTENANT? 7 al [1 IT'S POSSIBLE. DENT CERTAINLY |S PASSIONATE ENOUGH. MONEY-- LIEUTENANT... BRUCE WAYNE \S THE RICHEST MANIN GOTHAM--AND-- 7 COULD kiss you, ‘BUT IT'D TAKE MORE THAN MUSCLES 10 FIGHT THE WAY BATMAN DOES--OR 70 GET AROUND THE WAY HE DOES, AND THOSE WEAPONS... “BEING FROM OUT OF TOWN, YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW. THIS, BUT HIS PARENTS: WERE MURDEREP. BY A MUGGER, ‘I THINK I'm already + lipstickon Fe WAS JUST A LITTLE BOY AT THE TimeOm < eA Puch trouble sittin Gown, is Sis Four of Branden’s men were hospitalized with broken bones. --and payment fon it siti onhis cath register. as ryone. who would've. ped Branden or Loeb up mains225 has my prime suspect i this case-- Bru ny tHe richest man in Gotham a . til in he was six hh mative, se, makea man dress iike Brac vacu|a and assault criminals... =i butler informed me is boss has been skiing ¥ for six Weeks. 5 z eye ae for an tor call Spran ierce, ave peed omer root canals--, wok Blesce was pay we cilgat ths Bah E in i Sater Weenie he! Was Brace Wayne ut assured me he'd be back in the Sountry inamont. Said held be happy ry fotalkwith me. La en mentored Barmah ee MeThink of her [mses Think of her } as a cop. ; widen tte ,eT | sting to bea habit Mn eteenandt ronaves AMM fs ‘of coffee at the local Giver betore calling night. f a 1M mee | ly Ea frngrbteas-she'a eeigeperas Ae 7STThe rain's eased up and I'm, Ind ‘feeling we decide fo risk it and look for a cab. Agroup of bikers notice Essenss legs and make the usual remarks. yo : a Fes We ignore them Yeleretiting Jurns out shes J from Chicago, some years back. f Small world. Seems fo beclearing B up Jightni Pridsnes 2 a lot having an ark Wesettle for aAcab comes. She. 4akes if, We don't Say good night. ¥ WT T hate myselfand the night everything itbrings:) tonight, she 4 called the officshould be ft nom jo hers begging her wand Pi falking --for the baby in her stomach and the way that I'm thinkin about Essén--that's right- her Essen--forget how she felt- how her body and her lips felt-- --and hot about Batman. He's a criminal. Tim a cop. It's that simple. But-- --but Im a cop ina city whene ‘the mayor and'the comthigsioner cops as hire iHe's out to clean up a city that likes being dirty. He can't do it alone. CHAPTER FOUR: FRIEND IN NEEDYou SHOULD TAKE JHE BRACELET. 1M SURE YOUR WIFE WOULD LIKE IT, DAMN IT, SIM T JUST WANT TO KNOW--iF YOURE RIGHT, JMB Your WIFE WEREN'T PREGNANT, OF COURSE WOULD You HERO CoP LIEUTENANT IT SURE DOES, TRISH. HE'S CAUGHTA BIG FISH THIS. TIME. IF SKEEVERS 1S SOMMCTED THIEL BE IE FOURTH TIME HE Boe ORSON, BET THEY THROW AWAY THEJUDGE RAFFERTY seT BAIL FOR JEFFERSON THEM LeT SKEEVERS: SKEEVERS. SURPRISING:| J. OUT ON THE S7REET, Ly, ASSISTANT DISTRICT DENT-- ATTORNEY HARVEY = DENT DID NOT ARGUE WITH THis DECISION... ‘L UNDEF HOW You FEEL, LIEUTENANT, DENT AND GORDON ARE HOT FOR YOU, SKEEVER: THEY’ LOVE TO CATCH You WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN: NO. NO NONE OF THAT. YOU STAY CLEAN UNTIL WE'VE GOTTEN You CATCH WE? THEY CAUGHT ME, BABE-- AND THEY LET ME GO. AND YOU GOT ME A COURT ORDER TING GORDONS, HANDS...eu ll OO h ago |i] = a o 2 = o 2 a ® nGILLIAN B. COMMISSIONET OF POLICE TOOK You IN. WEDIC. BLEMISHES A? AND YOU 20 HAVE YOUR BLEMISHES. AND YoU GO A AND, WALLS HAVE. EARS, sIMmy JapCOMMISSIONER LOEB ASSURES GOTHAM THAT THE MANHUNT FOR THE BATMAN CONTINUES, WITH HERO COP JAMES GORDON ON THE CASE Ha AY CED ‘The butler makes us feel as welcome as avirus. He leads us through afew dozen rooms the sizeof small states to POLICE lEUTENANT LITTLE BARLY IN THE V li Wayne's been out of the € | country. Wayne's had she 1/7 flu, This moPhing I was told he hada hangover’, [| but hed see me. pumas Setter than having Be Barbara stay at home || WM and worry ai ALFRED--BE By 4 307 AND GET some GLASSES FOR OUR LIEUTENANT. JUST ASK IT 1S BATMAN You wanT (a & excuse me. | MUST BE TL NEGLECTED © CHAMPAGNE, (0 INTROCUCE © Mi " E, NEED TO KNOW WHE: ener One VeHe laughs and rings for his bu His butler brings Mis dafebook. ‘I could auction off the phone umber in his datebook for They'reall women ‘They're all famous: They ‘re all beautiful HE'S ACTING LIKE ONE, THAT'S FOR SURE [ren minutes He's BEEN THERE... Sy pases sauvemnian, SiR T GATHeR Ne REMAINING BOTTLE Or CLus SODA May BE BUT ANY MAN WHO'D. WEAR A CAPE-- AND ITS A CAPE, NOT WINGS, IVE SEEN IT-- HONEY, THERE'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO TALK, ABOUT. ~-ANYBODY WHO'D WEAR A CAPE ANO HUNT CRIMINALS MIGHT GO PRETTY FAR To KEEP HIS SECRETS. ”, SECRETS, DAMN TALL. He. 1 suppose YOU'LL TAKE UP Pron nce ‘iON Goon, LEFT IN ITS PROPER CONTAINER? "ALFRED HOW O10 You LIKE My LIKE THAT FELLOW IN. METROPOLIS, GKEEVERS TOLD US WHERE, WHEN, ANO HOWMUCH MONEY YOU RECEIVED, FLASS. AND Youve BEEN SPENDING. A LOT MORE THAN YOURE EARNING, yourre FACING TEN YEARS IN PRISOW, THATS IF [SKEEVERSIS ALIVE ENOUGH TO 757iOctober 5 Yes, Si. ‘1 KNOW ABOUT SGT. ESSEN. PLEASE DON'T BOTHER ME AGAIN. F October 7 | ~ SELINA-- YOU DON'T WANT THEM TO KNOW IT WAS. HAVE JEWELS--oR "PAINTINGS -— "LEAVING GOTHAM 70 WONDER ~-15 THE BATMAN A VIGILANTE --A THIEF A ROBIN HOOD?-- Drue CHARGES. SHIM A SCRATCH, OF UNHEARD OF Dovel a POSSIBILITIES FOR / ( TwyeRe'D UighweicH, DURABLE TPuT Thar PLASTICS... } DAMN J IN OTHER News, DETECTIVE ARNOLD FLASS FACES INDICTMENT To- MORROW ON THOSE Pi come atone ¥ sezina-y T HEAR THE ROMAN'S GoTA FORTUNE INOLD STUFF marse| | MOWAND JON OT FIXED Tit ive uma sorareH on | | THEpaRT I. A ‘IT INDUSTRY ExPERTS: Wo BEFORE T STEAL IT. WONT WERE STUNNED BY THINK IT'S BATMAN IF T GIVE THE DEMONSTRATION r FIXED Ir, SELINA-- HON THE FACE. TUSTONCE. HE COULD USE IT,JOHNNY. LITTLE JOHNNY. YOU'RE A MAN NOW. A STRONG, AND HOW IS. MY SISTER? MY BEAUTIFUL, FAITHFUL, WELL, SIR. SHE SENDS HER DEEPEST In DEVOTION. SHE JM ‘CONTINUED SUCCESS, INEED HER PRAYERS, JOHNNY, I NEED HER SOW. ‘AND YOU HAVE. SHOWN THAT YOU ARE BRAVE AS. HORATILUS, JOHNNY. r\ ‘ues me) Ry EVERY TIME, Siz. HAVE I TOLD YOU OF HORATILS? ONE MAN ON A NARROW BRIDGE--HOLDING THE LINE AGAINST HUNDREDS]c WW ———__ = THT] IF ONLY THAT WOMAN, Welt lel: 1m IM | Haov'r acen sree MASTER BRUCE--I'VE JUST COME ACROSS A FASCINATING PIECE IN THE TMES. CONCERNS THE EFFECTS (OF LACK OF SLEEP AMONG| THE MARGINALLY SANE.'T SHOULD'VE CRIPPLED THE HE DOESN'T WANT BAD PUBLICITY. NEVER DURING. R TH a THAT LEAVES BLACKMAIL, ORlenly my stomach’ death and T'n, 19 the wheel again--caught one 3 --throws my aim Fhe Shoulder “J off-" just for a sande WASN'T ‘SUPPOSED TO “HAPPEN --a u(t cs b\ ivi< ; EEDA NS m Eyer | Tpens out Flags is smarter 1ybod| Pact sees. repli Stl th ’ Sg, ot tamas art he Roman's been at war with his sister ever since he fried to get a hired knife slid fh nephew's ribs. had a few run-ins with ig sisfon, Back in Chicago, a few years ago. 1 don ‘envy the Roman. arah’s in New York, loing well, I hean. Barbara's not crazy, about the marriage counselor, but were making progress. As for me-- well, there's a ees chance of putting him behind’bars-— They were all too fostand in the’ of my romovion a ‘apaAFTERWORD(S) DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI j a’ “e . z > S w/- os 2 Sar |X |~. F iS \ 3 Sete? Pm a ty Y 7 see LLB! 4 i x 4 ~ aly hy < e S ia ‘aS ts \ \\ . A a "| 7 \ s ss ow ‘n iB] eh. ae Za y - : \ MF = TELETHs CAPED CRUSADER LIKE THAT ONE COMIC IN WHICH BATMAN AND ROBIN EXAMINE THEIR. ENEMYS BRUISES BY MOVING 70 THE] SIDE OF THE TV IN ORDER 7® SEE HIS FACE FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE: WN ANY CASE, 1966, WHEN 1 WAS 6 YEARS OLD (ance TRIO OF SIXES, REMINISCENT cF| THE ADDRESS OF De comics AT] THE TIME 1 DEW YEARONE.), WAS WHEN IT ALL BEGAN. tere ME / CAN'T REMEMBER IF MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH BATMAN WAS THROUGH TELEVISION OR PRINT; BUT MY CHILD - Hoob MEMORIES NEATLY INCORPORATE 1AM ALSO OF THE OPINION THAT THE ADAM WEST TV SHOW /S AN EXTREMELY FAITHEUL TRANSLATION OF A COMIC BOOK (M78 LIVE MANY OF MY DRAWINGS FROM THAT YEAR ARE OF BATMAN, (NCLUDING MY FIRST PAGE OF PANEL CONTINUITY. PICK UP A BATMAN COMIC FROM THE EARLY 1960s AND READ /T OUT Loud . YOULL SEE WHAT | MEAN. once My BATARANG Lo any SO IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT AT THAT | YOUNG AGE, | MADE A FATEFUL DECISION, TLE WEIRD (REATURE °DARKMESS FROM MOMOTARD 70 MOSES, LITERATURE |S RICH WITH ADOPTED OR- PHANS WHO, DISCOVERING THEI2 OWN HIDDEN SPECIALNESS, GROW 70 BECOME HEROES, BUT IN SECRET, HE HAS THE ABILITY TO ACT, TO EFFECT CHANGE, 7O SET THINGS PESPITE HISTORICAL PRECEDENT, /VE NEVER, BEEN COMFORTABLE WITH THE (IDEA OF VENGEANCE, AS A HEROIC IDEAL. WOULDN'T A HERO" EMBODY MORE THAN THAT? THIS ARCHETYPE- POPULAR: EARLIEST FEARS AND FANTASIES. THAT IS, INHERENTLY GO0b FOLES. HERE'S WHAT FRANK TOL} |AMAZING HEROES IN 1986: “He's clearlya man with ‘2 mission, but it’s not one of Vengeance. Bruce is not atter personal revenge ..He’s much bigger than that; he's much more noble than that- He wants the world to be abetter| place, where a young Bruce Wayne would not bea victim...” BATMAN'S ORIGIN, THOUGH, HAS ALWAYS HINGED ON CIRCUMSTANCE : NO MURDER, NO BATMAN. (THIS CORE TENET HAS BEEN CHALLENGED, BUT NEVER TOMY] KNOWLEDGE OVERTURNED.) | “In away, he’s out ‘to make himself unnecessary. Batman is a hevo who wishes he didn't have toexist.” (FTE DYNAMIC BECAUSE OF THEIR SIMPLICITY, SUPERHEROES ARE EASY PREY FoR REVISIONISTS IN 1954, DR. FREDERIC WeeTHam SAly (N BATMAN) AND ROBIN'S RELATIONSHIP A CODED METAPHOR For HOMOSEXUALITY. SINCE THEN, HE'S BEEN TRYING TO PUT IT BACK THAT'S WHY CATWOMAN 1S DANGEROUS — SHE REPRE- SENTS A MATURITY THE BOYS AREN'T READY FOR. SEEN A PRETTY GIR) FIRST, LET'S REMEMBER, THAT SUPERHERO COMICS WERE INVENTED FOR CHILDREN — BOYE, REALLY. ME WERTHAM MADE THE FUNDAMENTAL MISTAKE OF EXAMINING THESE COMICS WITH AN ADULT SENSIBILITY AND WITHOUT WIMOR, UT MAKES PERFECT SENSE| THAT HIS BEST FRIEND WOULD BE TWELVE YEARS OLD, BECAUSE BATMAN /S STILL A LITTLE BOY STUCK iN A MAN'S Baby. SUPERHEROES LIVE BEST IN THEIR OWN WORLD - A PREADOLESCENT WORLD. HERE'S HOW ( SEE IT WHEN BRUCE WAYNE WAS A EID, HIS PAMPERED , IDYLLIC LIFE WAS SHAT TERED TO PIECES, UF THERE'S A "NO GIRLS ALLOWED" SI6N ON THEIR, BATCAVE/ CLUBHOUSE, 17'S) BECAUSE GIRLS ARE ICKY 1pm ome boarssiat WHILE AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT, 17'S PROBABLY Nor A GOOD IDEA TO SHOE- HORN T00 MUCH "REALITY" INTO THE FANTASY REALM OF THE SUPERHERO. EVER SINCE STAN LEE INTRODUCED ANXIETY INTO SUPERHEROES — DEAD... FRANK WROTE THE DARK KMGHT /H A FORTISSIMO, OPERATIC MODE. qa — NO, EARLIER, SINCE HARVEY KURTZMAN FIRST TRAINED A SATIRIC. EYE ON THEM IN MAD — 50 WITH YEAR ONE, WE SOUGHT TO CRAFT A CREDIBLE. BATMAN, GROUNDED IN A WoRLd WE RECOGNIZE. BUT HE RECO6NIZED THAT] WG MY STRENGTHS AS AN ARTIST WERE MORE ATTUNED TO THE MUNDANE, THE MORE "REALISTIC" SUPERHEROES BECOME, THE LESS BELIEVABLE THEY ARE, = THE QUESTION, "WHAT- WOULD SUPERHEROES BE LIKE IN THE REAL WORLD?" HAS BEDEVILED SUCCEED - ING GENERATIONS OF COMICS CREATORS ONCE A DEPICTION VEERS TOWARD REALISM, EACH NEW DETAIL RELEASES A TORRENT OF QUESTIONS THAT EXPOSES THE ABSURDITY AT THE HEART, OF THE GENRE. Ye SUPERHEROES ARE REAL WHEN THEY'RE DRAWN IN iS UTES ‘Mage UccHever ZoosHE'S STRONG, SMART } \ | | AND RELENTLESS... |. Rigel OC WeaMy first rendering of @ “Year One” Batman (above), used for a DC house ad (note the bet-like ears). Sketches of Bruce Wayne, after photos of Gregory Peck (below). » =‘More roughs, actual size.f 2 lie 5 eel RAB L es oti i he sa OO:r~SIO) { . RY PAGE 4: | | igeue/monrie, | {7 SeThe bruises are starting to form and my spine feels fused Of course ' wheh Wilson says good-bye to to leave, De the guys, make his w ay late waitin And he still girlfriend to the Final ink ertwork, cetval size (fecing page), and the same page in color from the newsprint version. Comics printed on newspaper had on available palette of only about sixty colors, which Richmond utilized brillicntly.ry of Lt) Put) poet pr mazzuecte reer Maze YEAR ONE PART 2 Wie crated ary iat Re aa GU}When Year One was finally published in a single volume, the entire story was recolored. Richmond hand-painted the color art separately from the black line art. SERIOUS, SELINA. THINGS ARE BLOWING LP OVER B) ( ROBINSON PARK. I ING. MAYBE ‘ L ‘BRANDEN'S coRNereD = AVAYWALKER, dio a heer, HOLLY, GOT To HAVE Ly) ‘SOMETHING ON qe THIS... Cr]enlarged to e the cover image obove. My first cover design (right) s used for the Wari paperback (bel The color artwork (detoil torn colored paper. Salah YEAR ONE anes eee PeeIf your only memory of Batman is that of ‘Adam West and Burt Ward exchanging camped-out quips while clobbering slumming guest stars Vincent Price and Cesar Romero, | hope this book will come as a surprise. For me, Batman was never funny. | was eight years old when | picked up an 80-page annual from the shelf of a local supermarket. The artwork on one story looked good and scary. Gotham City was cold shafts of concrete lit by cold moonlight, windswept and bottomless, fading to a cloud bank of city lights, a wet, white mist, miles below me. The street sounds were a soft, sad roar, unbroken and unchanging. Then somewhere, somewhere in the stone rat's maze down there, tiny but unmuffled, a pane- glass window shattered. The sound was almost pretty, like chimes. The chimes became «@ single ringing bell, a burglar alarm, the old kind. ‘A Thompson machine gun spat at the bell. A madman laughed wildly, maliciously. The laughter echoed forever. A shadow fell across me, from above. Wings flapped, close by and almost silent. Glistening wet, black against the blackened sky, @ monster, nt, winged gargoyle, hunched forward, pausing at a building's ledge, and cocked its head, following the laugh's last seconds. Moonlight glanced across its back, across its massive shoulders, down its craned, cabled neck, across its skull, striking a triangle at one pointed bat's ear. It rose into space, its wings spread wide, then fell, its wings now a fluttering cape wrapped tight about the body of a man. It fell past me, its shadow sliding across walls, growing to swallow whole buildings, lit by the clouds below. The shadow faded into the clouds. It was gone. suthe 80-page giant comic cost 25 cents, but | bought it anyway. FRANK MILLER Los Anceves 1988FRANK MILLER lives and works in New York City. He draws and writes comic books and directs movies. DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI is an award- winning comics artist whose work cd around the world. His other books include Daredevil: Born Again, with Frank Miller, and City of Glass: The Graphic Novel, with Paul Karasik, ‘and many of his own comics were published in his short-lived anthology Rubber Blanket. He teaches at the has been published and ex! Rhode Island School of Design and New York's School of Visual Arts, and is currently working on a new graphic novel. RICHMOND LEWIS is an accom- plished painter who had a brief career in comics. Her other coloring work includes Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution and The Shaclow. She lives in the New York area with her husband and two cats, Runtashiro and Sumi. An ink on tracing paper sketch for the cover of BATMAN #407. Ae MRT mutation TAUOl Lolo) elo RMU Re kel ACU or The Dark Knight Returns, it’s Batman: Year One.” aR Role MORIA M Loli utels) Ace fo Motel) ao a —SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL “[A] graphic™i Sel My ALL 1 sensibility and brilliant stor In 1986, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli pr reinterpretation of the origin of Batman — who he is and how he came to be: Loam oME ollie] istakably modern Cll aaa ss Zale — Denny O’NEIL Written shortly after THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, Miller's dystopian fable of Batman's Cae RE Ce RS ac Se at ee Ta na meg CR Rg eC ree CeO ee ee Cu ON et eed SC eeae eR ie ere ect meee ae nea meee cay See eee ceca cca ee creer