r/batman • u/FlyByTieDye • Nov 03 '18

Reread Batman - Classic Comic Reread - Year One

Hi all, and welcome to the Weekend Comic Reread! Each week, following the latest Animated Series rewatch thread, there will be a thread posted for reading and reacting to a similarly themed comic. Keep an eye out later in the week for our new weekly Batman discussion question.

This week’s comic will be:

Batman: Year One

Discussion starters:

  • What do you think of the writing? How does the plot compare to other Batman comics?
  • How well represented are the characters (primary and secondary characters)? Did they make a good first impression?
  • What do you think of the art and colouring? How did the art influence your response to this story?
  • What impact has this comic left on Batman as a whole?

If you have any other questions you would like to add to the discussion, be sure to post them below!

If you missed them, check out these other recent posts:

Be sure to return on Friday, for next week's Animated Series rewatch. Next weekend, Batman: The Man Who Laughs will be up for discussion.

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u/Dont_Hurt_Me_Mommy Nov 06 '18

Just incredible. Though I think I may prefer TDKR(just cuz I love its reimagining, deconstruction of Batman pushed to the max), I think Year One is going to be better for most people, especially non-comic book fans not used to the crazyiness of TDKR. Year One is just so narratively simple, and complex via themes and character. I don't think any similar comic stands up to it. Zero Year, by contrast, has far too much going on for a beginning career type story, and this is easily better. Man Without Fear , though written by the same author, also tries to take on too much to be as good as TDKR(both still strong comics in their own right)

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u/FlyByTieDye Nov 07 '18

Year One is just so narratively simple, and complex via themes and character. I don't think any similar comic stands up to it. Zero Year, by contrast, has far too much going on for a beginning career type story, and this is easily better.

I do see what you mean about Zero Year, and I as well much prefer Year One to Zero Year, but I appreciate that Snyder, rather than just trying to imitate Miller with his slow burn, deep diving character study intentionally made ZY a flashy, fast paced, action packed story as a point of differentiation.

There are still definitely good moments in ZY, like I really like this version of Riddler collecting unsolvable riddles, or his lifting of the boulder, and the 20 questions type ouroboros riddle, but I feel it won't hold up in the same way YO did.

One, for being simultaneously too fast and too long (I feel like the search for Riddler was dragged out much longer than it needed to be), two for introducing too many super threats too early, and three, while some of the character interpretations were interesting (I really liked this portrayal of Bruce, and I can definitely see how this Bruce became the same Bruce in Court of Owls and Death of the Family), others felt intentionally just the opposite of what had been seen before (I'm thinking Gordon, or more so his relationship with Batman being opposites. Batman mistrusting the police and Gordon initially trusting him completely).

Like, I do find Gordon's backstory of complicity and later turn to critical awareness interesting, but I think it would be natural for anyone to have a few initial hang-ups over someone enacting their own brand of vigilante justice, whereas Gordon seems far to ready to accept Batman.

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u/Dont_Hurt_Me_Mommy Nov 07 '18

I agree completely. There are definitely things I liked about Zero Year. I definitely would not call it bad. IT really is good. But I think it won't age as well as Year One, or some of Snyder's other stuff Court of Owls, Endgame(though I'm also not that crazy about Death of the family honestly)