Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns

Quite a few people seem to hate reboots. Had it not been for Frank Miller's Year One, I might not have even fallen into the comic book world. At least, not respect the Dark Knight as much as I do. So when there's a reboot on a popular character's history, I'm all ears. While Geoff Johns's re-imagining of the mythos doesn't compare to Miller's, or Kane's for that matter, we shouldn't discredit it automatically. Instead, we should embrace it. This isn't the ruining of a character, this is introducing him to another generation of comic book goers.

What stays the same? Batman is still born into the darkness by the murders of his parents. He is still motivated to save the streets of Gotham in the end. And Alfred is still his guardian, friend, and snarky conscience.

The difference is, we have Alfred, not as a butler, but, as an old war acquaintance of Thomas Wayne. Speaking of which, Thomas Wayne is running for mayor of Gotham when he and his wife were killed. Of course, it is believed that the Mayor is responsible for this murder. Who is the mayor, you ask? Oswald Cobblepot. James Gordon is introduced as a broken man. Not crooked, just defeated by the ways of Gotham – his wife was killed in an auto accident which he believes was fixed. Harvey Bullock is a former Hollywood detective celebrity who acts as Gordon's conscience, motivating the defeated man to stand his ground against the scum.

Christopher Nolan started something with his Dark Knight trilogy – that much is clear. The realism  of this brave new Gotham fills the page in Gary Frank's art. And the life Geoff Johns breathes into familiar characters proves that this new take should stick around. And shame on those of you who say that this is a bastardized version of a beloved icon. Most of you aren't old enough to fully appreciate Bob Kane's work to begin with. The fact that Batman has evolved so much in his time in the comic book universe is proof of that. This isn't our Batman. It wasn't meant to be our Batman.

You can pick up Batman: Earth One at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

The Book Hunter Watches A Movie

Perhaps if they'd gone with adapting The Dark Knight Returns, my enthusiasm might've skyrocketed. Instead, they decided that the right card to play was to adapt Batman: Year One. Don't get me wrong, the graphic novel is a classic. You don't get anymore raw with the origins of Batman than the Frank Miller story, save the Nolan-verse origin in Batman Begins. 

Then again, the story is shared between the two hopes for Gotham - the cop sworn to uphold the law and the vigilante who goes after the untouchable. Though I want to say it's Gordon's story, rather than Batman's despite the shared narration. Perhaps the Dark Knight can keep the graphic novel. 

The story opens as both heroes enter Gotham. Jim Gordon, a cop who's looking for a fresh start in a new city; Bruce Wayne, a wealthy bachelor returning home from living abroad for several years. Neither of them are aware of each other. Neither of them know that soon their paths to justice will intersect. The adaptation stays true to the graphic novel. Jim finds it difficult to fit in the corrupt department. Has an affair, regrets it and breaks it off. He has his first son. He attempts to clean out the department and make right by his wife. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is growing impatient, wanting to start cleaning out the city before he is ready. He finds a symbol. He finds an ally with Harvey Dent. He finds one in Jim Gordon. 

The internal monologues are present and the script is the same - for the most part, anyway; I'm working from memory here. Bryan Cranston voicing Jim Gordon was memorable. Ben McKenzie as Batman/Bruce Wayne was less than. Hopefully someone in the production makes a note of this and the mistake is never again repeated. And I hardly recognized Eliza Dushku voicing Selina Kyle/Catwoman, despite the excellent job she did with the role. 

On the scale, I'd say Batman: Year One ranks at least three-out-of-five. Average. The perfect companion for the graphic novel. 

Batman: Year One is out now, available at Amazon in single and two-disc editions, as well as, Blu-Ray/DVD combo + digital copy edition. You can watch it now on Amazon Instant. Until next time, keep on huntin'.