Batman: Earth One

A fairy okay origin story although kinda choppy and uneven. I would have given it more stars if the art wasn't so obnoxious when it came to it's depiction of women. Ugh. ( )

Trying to restart the Batman storyline just as Christopher Nolan is ending his Dark Knight film trilogy is a tough task. Geoff Johns, to his credit, does an able job. A rethinking of Alfred's role is very creative and the backstory for Bullock is even better. Much is missing, however, from the Batman story. The secondary characters always seem more effective when they keep Batman's humanity intact. This Batman seems to lack the grit and determination (obsession) associated with the best tellings of the past. Too fallible? Perhaps. ( )

A new story (2012) that goes back to the beginning of the Batman Story.

Alfred arrives at the Wayne Manor for the first time (having served with Wayne Snr in the Army) on the night Wayne Snr is killed outside the cinema with his wife. Alfred is Bruce's legal guardian, and is horrified when he learns what the grown up Bruce is doing, fearing him unprepared.

Meanwhile Mayor Copplepot (The Penguin) is the source of much of the corruption in Gotham and Bruce believes he killed his parents. He goes after the police who covered it up. In the mean time, Detective James Gordon (yet to be the commissioner) is joined by a good looking Hollywood detective who ends up getting Gordon's daughter kidnapped by a serial killer.

All these threads are pulled together in the old Arkham Home (where Bruce Wayne's mother grew up) with a bloody, violent end, that leaves more than one person devastated.

A re-telling of the Batman's beginning, with quite a few twists on the familiar story, and quite an energetic and capable Alfred. Very interesting as a one-shot, but this may be the basis for a re-set of the Batman legend, and I really hope that's not the case. There are aspects of this telling that I find less compelling than what I grew up with. ( )

The premise: ganked form BN.com: Batman is not a hero.
 
He is just a man.
 
Fallible, vulnerable, and angry.
 
In a Gotham City where friend and foe are indistinguishable, Bruce Wayne's path toward becoming the Dark Knight is riddled with more obstacles than ever before. Focused on punishing his parents’ true killers, and the corrupt police that allowed them to go free, Bruce Wayne's thirst for vengeance fuels his mad crusade and no one, not even Alfred, can stop him.

In the tradition of the #1 New York Times bestselling Superman: Earth One, writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank re-imagine a new mythology for the Dark Knight, where the familiar is no longer the expected in this long-awaited original graphic novel from DC Comics.

My Rating: Good Read

I loved the alternate take on Batman's origin and the way Geoff Johns is utilizing the various characters from Bat-verse to create a new spin on an already very familiar story. The ending definitely leaves room for a sequel, one which I look forward to getting, especially since it's fun to see Batman learn how to be Batman. Because I'm a fangirl, I'm always up for whatever interpretations people have to throw at me regarding this character, and this one could easily win my heart with time and a few more installments. I find the character of Bruce Wayne to be fascinating on a psychological level, which is probably why I find his Rogue's Gallery equally fascinating: they tend to be symbols for various psychological states of mind (especially in Nolan's trilogy). At any rate, it's a good read with good art, and I think Bat-fans will be pleased.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. Because while it's a short graphic novel, I want to talk about the details of how this origin differs from others and how it utilizes familiar faces in Batman's universe. For those of you avoiding spoilers, do not read the full review. For those of you who don't care or who have already read this, the full review is linked below, at my blog. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome!

REVIEW: Geoff Johns' BATMAN: EARTH ONE

Happy Reading! ( )