Year One Week: Batman #404-407: The Myth of Man and Bat

“You’ve shown me what it takes to be a cop in Gotham City.”

Those words, which come towards the end of the first chapter of Batman: Year One, summarize a major theme of the comic. Jim Gordon has exacted his revenge against his tormentors in the GCPD, making clear he is not someone the dirty cops should cross. It is also the first of many times that Gordon steps off the narrow path of the righteous cop to strike at the darker impulses of Gotham. It’s a moment that goes on to not only define him but the path of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne in just a few short pages. 

Batman #404–407 (known in its collection as Year One) is the new origin story for the Dark Knight after the universe resetting in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Written by Frank Miller with art by David Mazzucchelli, colors from Richmond Lewis, and lettering by Todd Klein, Year One details Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham after traveling abroad just as Jim Gordon transfers to the GCPD from Chicago. Across the four issues, the two men face the depths of corruption and crime in Gotham, both on a mission to find their place and role in the decaying of the city. 

Gordon is set against the GCPD’s avatar of corruption, Detective Flass, who promises to teach Jim about Gotham’s ways. This leads to a brutal beatdown when Gordon refuses to play the dirty cop, setting the two against each other for the rest of the story. Meanwhile, Bruce retakes his place in Gotham’s upper crust, both at Wayne Manor and his family’s company. Bruce also tries to integrate himself into the seedier underbelly of the city, spurred by the tragedy of his family’s murder. A near-death experience for both men sets them on the path of righting wrongs, as Batman and Lieutenant Gordon, respectively. 

Bruce takes on the mantle of Batman and begins his war on crime in earnest, striking at both the corruption of the police force and the organized crime elements of Gotham like the Falcons. The appearance of Batman leads to ripples in the city, including inspiring Selina Kyle to don the Catwoman costume and pushing Gordon closer to Detective Sarah Essen, leading to an eventual affair. As the GCPD closes in on Batman, Gordon chases down a connection between the vigilante and Bruce Wayne. After the lead doesn’t pan out, Gordon confesses his affair just as Carmine Falcone plans to kill Gordon and his family. The story culminates in Bruce rescuing Gordon’s son and Flass incriminating the corruption of the current Commissioner to DA Harvey Dent’s office.  

Miller’s scripting brings a gritty sense of verisimilitude to the story. The tense, terse style of writing gives an edge to a pulpy crime story mixed with a deep character study. There is no wasted moment, no superfluous line of dialogue across the four issues. This is exemplified through the caption boxes, which can fluctuate between the more eloquent words of Wayne and then the fragments that Gordon operates in. In that development of the two styles, Miller ensures the thoughts offer deep insights while feeding the pulpy plot engine. 

Klein’s two distinct styles of narrative captions speak to that recurring theme of duality. Gordon gets a yellow caption box in printed letters, as though they’re notes sprawled on cheap canary legal pads. Bruce is all flourishing with the sharp white boxes and tight, beautiful cursive. The entire backstory and worlds of these two characters are revealed in the first few pages, with their handwriting and choice of paper telling their own story. It speaks to the genius of Klein’s lettering choices, reinforcing the orbiting relationship of the two men. 

Framing the story as the dual rise of Batman and Commissioner Gordon is a straightforward choice that cements its legacy on the Bat-mythos. That decision makes for a split narrative that allows for the gamut of Gotham to appear in all aspects of the book (especially in Klein’s lettering). From the concurrent arrivals of Bruce and Jim by plane and train, that parallel journey is established. 

Mazzacchelli’s linework is exquisite, simple, and rich at the same time. Endless depth exists in his streamlined approach to figures and physical spaces, conveying the realities of the fictional Gotham. That use of clean lines over compounded detail and busy strokes pushes the story into the mythic, creating a timeless and enduring visual style. 

Just because Mazzucchelli opts for the most concise lines and angles, does not mean the book is without spectacle or flourish. Like a great noir, Year One knows when to employ heavy shadows and stark silhouettes to create a dynamic look. Gordon’s early jumping by Flass and his lackeys is brimming with detail illustrated by added lines. This includes the motion of a swinging baseball bat or the bloody carnage set on Gordon’s face. On one of the book’s most striking pages, the standout panels are the last two, with the silhouetted men piling hits on Jim. The next panel is a close-up reaction shot of Jim’s bloody face. Mazzucchelli’s two approaches are boiled down to their purest essence in these two moments. 

On the flip side, Mazzucchelli brings a sense of simplicity to the Batman sequences that speak to the mythic foundations for the character. None more so than the iconic “Ladies. Gentleman.” scene, which bathes the vigilante in shadow and smoke, taking an iconic pose to its most mysterious. Batman peers from the smoke and rubble, making his official declaration of war to Gotham’s underworld. Mazzucchelli’s silhouette for Batman at this moment turns the man into the nightstalking whisper uttered on the lips of the corrupted fatcats. 

In the moment, Lewis’s coloring brings the scene together and sails it into the pantheon of definitive Batman moments. The use of muted yellows and ashy grays both evoke the palette of the vigilante while layering on a haunting atmosphere. Sans, the bit of orange radiating from the small flame, the page is lacking in any vibrant color, playing in the gritter world of Gotham, cutting straight through the decadence of the rich and powerful. Lewis manages all of this with a limited series of tones, channeling the pure ethos of Batman in those hue selections. 

Mazzucchelli and Lewis also bring that sense of epic storytelling to the revelation of Bruce’s mission, which comes as the billionaire sits in his father’s study, bleeding out. In the other most visually striking moment of the story, the moment shifts from the pre-Crisis depiction, which is much more tame. Instead, Year One presents it as a violent beat that sees the bat shattering its way through the glass window, coming straight for a dying Bruce. Miller wrings out the maximum drama at the moment with the debate on ringing a bell for Alfred, which delineates life and death. The appearance of the bat speaks to the violence that shaped Bruce, along with the violence and fear that he will in turn inflict on the criminal underworld. 

That is brought into the forefront through Mazzucchelli’s linework, which focuses on the details of the scene. From the individual pieces of shattering glass to the shrieking face of the bat, and even the small lines on hand that grasp the bell, rich, vibrant textures are rendered on the page. The artwork is streamlined without losing its symphony of density, striking the right balance of emotional weight and concise storytelling telling. Another artist might have used the moment to linger in the visual flourishes at the expense of the reading experience. For Mazzucchelli, those come in equal parts as the page cements itself in the annals of Batman history. 

Lewis brings out the vibrancy of the page with stunning coloring, which breaks from the restrained pattern of Batman’s proclamation later on. Here, shadows and inky blues of the night function as a backdrop to the moment. Bathing the bat in yellow light not only speaks to the motif of Batman but also helps to separate this moment which feels just a step out of reality from the tone of the book. This is the mythic moment that leads Bruce to his fate as Batman, a beat that transcends the gritty crime story and into the world of superheroes. Using the coloring in that way reinforces the moment and solidifies the palette as an integral part of the ongoing mythos.