Comics Review: "Batman: Earth One"

A retelling of an old story, with a modern twist, Earth One is the latest in a series of re-imaginings of DC's classic characters. As the story begins, we see Batman on his first mission, which was simple but didn't go too well. Then, we flashback to the past, as we see the Waynes welcome Alfred into their life. But this isn't your father's Alfred; this man is an experienced and hardened war veteran, who came to help provide security for a man whose life he once saved, Thomas Wayne. Unfortunately, during a movie theater outing, Bruce becomes impatient and angry, and leads his parents into a dark alley, where they are killed. Years later, Bruce discovers a man possible behind the attack, and finds that the mayor, Oswald Cobblepot, is in on the plot as well. Meanwhile, new celebrity detective Harvey Bullock partners with veteran cop James Gordon, but his naivety leads to Barbara Gordon, James's daughter, to be kidnapped by the birthday boy, a serial killer of little girls who works for Cobblepot. Eventually, Batman and Gordon's stories collide, as Batman helps saves Barbara. Alfred comes through in the end, killing Cobblepot to save Bruce's life. And Bullock, not having seen the true nature of Gotham, starts his road of alcoholism that helps define the original incarnation. Bruce isn't the most suave and experienced Batman, and he's just a man. At the end, Alfred says they need to help him become a legend. And the very end is an excellent tease, showing a man trying to figure out the riddle of who Batman is.

This story was so nicely illustrated, it was almost like watching a movie. I like how Geoff Johns took a classic story, and spun it around, keeping the core intact but changing what we know as familiar. Alfred is an especially strong standout, serving as not only an advisor to Bruce, but also the man who trained him, and forced him to realize what he needed to be in order to serve Gotham. Fox as a young genius was also a nice touch. The riddler tease at the end was akin to the joker's tease at the end of Miller's Year One. Both books captured the gritty, dark, and corrupt feel of Gotham, and used that as a foundation for the dual stories of Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon. But here, instead of Gordon being the more naive cop drawn into this corrupt world, we see a new guy, Bullock, take that plunge as Gordon, already a victim, watches helplessly. I also liked how Bruce's desire for vengeance is what initially make him don't the cape and cowl, and only after that did he decide to keep being Batman. Overall, a stellar story, in line with the deeper, psychological, and character-focused takes of Year One and Batman Begins.

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