DC might be synonymous with heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern, but the company gained notoriety by highlighting Batman. The hero first appeared in Detective Comics #27, ultimately becoming the most important hero for the company, which transformed into DC. With the mythos of Batman dating back to 1939, plenty of films have used important comic storylines to shape live-action films, and now DC is reviving the most important story of them all.
Credit: DC Studios
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There have been DC writers who have gone on to become highly important within the world of crafting superhero stories, as their creations have often been used as the inspiration behind the most important live-action films. Take Marvel, for instance. Jonathan Hickman is one of the most beloved Marvel writers, and his Secret Wars story written in 2015 will be the direct inspiration for the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars movie.
The same can be said for Batman, who has had some fantastic writers through the years. Alan Moore is one of them, as he wrote the highly important Batman: The Killing Joke graphic novel. Another beloved writer is Jeph Loeb, who has written The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, and Hush.
Frank Miller is another critical writer from the DC universe, as he is behind The Dark Knight Returns and Year One. Both are highly different stories about Batman returning from retirement and his first year as Gotham’s protector. Year One heavily influenced the recent Matt Reeves film, The Batman (2022).
Many DC fans consider Year One one of the most important stories, if not the most important, as it acts as an all-encompassing origin story for Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon. This story is so crucial that DC is bringing it back in grand style.
Credit: DC Comics
Comic collectors can rejoice, as DC announced that it will re-release the perennial Batman: Year One story in stores this December. While the company could easily print the reissue as a graphic novel, they are taking things a step further by recreating the issues exactly as they came out in 1987.
The original issues were Batman #407-407, written and illustrated by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. DC is bringing back the issues in the typical weekly release, as many comic books are generally released. They also announced each issue will contain the same era-specific artifacts. They call them “artifacts,” which sounds ancient, but the books would like to be treasured like artifacts.
Year One is critical to the Batman mythos, as it showcases the first year when Bruce Wayne decides to take on the cape and cowl, sacrificing his well-being to protect Gotham. It also highlights Jim Gordon as a young officer and his important relationship with Wayne.
As stated, Matt Reeves heavily used Year One as his inspiration for The Batman, which saw Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne only in the second year of being the Dark Knight. It also showcases a much more naive Jim Gordon, who has yet to rise up the ranks as the police commissioner of Gotham.
Though he stated his version of Batman was in his “second year,” the film was still based on a much younger Dark Knight having to deal with the horrors of a psychotic individual like The Riddler.
When comics go out of print, they are often never reprinted again. That is why comic collectors hold certain books high in their collections, as their rarity has increased with the books’ availability. Year One might have only come out in the 1980s and not be as rare as someone with Batman #3, but they are still coveted books.
Credit: Warner Bros
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This will allow new and old collectors to get their hands on one of the most influential Batman stories ever told. The recreations of these books will also make it appear as though they purchased them right in the 1980s. This might be one of the most significant fan service moments DC Comics has ever engaged in.
What do you think of DC reviving Batman: Year One? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
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