This February, Batman will be published weekly for its upcoming “Joker Year One” story. Before that comes out, we thought it would be worthwhile to take a look at all the times DC has visited the “Year One” concept in the past. Ever since the massive success of Batman: Year One back in 1987, it seems that just about everyone in Gotham has gotten their own shot a fancy, prestige origin story. Of course, some attempts were more successful than others, so the internet demands that we must rank them.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll only be looking at the bat comics that actually used the “Year One” moniker. There are plenty of origin stories beyond that, but we have to draw the line somewhere or we’ll be here all day. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how they all stack up:
#18 Year One: Poison Ivy
Coming out of the batch of annuals in 1995 where everyone got a “Year One” one-shot, Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #3 gives us a look at what turned Pamela Isley into the villainous Poison Ivy. This take on her origin hits all of the major beats one would expect from the character, but the awkward mix of “raging misanthrope” and “obsessive femme fatale” just comes off as juvenile and one-note. Its overall plot is fairly similar to her silver age debut story in Batman #181, but it was only six years prior that Neil Gaiman updated her origin in Secret Origins #36 with the far more compelling “Pavane”.
#17 Year One: Scarecrow – Masters of Fear
Batman’s primary tactic for dealing with the cowardly and superstitious criminals of Gotham is fear. That’s why scarecrow has so much potential as a villain – it’s a dark inversion of that same approach. Unfortunately this origin hardly uses that to its full potential. It starts out strong by focusing on that unifying element, but quickly gets bogged down with heavy handed references to his real life inspiration of Sleepy Hollow and out of place scarecrow-related puns. Neither the writing nor the art seems sure whether Crane is supposed to be scary or pathetically funny.
#16 Year One: Requiem
There’s perhaps no greater encapsulation of the extreme attitude of the 90s at DC than Azrael. If you’re all about of guns, purple prose, and lots of angsty brooding then this might be the title for you. “Requiem” isn’t actually an origin story for the Jean-Paul Valley Azrael that people might be familiar with (that story was told in Batman: Sword of Azrael) but rather his father’s last mission before dying at the beginning of JPV’s tale. For fans of the series it offers a bit more context to some reoccurring villains, but there’s not a lot here for anyone who isn’t already invested in the character.
#15 Catwoman: Year One
“Catwoman: Year One” tries to work her origin from Batman: Year One into the character as envisioned for her 90s series, but boy does it feel like shoving a square peg in a round hole. Her already being a master thief beforehand means that she was apparently just in disguise when Bruce met her in the East End, before going off to train with a secret dojo of ninjas. It’s also visually jarring jumping between the “flashback” scenes that took place in Batman: Year One because her skin color noticeably changes from the dark complexion she had when drawn by Mazzucchelli, and her much paler Jim Balent design. The actual ninja plot is fairly ridiculous, but in a way that can still be fun in an over the top sort of way.
#14 Year One: Batman/Ra’s al Ghul
Despite the name, this first of two 2005 tie-ins to Batman Begins really isn’t a “Year One” story at all. It has a handful of flashbacks to Ra’s’ earlier years wandering the Earth (though well after he had gained immortality), but this is mostly so Ra’s can spout his beliefs and lay out his plan for the rest of the story. These philosophical musings are actually the best part of the comic, because they do a good job of presenting his motivations for wanting to decimate life on Earth. Unfortunately, the actual plot involves zombies overtaking Gotham because there are no more Lazarus pits left, meaning no one can die (for some reason). It’s nonsensical, uninteresting, and tells us nothing new about Ra’s al Ghul.
#13 Year One: Robin
This isn’t the last time a Dick Grayson Year One by Chuck Dixon will show up on this list, but unlike the later entry, this comic is the more traditional tale one would expect: Dick’s circus parents are killed by Tony Zucco, Bruce adopts him, makes him his sidekick, and they track down their killer. While the overall plot is as solid a base as ever, it’s not served well by the comic’s presentation. The cartoonish art and simplistic characterization do little to utilize the emotional drama of Robin’s story. The same general premise would be retold in 1999 as a sequel to The Long Halloween in Loeb and Sale’s Dark Victory, but with the complexity allowed by a 14-part series.
#12 Huntress: Year One
Writer Ivory Madison set out to create an origin for Huntress that, unlike previous origins (such as Greg Rucka’s Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood), was not so connected to Batman himself. Instead, Helena Bertinelli’s turn to vigilantism revolves entirely around her family’s connection to the mob, the tragedy they suffered, and the sexism she faces in the face of Italian traditionalism. When bat characters do show up, it’s almost an afterthought and hardly affects the plot at all. This would all be a fine angle from which to approach the character, but Madison’s first attempt at writing a comic can sometimes be a slog to get through with dense narration of inter-family politics that fail to keep one’s interest.
#11 Year One: Wings
Aside from a brief bit of exposition drawing a parallel with bats’ “strength” and “force of will” (a zoological fact I was unaware of), this origin focuses very little on the fact that Man-Bat’s animal form mirrors Batman’s persona. Instead, it looks at the horror of Dr. Kirk Langstrom’s transformation into the beast. At its best it plays out like a Lon Chaney movie, with the protagonist slowly realizing the consequences of his ambition and fleeing society in fear and revulsion. It’s occasionally dragged down by relationship melodrama, but overall a solid origin for a rarely used character.
#10 Nightwing: Year One
Fitting in between the pages of Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, Nightwing: Year One tells of Dick Grayson’s falling out with Batman and adoption of his new hero persona. In many ways it’s a showcase of all his (non-Titan) relationships from that era, from Superman to Batgirl. His unlikely mentoring of Jason Todd as his successor is a definite highlight. What drags much of the story down, however, is Batman. In order to justify the split, Bruce behaves like an irrational authoritarian totally unwilling to listen to reason. This isn’t the first time that he’s been written like that, but it’s never good and it’s especially bad here.
#9 Two-Face: Year One
If there’s any entry on this list with big shoes to fill, it’s this one. When this was written as a tie-in to The Dark Knight, Harvey already had not one but two celebrated origin stories (no pun intended). There was “The Eye of the Beholder” in Batman Annual #14 from 1990, and then of course there’s The Long Halloween. How does this one hold up? It’s actually pretty good. Certainly not enough to stand up to its predecessors, but it still follows the same general narrative of the honorable, if temperamental, DA being struck down in his crusade to clean up Gotham and going mad as a result. However, it puts most of its focus on the electoral politics for District Attorney, which lacks the conciseness of the 1990 annual and isn’t as interesting as the mystery of The Long Halloween‘s Holiday Killer (even if he does get a brief mention).
#8 Year One: Batman/Scarecrow
If the 1995 “Year One: Scarecrow” focused on the connections to Sleepy Hollow, this 2005 version clearly takes its inspiration more from the likes of Alfred Hitchcock. Year One: Batman/Scarecrow delves deep into Jonathan Crane’s traumatic family history, revealing the ways that his abusive mother scarred his mind. It’s the fear she instills in him that creates his obsession, and his desire for revenge on those who wronged him that creates the Scarecrow.
#7 The Riddler: Year One
While on the set of The Batman, actor Paul Dano told director Matt Reeves about his ideas for what the Riddler’s backstory should be. Eventually, Reeves told him that he should turn his ideas into a comic. While it may have been his first time writing one, it’s immediately clear his intimate understanding of the Riddler makes for engrossing character study. Like his onscreen depiction, this version of Edward Nashton is far darker and more disturbed than the campy villain from the comics. His alienation and crippling neuroses make for an, at times, disturbing dive into the inner workings of his psyche. However, if you enjoyed the Fincher-inspired, psychological thriller tone of the movie, this comic is for you.
#6 Year One: Questions Multiply the Mystery
Despite being one of my favorite characters, I think The Riddler is very difficult to write well. He needs to be smart enough to be a threat, but at the same time pathetic enough that his motivating insecurities shine through. Above all, he needs to have showmanship. Thankfully Chuck Dixon is able to perfectly capture his neurotic sense of superiority and demand for attention. Framed as the Riddler narrating his own origin, we see how his obsession with being seen as the smartest person around led to his life of riddle-laden crime. It has just the right amount of camp, action, and most importantly (yet somehow missed by plenty of other writers), riddles.
#5 Oracle: Year One: Born of Hope
The Killing Joke is one of the most impactful Batman comics ever written, and for many is the definitive Joker story. However, its legacy is not without criticism, most notably in its treatment of Barbara Gordon. The paralyzing of Batgirl as a point of motivation for Batman is one of the most well known examples of “fridging” in comics, where female characters are seen as disposable if it provides drama for men. Infamously, when writer Alan Moore asked editor Len Wein if it would be ok to include as a plot point, he was told “cripple the bitch”.
That could have easily been the end of her story. After all, “Batgirl” hadn’t been a popular character for a while by that point. It was John Ostrander and Kim Yale who gave her new life in the pages of Suicide Squad as Oracle. This single issue story of theirs highlights her transition from victim to hero, and the emotional triumph that entailed. It pulls no punches in confronting the horrible way she was treated Joker, Batman, and in a broader sense, DC Comics. Despite all of that, Barbara is able to come out on the other side just as strong in a wheelchair as she ever was wearing a cape.
#4 Gotham City: Year One
As a detective story, Gotham City: Year One is phenomenal. Slam Bradley makes the perfect noir protagonist with just the right amount of grit, morality, and tendency to stick his nose where it doesn’t belong. The other characters are all incredibly multilayered, with each issue revealing something new about them that recontextualizes the whole story up until that point. It’s not easy writing a good mystery, but Tom King pulls it off impeccably well, and by the end of it you’re on the edge of your seat waiting to see what might happen next.
Where it gets murky is the fact that this is supposed to be a prequel to the world of Batman. Continuity elements that it introduces make this particular story interesting, but don’t fit with the larger Gotham narrative. Things like Slam Bradley being in his 90s, the point of downturn for Gotham being when and why it is, the desecration of the “Bat-Man” name and idea, and even the heavy implication that Bruce isn’t actually a Wayne – they all feel wrong when put into any sort of “canon” timeline. It’s a great story ironically so long as you are able to separate it from the parts that are supposed to make it a “Year One” comic.
#3 Robin: Year One
Rather than telling the story of how Dick Grayson first became Robin, this story picks up shortly afterwards as he takes on his earliest missions. By jumping right into his career as the boy wonder, Robin: Year One is able to explore the struggles of being Batman’s first partner. It tackles the ways in which Dick has to balance being a kid with being a crimefighter, as well as the expectations and fears of those around him. Each issue in the miniseries has its own villain they have to take down, but it’s the character development that makes this story great.
#2 Batgirl: Year One
What makes Barbara interesting as one of Batman’s many sidekicks is the antagonism that exists between her and Bruce. Not in the “goes too far for Batman’s rules” sort of way you see with Huntress and Red Hood, but rather how he never wanted her to be a crimefighter in the first place. Batgirl: Year One takes that conflict and uses it to create an underdog story about a girl who refuses to take no for an answer. Every step of the way when you think she’ in over her head, she manages to find a way to prove herself despite the odds. If there’s any story that will make you love the idea of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, it’s this one.
#1 Batman: Year One
It couldn’t have been anything else. From the way Bruce Wayne’s and Lt. Jim Gordon’s first exposures to Gotham mirror one another in a parallel structure that brings the city’s corruption to life, to the noir aesthetic that paints a vivid picture of their internal lives, this is possibly the greatest Batman comic ever written. Both writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli are at the top of their game in this comic that redefined the caped crusader for a generation. It’s no wonder that for almost forty years now DC has been trying to recapture its magic. It manages to fully realize Batman and the world he inhabits while still maintaining a level of intimacy that keeps you deeply invested in the characters. It is, in short, a masterpiece.
Well that’s every “Year One” bat comic so far, at least until Joker gets his own story next month. Let us know what your favorites (and least favorites) are.
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