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Prelim Review: Honestly speaking I preferred Superman Earth One, which as a Batman fan moreso then a Superman fan, that grieves me. I didn't feel like the artwork or 'new' origin story was as crisp as in Superman Earth One. Oh details were changed (Alfred is a military vet!) but at its core it was still 'Bruce Wayne fights crime to atone for the brutal slaying of his parents'. In Superman Earth One it became more of a 'Clark Kent searches for his place in life while learning the true meaning of strength' (or something like that). We see an uncertain, kind of showy-offy Clark who would have taken the easy route in life if nothing had given him a different choice.

Bruce? He kind of sucked at being Batman at first (or not really sucked, but was very amateur)--okay we kind of expected that (Batman Year One). He was driven by revenge (any Batman) for what happened to his parents and the corruption he perceives in Gotham. He finds a higher calling (again any Batman) in being a vigilante.

Admittedly having Gordon cynical, Bullock the idealist and Cobblepot (aka Penguin) the mayor were interesting changes, but :shrugs: not enough.

Full Review to be posted at Poisoned Rationality ( )

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. ( )

You'd think I'd get tired of the "origin" stories. Especially one that has been re-told in so many ways as Batman. This one was really good though, art and story both wonderful. At this point there's no point in calling any particular Batman story as the definitive one, but this one would certainly be in the running. ( )

"Batman: Earth One" goes back the beginning of the Batman saga, revisiting and recasting the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents and his eventual development into Batman. While the story remains basically unchanged, the brilliance here is in the details. Writer, Geoff Johns, creates a Gotham riddled with crime and hamstrung by political corruption on all levels. Bruce Wayne's father is in the midst of a mayoral race, but still takes the time to take Bruce and his mother to the movies. When the electricity goes out in the movie, a disappointed Bruce dashes into the alley way, followed by his parents. There Bruce watches his parent's murder. The story, told in flashbacks, shows the development of Bruce into Batman, seeking to discover the secret behind his parent's death.

Johns and Frank introduce us to old character favorites, such as Detective Gordon and his daughter, librarian (and soon to be Batgirl) Barbra. Johns remixes these old characters, giving them new back stories and motivations. His new characters including gung-ho new detective and media celebrity Harvey Bullock and Mayor Cobblespot (who looks a lot like the classic Batman villain The Penguin, right down to his umbrellas and his birds). He even throws in a nod to the most recent "Batman" film franchise by using the character of Fox, the scientist. Probably the biggest change (and to my mind the most interesting character) is Alfred. No longer the steadfast and proper butler, Alfred becomes a military trained guardian the challenges and helps Bruce become Batman.

"Batman: Earth One" is filled with surprises that even the even a die hard Batman fan will find enjoyable. The art is colorful, crisp and neat, displaying a wide range of colors that help suggest the mood of the story. With a new volume coming out this in May, this is a great way to start reading Batman's story or to revisit a classic.

Julie K. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

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