I've read this probably four or five times now, figured it was time for a review.

DC has gone through an infinitesimal amount of crises, multiverse collapsing reboots, rebirths and rebrandings in the last ten years. Characters have been wiped from existence only to be reintroduced in an all-new format only to be re-birthed as the original creation. Worlds have blinked out of existence only to be returned upon a fan outcry. Origins have been reset more times than I can count and yet Batman is always born the same way. Two gunshots in a cold, dark alley.

Sometimes it's hard to separate nostalgia from quality, but in this case I firmly believe this story holds up. It's such a solid introduction to Bruce, Alfred, Gordon, Dent, the corrupt cops, the mafia and Gotham itself. It's a relatively straight forward story, and very short in only four parts, but I'll still say this is the best introduction to Batman for a new readers, even if it is now thirty years old.

I don't know if it was the first time, but it really solidified Jim Gordon as a hero in his own right, this book is as much about him as it is about Bruce. We get to see how depressed he is, how he's struggling in his work, in his life. His arc represents the people of Gotham and their relationship with Batman. He starts off hating his life, hating his job, but by the end he has a glimmer of hope, that things may turn out okay.

I really loved the moment where Gordon says he can't see a thing without his glasses, suggesting that from the very beginning he knows the truth but for the sake of propriety says nothing.

I didn't like Selina being retconned into a prostitute. I suppose in a vacuum it could work, but I've always felt a chauvinistic vibe from Frank Miller and his work and to me it feels like the only types of women he can write are prostitutes or adulterers.

I love David Mazzucchelli's artwork. It doesn't feel like a lot of other art from the eighties, but at the same time it's not really modern. It has a real timeless style to it. You pick it up and it could have been drawn yesterday, thirty years ago or anytime in between.

If this isn't Frank Miller at his best then it's at least at his least crazy and this is still the best introduction to Batman I've read.

Regularly cited as one of the best D.C. Comics of all time, I have to admit I was disappointed. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great.

Seeing Batman flounder in his inexperience was interesting, but in many ways, this is not that story. This doesn't show many learning points, or segments of growth for Batman. Instead, it is much more so a story about Jim Gordon, and the corrupt city that is Gotham. While this doesn't immediately serve as a knock, I do think that it is some mis-commercialization.

This is an older graphic novel, and I am not a huge fan of Frank Miller's art style already, so I wasn't entering with high hopes. Even with those low expectations I don't think this has aged well. The illustration style is jarring and difficult to really get into. While the story is dark, it doesn't mean all the color palettes also need to be dark. What I found was a grey and black foggy illustration, with a few splashes of color.

The story itself does have some merits, but we never really get insight into the Bat, his thought process, or his struggles. Where are the discussions with Alfred of what he is planning, the insight into his early tactical plans. What are her end goals and hopes, before villains like the Joker begin appearing?

We do see some fights that future Batman would normally breeze thru, getting injured and shot in. We also see Batman realizing he needs cooperation from Gotham P.D. to do a decent job, but that is about it.

Honestly, I do not feel like this lived up to the hype. Return of Batman the two part animated movie was MUCH more enjoyable, perhaps because it has been modernized some.

No review I can muster could do this book justice. So if you want an amazing batman story to read. Read this book.

This is a solid Batman origins that I genuinely enjoyed a lot. The art was amazing. That was the main thing for me, that the art in this comic book was amazing and not that the story wasn’t good either but I feel like the art definitely enhanced it. Overall I’d say it was a 4.4/5. Seeing this early nitty-gritty version of Batman was a lot of fun and I can see where a lot of inspiration for later iterations came from.

Perfect origin summary for a newbie, amazing art, great writing