He will become the greatest crimefighter the world has ever known...
It won't be easy.

Year One was Frank Miller's attempt to redefine Batman's origins. The story begins with Lieutenant James Gordon arriving in Gotham from Chicago to start a new job, and with Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham after a twelve year absence. Gordon quickly realizes that the police force, including the commissioner, is corrupt. Bruce Wayne realizes that he has the training to begin his crusade, but that he still is not ready.

Gordon reprimands several officers for being corrupt, and his principal adversary, Det. Flass, sends men to beat Gordon up, and to remind him that he has a pregnant wife that they can use to control him. Bruce Wayne, in disguise, travels to the "other side of the tracks" to start his crimefighting career. He gets in a fight with a pimp and his girl, and ends up fighting Selina Kyle and others, which ended quickly when he got stabbed in the leg with a knife, and shot and arrested by the police. He escapes the police car, and starts his policy of never taking a life by rescuing the officers from the car before it blows up. Gordon puts a beating into Flass to teach him who's the boss, and is nearly run off the road by a speeding Porsche. That car was driven by a bleeding Bruce Wayne on his way home. As Bruce sits in his study, dying, he recalls what drove him to become a crimefighter. A bat flies in through the window, and he realizes that criminals must fear him - and that people fear bats.

He has trained and planned and waited eighteen years.
He thinks he's ready...

Gordon becomes a hero after defusing a hostage situation without resorting to shooting the former Arkham inmate. This plants him firmly in the minds of Gothamites as a hero. Batman makes his first appearance, and gains several seconds advantage over his adversaries because of their fear. Once again he decides that no lives should be taken in his battles, and withstands a tremendous pounding while holding the leg of one criminal to prevent him from falling, until he can subdue the other two men. Lieutenant Gordon, with the help of Detective Essen, starts planning the takedown of this mysterious Bat Man, who has even attacked Det. Flass in the process of taking bribes. Several days later, Batman appears at the Mayor's home during a dinner party (at which Commissioner Loeb is in attendance). To the crowd, Batman warns the corrupt people: "Ladies and Gentlemen. You have eaten well. You've eaten Gotham's wealth. Its spirit. Your feast is nearly over. From this moment on - none of you are safe." This causes an even more intense attempt by the police to capture Batman. Gordon suspects Assistant District Attorney Harvey Dent, who has the strength and motives to be Batman. While he was not Batman, Dent has been working with Batman to defeat criminals. As Gordon and Essen leave Dent's office, a truck nearly hits them. The driver is dead at the wheel, and as the truck heads towards a helpless woman, Gordon fails to avert the disaster. Just then, Batman saves the woman. This was important, as it planted the seed of doubt in Gordon's mind - could Batman be Good? Batman escapes from Gordon and Essen, only to be shot as he flees into an abandoned building by other Police. The police blow up the building, but fail to kill Batman.

They've got him CORNERED.
They've got him OUTNUMBERED.
They've got him TRAPPED.

They're in TROUBLE...

Batman is hunted through the building by a SWAT team, and though he gets shot, he escapes without seriously harming and officers. He accomplishes this by attracting all the bats from the cave beneath his mansion, which bite and scare the officers away. Much later, Gordon starts suspecting Bruce Wayne, after Essen informs him of the murder of Wayne's parents and of his wealth. Gordon finds out that Wayne is skiing in Europe - and has been hurt, with casts in all the spots the police were known to shot Batman days before. Gordon gets too close to Essen, and they start an affair. Bruce realizes that he needs help - in the form of Gordon. Selina gives up prostitution and becomes Catwoman. And Jim Gordon slowly becomes depressed over the affair and his pregnant wife

He's out to clean up a city that likes being dirty.

He can't do it alone.

Batman starts cleaning up Gotham's corrupt officials. Flass gets implicated in accepting bribes. Loeb proves to Gordon that he knows of his and Essen's affair - the implication being that Gordon should stop chasing corrupt officials, or his wife would learn of her corrupt husband. Gordon finally interviews Bruce Wayne, who plays drunk and stupid. Gordon tells his wife of his affair. Catwoman becomes a cat burglar, and plans richer and richer hauls, including that of the Roman - a mob man. She and Batman meet for the first time at the Roman's house. Later, Gordon gets called out for a stupid complaint, and after leaving his place, he realizes why he was called out - so the corrupt police could get to his wife and son, James. Gordon get shot saving his wife, but the baby gets taken. Gordon gives chase on a motorcycle who's owner he's shot, and shoots the tire of the fleeing car, only to have it crash on the bridge. Barbara, Gordon's wife, holds a gun on the downed motorcyclist, until he tells her (from his hidden face) that he won't let her son die. Gordon and the driver of the car, along with baby James, fall off the bridge, with this mysterious man jumping to catch James. Gordon hits the water, gets up, and is handed back his baby. He can't see without his glasses, and realizes that this is Batman, out of uniform. He lets Batman go, in gratitude for Batman saving his son's life.

One month later, and Gordon is on the roof. Essen's left for New York, and Jim and Barbara are undergoing counselling. Flass and Loeb are out of business, and Jim's not Captain. Some crazy guy name the Joker is threatening to poison the reservoir, but Gordon now has a friend to help him...

The following issues made up Year One:

This file was last modified on June 30, 1997

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