Batman: Earth One Vol. 1 (Batman:Earth One series) Kindle & comiXology

Batman's first venture into costumed crimefighting is a story that's already been told before, and told well, most notably in Batman: Year One and Batman: Zero Year. But Earth One remains fresh and intriguing from start to finish, and is a worthy retelling of the Caped Crusader's origins.The main draw of this book (as well as one of its critics' chief complaints) is that it shows Batman as human and and flawed, and then slowly shows his progression into the Batman we've all come to know. This is a very down to earth portrayal of Batman, and honestly that's why I like this story so much. He's not a ridiculous badass who knows every martial art in the world, speaks a dozen languages, and has advanced degrees in forensic science, chemistry, criminal psychology, and engineering like his mainstream counterpart. He's a moderately skilled fighter trained by a former British marine in hand-to-hand combat who has to initially rely on luck, wits, and sometimes faulty gadgets. In Volume 2, he has to ask Gorgon to train him in basic criminal investigation after he realizes that punching people can't solve all his problems, as opposed to the usual incarnation of Batman who is usually hailed as the World's Greatest Detective. And he isn't a stalwart paragon of moral virtue; initially he just wants revenge for the murder of his parents, but slowly comes to realize that he's not the only one who has suffered at the hands of Gotham's criminal element, and resolves to protect the innocent. I love this interpretation because the main appeal of Batman is that he's supposed to be an ordinary, if exceptionally talented, man who regularly goes up against impossible odds and still comes out on top, but all too often Bruce Wayne is portrayed as being so over-the-top intelligent and tough that it strains believability and edges him near Marty Stu territory. This book brings the Batman legend back to basics and then modernizes a lot of concepts.The best part of Earth One, however, has got to be Alfred. What Frank Miller's Year One did for Gordon, Earth One does for Alfred. He's a fully fleshed out, three-dimensional character here, maybe even moreso than Bruce himself, but he's also been given a series rehaul. This time around, he's drawn to resemble a mixture of Sean Connery and Christopher Lee, and reflects his new design with a new attitude. He's tough as nails and possibly the biggest badass in the book, having been the one who trained Batman in fighting in this retelling. What stands out most, though, is his loving and well written fatherly relationship with Bruce, who is a frustrated and angry young man who feels lost in the world. Alfred is the one who grounds him in reality and lifts his spirit, in a gruff, cranky sort of way. Also of note here is this book's interpretations of Harvey Bullock and Penguin, but I don't want to give away too much of the plot.All in all, this is an excellent revamp of the Dark Knight Mythos, and the series only gets better with Volume 2. I eagerly await the continuation of the series with baited breath.

The artwork in this is amazing. I was in awe at every page. I enjoyed the story as well. It's pretty gritty so it may not be the best for younger audiences but I think it was the perfect way to tell it. Very enjoyable read

Coming off of Superman: Earth One with a less than glowing affection, I was skeptical of this story at first. I mean sure I tend to be a huge fan of Johns and Frank as a creative duo (their Earthman/ Legion story in action is one of my all-time favorites), but I've been reading a lot of Batman lately, and between the new 52, the movie, and the flashpoint books I've read for this challenge; I'm a little over saturated with renditions of cape and cowl...So feel me when I tell you how refreshing and awesome this book was as not only a stand alone work, but a pallet cleanser that serves to remind a sometimes jaded reader why Gotham is such a beloved chunk of real-estate in the Warner Brothers stable.When we meet Thomas he is a man on a mission to repair the city he loves from within by running for mayor. But the race has not been without its troubles, and the rich man reaches out to his most trusted friend from across the pond. Enter an Alfred unlike those we have known in the past. This pennyworth, this wounded soldier Thomas saved on some long remembered battlefield has been brought to Wayne manor as head of security in light of recent threats to the candidate and his family.From the jump there are new tensions here than what we are used to, and new questions about the relationships between characters who look either super familiar to us (Thomas) or unlike any incarnation we have known (Alfred).Stubborn as always, the head of the house of Wayne, refusing to allow his security detail to color his family's weekly movie night ventures out into the belly of a city already lost. While most of what happens next in this origin story is familiar to us, the guilt these events builds in Alfred changes the relationship he has with the boy who would be bat. There's an air of responsibility that colors his staying on as manservant that leads to training in the fighting arts which wasn't there before. What follows is a fascinating romp through the birth of a hero where gadgets don't work, the Penguin is a terrifying badass, the Batman isn't, and the lineage of Martha is given a name that really changes everything about why Bruce's mind unhinges the way it does in the face of his parents brutal murder.While I won't reveal any more about the book for fear of spoiling what I so enjoyed. What I will tell you is that I love Elseworld stories, and I think there is something malleable about DC characters that allows them to be rebooted and blended and re-envisioned in ways that strengthens some central narrative well DC can always turn to. Earth One is one of those interpretations which makes the concept of alternate imaginings so great by refreshing a character people love for a wider audience that may otherwise be too afraid to dip it into the mire of years and years of comic continuity no matter how much they like the movies.

Much like the Superman Earth One book, it was originally bought for my dad, as a just thinking of you type gift. He bragged about how much he liked it so I checked it out for myself. To start I really like how Alfred was portrayed. It was a totally different angle than anything I had seen in the past. That is one thing I really like about these books, they aren't afraid to try something different. To take a different approach to these characters. The art work and the presentation of the book, including it being hardback give the book a certain feel of importance that comes through with the writing. As I said about the Earth One: Superman - It was an interesting new take on a story that has been told many times over. That applies just as much to this book. I'm really looking forward to the sequel books.