This is a must read for anybody that is a Batman fan, comic book fan, or anyone who has a pulse. My wife has never read a comic book or graphic novel in her life, and she picked it up the minute I was done reading it. Geoff Johns should be commended for delivering a fresh take on the Batman origin, while still keeping us diehard Batman fans happy. Read Full Review

In this world, the caped crusader has a similar stance on murder, until he realizes you can't have rules in a city that doesn't play by them. My only complaint is that the book actually had to end because I was enthralled from beginning to end. Read Full Review

Overall, a good story, and a must-have for any Batman fan. Read Full Review

It's a Batman experiment done right. Something you'll love reading the first time, will revisit again (probably right after your first read like I did), and is an excellent set up for the next installment. With as flexible and expansive as a character like Batman is it's a waste not to venture outside his normal settings once in awhile. Batman: Earth One delivers exactly what it promised to with enough surprises to catch in your second or third reading. Good, fun, comic reading. Read Full Review

Batman: Earth One is a resounding success. There's no supplemental material to speak of, but the beautiful characterization, interesting new direction, and stunning artwork makes it an easy recommendation. When Superman: Earth One disappointed it left me cold on these books completely, but Johns and Frank have rejuvenated this line tenfold and made sure that Batman fans have a great new graphic novel to rave about. Read Full Review

After Superman: Earth One, I wasn't hopeful for this type of graphic novel. The Marvel Season Onebooks haven't done much to warrant these, even if they sell well. But Batman: Earth Oneshows that they can work out well, if done correctly. Even at $22.99, it's filled with greatness. Read Full Review

WOW ! How “Interesting”! The twists are overall boring (Alfred and Bullock are interesting changes, but not enough interesting to support a whole story like it is Read Full Review

Anyway, aside from that and the awful incorporation of the mass murder of young girls stacked in a basement in the continued SVUing of popular culture, Batman: Earth One is a solid read, if a dark and ugly one, with interesting canonical tweaks and the potential for more to arise - with D.A. Harvey Dent and new Mayor Jessica Dent ripe for some new stories. But it's Gary Frank who makes it all work. Read Full Review

Exactly the same asSuperman: Earth One, with art printed on a textured cover and a black band going down the side with title and credits. For the cover price of 22.99, it's a nice job. Even if it is up two bucks fromSuperman: Earth One, it's still cheaper thanMarvel Season One titles. And I would say for the current price on Amazon for 13 and change, very much worth it. Read Full Review

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 that allows characters to be rebooted and blended and re-envisioned in ways that strengthens some central narrative well DC can always draw from (my current opinions on most of the New 52 notwithstanding). 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 flicks. Read Full Review

I've always been a fan of the Elseworlds series that DC put out over a decade ago. It gave creators a chance to tell stories of their favorite characters that weren't in continuity, or if they were, the stories took place on a different Earth. Batman: Earth One is the Elseworlds series under a different name. It's a safe place to tell a story without upsetting the plethora of fans who have invested in a prime continuity (either with 52 or before). Geoff Johns has told a story that is solid enough for a one shot, and Gary Frank's art dazzles. I would like to see more, but not in a hardcover format. This book would have been much more appealing to me and possibly other readers if it were done up in the prestige format DC used to do for books like these. If you are a Batman fan who is looking for yet another origin story, I say check out Batman: Earth One. It's an interesting story and earns 4 out of 5 Stars. Read Full Review

The one hesitation I have about the book is Im not sure what I would have thought of this graphic novel had it been my first Batman book ever. Johns plays fast and loose with the origin, giving us familiar heroes, villains and supporting cast in roles new to them, almost to the point of eliminating any randomness in their creation. Everyone is connected, which is fascinating by comparison if you know Batmans in-continuity history, but could potentially seem pat if this was your first encounter. That said, Batman: Earth One is a beautifully rendered book and the plotlines introduced in the last 10 pages alone make me super eager for the next volume. Next year cant come soon enough. Read Full Review

This type of book has the potential to get new readers into comics, and if like me you have friends asking where to start reading comics, DC have offered a good starting point here and one I massively recommend it to fans new and old. Read Full Review

I come away from Batman: Earth One with two impressions. One is that I wish this version of Alfred Pennyworth should be the primary version of the character. It really is such an enhanced take on the character. Second is that Geoff Johns and Gary Frank are good creators who are not well-suited for Batman. He's just not the ideal character for either of them. I've already said how Frank's style doesn't mesh with Batman. With Johns, give him Aquaman, Booster Gold, Green Lantern or the Justice Society and he will work magic that redefines all the characters involved. Give him Batman, and he'll give you an unremarkable origin story that borrows from Batman: Year One and the movies more than it explores any new or interesting ground. Read Full Review

Some might suggest this graphic novel/reinterpretation of the Batman stands up well on its own, and while I thought it was a great read, it really doesn't succeed solely on its own merits creatively. A lot of the fun stems from seeing how Johns and Frank have changed the iconic characters and the socio-cultural backdrop of Gotham City. In other words, the reader will get the biggest bang for his or her buck if the reader is well-versed in All Things Batman. Read Full Review

This reboot is inline with what much of the rest of the DCU did last year, reinventing characters and concepts, introducing new characters like Birthday Boy and presenting Gotham through fresh eyes. This also allows for established and known elements of the Batman mythos to be re-combined, forming new alloys and ideas that bear future exploration, such as the relationship between the Wayne and Arkham families. In the end, this story is better served as a standalone, able to be revisited by creators and readers when the time is right. Read Full Review

Ultimately, this first volume doesn't do enough to distinguish itself from the 12 other Bat books on the market right now, making this less than essential reading. Read Full Review

It's a book that will feel dated a few months after release, and seems intent on trying to convey big moments that aren't really there, but at the same time the strong art and novel changes to characters gives it a certain charm that might not be something you want to read every month, for instance, but at the very least keeps your eyes open for the second volume (hopefully it doesn't take another four years). Compared to Superman Earth One, it is a much more complete story that might not flesh out Batman completely, but it doesn't just completely miss the mark on characterization like Superman did. Read Full Review

This was a phenomenal story, and although some long time Batman fans may be upset by this, I'm sure most people will like it. I'd also say that if you enjoyed Superman: Earth One, then you should at least try this, as it's just as good, and just as exciting. The changes were also very interesting, and the overall story was very dynamic, and dramatic. Johns also showed a great level of understanding for the character's, as although he made the changes I talked about, deep down every character was the exact same on the inside, with the same fundamentals. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this book (and Superman: Earth One if you have already read that), and can't wait for the sequel, especially after the fabulous teaser at the end of this book. Read Full Review

I'm giving it a fairly low score of a 4.5/10 not because this isn't “my Batman” and I hate change or anything. There's enough proof over the past 70 years of Batman comics that I shouldn't have to say how malleable Batman is and how well he can work under any circumstances. It's that “Batman: Earth One” feels like it was more focused on changing the appearance and last name of characters rather than making them interesting. It was more focused on altering the past we know in shocking ways rather than telling a compelling story. Read Full Review

Ambition is never a crime in the comics industry, and to be honest, I wish more books failed because they were too ambitious rather than the other way around. Batman: Earth One is one of those books. There's plenty of material to work with, and there's a ton of setup for future storylines. But what this book doesn't do is ultimately too damaging to ignore: for all its enthusiastic world-building, it fails to set up an exciting alternative in characterization to either the current Batman books or the epic Batman movies. Read Full Review

Batman Earth One has a great origin story, slightly different.. with a great villain that makes this comic almost a perfect comic!!

As someone who dips into Batman from time to time, my view on the book may be different from the avid reader's. However, the alternative Earth setting should deal with any gripes about continuity and cannon: this is a book that should be judged entirely on its own merit, and in that it is a success. The core of the story is Bruce Wayne's obsession with his parents' murder, and Gordon's broken spirit at the corruption in Gotham. Both aspects neatly dovetail, and the resolution feels real.

The art is great: both the pencilling and the colouring. Action is handled well, as too are differing emotions and mood. In fact, one of the strengths of the art is the depiction of emotion on characters' faces. As others have noted, opening up Batman's mask around his eyes has allowed for a much more nuanced portrayal of the character. more

A great introudction to a new world of superheros, a new Bruce, a new Gotham city and a new DC.

This is an else worlds story that reminds me of the Ultimate Marvel universe. I like what they did with characters like the Penguin and Bullock. There not the same as there main-stream counter parts but there's something familiar about them and John's interpretation of them seems fitting. The knock I would give on this book is that I wish the plot had a little more "umph" to it. What we get is good but it almost feels too short. It makes me wish that this was a monthly so we could keep exploring Earth One with Johns and Frank. If I remember right, one of the goals of the Ultimate Marvel line was to re-imagined their most popular characters without all the baggage of main continuity and I think that's what's accomplished here. Sometimes you want to read a fun Batman story without being bogged down by continuity or earth-shattering events. more

The long-awaited "Batman: Earth One" was released a few weeks before "The Dark Knight Rises" and it proved to be a great primer. Although it's not a masterpiece, Geoff Johns' re-telling of the Bat legend is a bizarre, but entertaining take on the Caped Crusader's not-so-great beginnings. In this alternate universe, Alfred Pennyworth is a badass with a prosthetic leg and the Mayor of Gotham City is none other than The Penguin himself who is now a tall, slender man. There's also a new version of Harvey Bullock who seems to be modeled after Kevin Spacey's Det. Jack Vincennes of "L.A. Confidential". In this first volume of "Batman: Earth One", Bruce Wayne is out to solve the mystery of his parents' murders. Along the way, he befriends a young Lucius Fox, but constantly butts heads with Alfred and even socks Jim Gordon in the face as Batman (during an escape that is). The book gets ugly with the introduction of a serial killer named "The Birthday Boy" and the murder of a major villain, but it's still a fun alternative version of the Bat-verse with a good ending and the promise of a sequel. Additionally, the artwork by Gary Frank is quite magnificent. Overall, if you're a Batman fan, then consider "Earth One" to be a worthy purchase. more

Honestly, kinda disappointed by this one. Instead of bringing something new to the table, it just feels like a generic Batman story. It was like the board of directors was saying "Hey, look what we just did with Green Lantern Earth One! Hooray! Oh, what? There's Batman? You go do something with him, I don't care.". It is ANOTHER reboot that retells the same old Bruce Wayne tale I kind of grown sick of.
The parents' death parts weren't anything extraordinary, and it doesn't really emphasize on why Bruce Wayne chose to become a bat costumed vigilante. Most of the story is about how the angry, badass Batman wants to avenge his parents' death. Sounds cool right? Well, the execution can't say the same. A lot of the scenes feel like taken from those dumb action movies of the 2000s. For example, take Bruce's fight with the completely different Alfred. Why did it happen? Not really sure. Did it have to? Completely not. But it is there, so it can make the book more kewl.
A lot of the important parts are misexecuted. For example, Gordon thinks Batman stole his daughter for some reason. He tells Gordon he didn't, and bang! the epic relationship has started.
The plot is nothing out of the ordinary. Batman finds out Penguin is responsible for his parents' death and starts his quest for vengeance. I thought the Birthday Boy part was supposed to shine, but I quickly found out it wasn't too much of a big deal, just stuff to fill the book.Batman eventually gets his parents avenged, with the help of Alfred. And they also have an emotional discussion after. Yayy, happy ending!
To that, add some failed catchphrases and some weird artwork here and there.

In conclusion, Batman Earth One is a Batman reboot that doesn't really tell how Batman became Batman, and doesn't tell a great Batman story either. It is a decent, just decent, comic book that's worth your few dollars if it is on sale, but otherwise I'd recommend you stay away from it unless you're a huge Batman fan. more

A dull and trite story that goes nowhere in terms of character development for the main character.