There once was a shining city on the water, a home for families, hope, and prosperity. It was Gotham and it was glorious. The story of its fall from grace, the legend that would birth the Bat, has remained untold for 80 years. That's about to change.
Superstar creators Tom King and Phil Hester team up for the first time to tell the definitive origin of Gotham City: how it became the cesspool of violence and corruption it is today, and how it harbored and then unleashed the sin that led to the rise of the Dark Knight. Two generations before Batman, private investigator Slam Bradley gets tangled in the "kidnapping of the century" as the in more
Gotham City Year One #1 is a hardboiled detective story, and its a very good one. If you have an aversion to this genre, it is probably not for you. But for everyone else, especially genre fans, this is an exemplary entry and easily one of the best comic examples in a long time. Read Full Review
Each character is firmly realized in Gotham City: Year One amongst a backdrop relatable to the American experience of the 1960s. Gotham City: Year One is dripping with noir nihilism and atmosphere in a can't-miss look at a city falling into shambles that'll one day need a Batman. Read Full Review
King throws in a slight twist at the end of the issue, but it's a good one. I'm cautiously optimistic for this one. King has an excellent premise and if he stays dialed in and focused, this could prove to be one of his strongest works yet for DC. Read Full Review
Hester beautifully brings the world of Gotham to life with art that is perfect for the setting and dark, noir characters of the story. Read Full Review
Gotham: Year One #1 is a fascinating exploration of the past. Whilst set in the history of the city, this is a really engrossing new story. Brilliantly pastiching the genre of a noir tale to tell an unseen, potentially shameful hidden origin creates a fantastic atmosphere. Both the artists and the writer do a superb job of toying with the homage before mixing in both their own flair, ripping up any expectations. Read Full Review
The historic overtones of the story are intriguing, and Phil Hester's art looks as good as it ever has. But this is a comic that takes King's penchant for dark, noir-inspired storytelling and takes it into overdrive. After the more inventive takes he's had in recent books of his, this one isn't entirely clicking for me yet. Read Full Review
Gotham City: Year One #1 is the exact type of story Tom King should be writing. To anyone looking for that perfect detective, noir mystery that feels like it involves characters you should know, this is right up your alley. Fans will instantly be drawn towards Slam Bradley, find the Wayne's super weird and suspicious, and all while uncovering a new suspenseful thriller in the heart of Gotham's history long for the Batman. Read Full Review
Readers will quickly know whether this tale fits their taste, but those who appreciate noir tales in comic books are bound to return for issue #2. Read Full Review
Gotham City: Year One #1 takes its time building up its mystery, meaning that we're only offered a glimpse at the overall story by the time the issue ends. It's difficult to say at this point whether the extended introduction will be worth it, but the hooks are enough to make you want to come back to learn more. Dual themes of moral decay and racial prejudice create a complex narrative that hopefully future issues will be able to successfully execute on. Read Full Review
Gotham City: Year One #1 effectively retells the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping set in the DC universe. The story mimics the real crime down to exacting details while putting Slam Bradley at the heart of the investigation. If fictional history crime stories are your cup of tea, you might enjoy this. For everyone else, it's a wait-and-see to find out if King injects more originality into the premise. Read Full Review
Gotham City: Year One #1 opens with a promising mystery, even though the art and small scale prevent it from being a fully immersive dive into Gotham's past. Read Full Review
A strong debut that fumbles in a few key places. Read Full Review
Powerfully evocative art by Phil Hester and grippingly atmospheric writing by Tom King doesn't quite lift this opening chapter of their story from the standard patterns of the hardboiled detective tale. Read Full Review
Another great mini-series from Tom King. I love that this is a noir-style detective story set in Gotham which a lot of Batman stories recently have been lacking in. Phil Hester is also an inspired choice for this; I love the grittiness that his pencils supply that is only accentuated by Jordie Bellaire’s beautiful colours. I’m excited to see where this series goes.
A good start. King sets the story up well, and Hester's art is suitably moody and atmospheric (credit to Bellaire for colours too). The pacing is good and Slam Bradley's monologue works well in pitching this in the crime noir genre. I hope it continues to develop well.
This was all fine. The writing is competent and stylish as one would expect. The art is similarly stylish in its tone. I just have a real problem caring about any of this. I also think it's extremely cynical. Which does have its place, and certainly fits the noir archetype, but... it's just not what I want to read right now. I don't really care for this idea that Gotham City was finally corrupted by a rich family tragedy, but we'll let that play out, I guess. I don't have many feelings about this one, just sort of by-the-numbers emptiness.
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