Last time we saw Batman, he was being carpet bombed by helicopters while trapped in a tenement building while SWAT teams close in. We rejoin the story currently in progress."Batman: Year One, Chapter Three:
Black Dawn"
Writer: Frank Miller
Artist: David Mazzuchelli
Colours: Richmond Lewis
Letters: Todd Klein
Synopsis: As the bombing continues, Batman loses his utility belt and must hide in the basement. Meanwhile, the noise and light show awake Selina Kyle and her young roommate Holly Robinson. Their apartment is full of cats.
At the scene, Branden goes in with a SWAT team while Gordon begins to have a crisis of conscience regarding the Batman and the GCPD. The SWAT team searches for Batman, who Vulcan neck pinches two of them and steals a radio, mocking Branden. Selina and Holly arrive with a growing crowd of people around the scene. Hiding from the SWAT, Batman activates a device in his boot which summons the bats from the cave under Wayne Manor, and dispatches a cop with a blowdart poison. It draws attention to his position and the SWAT opens fire. In the confusion Batman rescues a cat from the gunfire, which ends up in the arms of Selina Kyle. Batman kicks down the last ceiling support and brings the building down around them. He also makes a point of throwing the cop who shot at the cat through a brick wall. Gordon notices that the crowd has begun cheering for the Batman, instead of the cops -- but the cheering turns to screams as a cloud of bats flies into the area, creating enough confusion for Batman to escape by motorcycle. In the aftermath the whole crowd is vaccinated for bat bites, most of Branden's team is hospitalized, and the owner of a nearby men's shop finds a three-piece suit missing, but the payment for it in hhis cash register.
Still pursuing Bruce Wayne as his primary suspect, Gordon discovers he's been skiing in Switzerland the past six weels and broken both legs and one arm. Essen points out that's identical to the spots Batman was shot in. Meanwhile, Bruce realizes he can't keep doing this if the entire city is against him, and decides he needs Jim Gordon on his side.
In the East End, Selina punches out Stan the pimp and announces to Holly that they're finding new work.
Gordon and Essen begin drinking coffee after work. He learns her name is Sarah and her background. They get caught in the rain, and begin an affair. Selina spends all her money on a Cat costume and, over the protestations of Holly, leaps out the window to become the Catwoman. Gordon, meanwhile, sinks into depression when he realizes that his marriage is falling apart, he's in love with Sarah Essen, and that the Batman may be the only hero in Gotham.
My Thoughts: Part Three mostly centers around a dynamic action sequence featuring the Batman cornered by Branden's SWAT team. This scene would influence similar occurances in the animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and 2005's Batman Begins. The Miller/Mazzuchelli team really cements their position here as premiere Batman storytellers, and the quiet, introspective ending is the perfect capper after the action packed opening. I also have always liked the scene where Selina punches out her pimp. A very strong character moment. A good issue, all in all.
The Art: David Mazzuchelli continues his spectacular artwork this issue, creating iconic and moving imagery. A panel where a cat leaps into Selina Kyle's open arms always strikes me with its simplicity and powerful sense of character. The panels depicting the cloud of bats swarming over the crowd are powerful, dramatic, and a little bit frightening. Mazzuchelli continues referencing classic noir sources, including the panel of Gordon and Essen at a coffee shop called "Hopper", which is a lift from the classic painting Nighthawks. The images of Gordon and Essen in the rain are classic noir, the panel of Selina leaping from her window is a defining Catwoman image, and the last page of a shadowed Gordon sitting on his bed, cradling his pistol is gripping and heart-wrenching.
The Story: Miller keeps the threads moving here as well as introducing a few new themes. Primary among this is the beginning of Wayne and Gordon realizing they need to be partners, not enemies. This reaches its head in part four, completing the fated interaction of these two characters begun in part one. Miller also moves Selina Kyle's story ahead, showing us that the actions of Batman are beginning to have an influencing affect on the population of Gotham. Miller uses a "less is more" technique with Selina, showing us only key moments and refusing to focus on her or fill in the dots. This keeps "Year One" a story about heroes and avoids the villain-centric trap most Batman storytellers fall into.
Notes and Trivia: First appearance of Post-Crisis Catwoman.
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