Rise Of The Dark Knight
The focus is on the first year of Batman's career as the Dark Knight. James Gordon arrives in Gotham and begins his quest to bring justice to the city. Selina Kyle begins her masquerade as Catwoman and the public confuse her as being Batman's assistant to her displeasure. The beginning of a mutual friendship between Batman and Gordon begins.
My Thoughts:
Written by legendary writer Frank Miller, this story was scribed before I was even born. The story still holds up for coming out back in 1986. What I didn't expect was that the primary focus seemed to be on Gordon rather than Batman. While I did like his part in this comic a lot, I felt he overshadowed Batman in it. Gordon's part was well written though and very interesting. From the beginning where the other police don't accept him as one of them, to his kiss with Sarah Essen and lastly to the beginning of his alliance with Batman. For me, Gordon stole the show in this. Batman's part was great, don't get me wrong. It was fun to see some of his first stunts as the Caped Crusader and how he developed into a symbol for justice.
One thing I didn't like was the lettering in some parts. Some of it was hard to read. I had to pull the comic closer to my face to attempt to distinguish the letters a lot. I don't like having to do that when reading comics.
The art is by David Mazzucchelli who has garnered a considerable amount of praise for his artwork on this series. Call me crazy but I don't see what the hype is about. At first glance I didn't like it at all but by the end of the comic it did grow on me a little. But overall I didn't like the art that much. It feels really outdated and in my opinion doesn't hold up in this day and time. I definitely stuck it out for the story, not the art.
Even though I don't think this is as good as most people think, I would still recommend reading this especially for all Batman fans. It's an essential piece of his characters history and deserves a spot in your collection.
Rating: 4/5
