Year One: Triumphs and Disappointments

[millernumber1]

So, with the announcement of Superman: Year One, I was thinking about the entire history of the Year One branding. Obviously, Batman: Year One is the most famous example of this branding, but there's a whole collection of stories that expanded the concept to other characters and even relationships. So, I was wondering what people's favorites were, and how people feel about the upcoming addition to the group.

Partially annotated list:

Batman: Year One - part of the regular Batman series, executed as part of the DC Universe relaunch after the first Crisis, not from the then current regular writing and art team.
Guy Gardner: Year One
JLA: Year One
Robin: Year One - the first of Dixon and Beatty's series of Year One projects. This and the following volume focusing on Batgirl have very similar, clean, neo-retro art, showing the care being taken in crafting the tales. A limited prestige format series.
Batgirl: Year One - Dixon and Beatty's first followup in the series, released as a 9-issue standalone miniseries of relatively normal length.
Nightwing: Year One - the last of Dixon and Beatty's projects to be completed, though others were planned. It was, like Batman, part of the regular ongoing, but not by the then current regular writers, and had art by Dixon's longtime collaborator on his previous Nightwing run, Scott McDaniel.
Batman/Scarecrow: Year One
Batman/Ra's al Ghul: Year One
Green Arrow: Year One
Metamorpho: Year One
Teen Titans: Year One
Two-Face: Year One
Huntress: Year One - oddly, this project was handed to a brand new comics writer, Ivory Madison, with art duties handled by verteran artist Cliff Richards. It was treated like a prestige miniseries and trade collection.
Black Lightning: Year One
Wonder Woman: Year One - a passion project by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott. Likely the project that was originally going to be Wonder Woman: Earth One, that was a significant part of Rucka walking away from DC when they gave that project to Grant Morrison. Part of the regular ongoing series, but set apart by being part of the universe relaunch/retcon event Rebirth.

My favorite is definitely Batman: Year One, because it's so beautifully crafted. Everything about it clearly shows the skill of everyone involved. You could spill gallons of ink on it, but I'll simply say that Frank Miller, no matter what he does afterwards, made one of the most beautiful comics of all time, and he will always be important for that reason alone.
Second would be Wonder Woman: Year One, since it unites my favorite writer and my favorite artist for Wonder Woman in a story that's incredibly beautiful and affecting (even though the ending feels a tiny bit too rushed, since a lot of the threads were carried over into the rest of the ongoing series). I think it's really a shame that it doesn't seem to get the respect and reputation of other Year One projects, since it's two creators at the top of their game doing what they've been planning for almost a decade.
Third would definitely be Batgirl: Year One. It's definitely the most sheer fun of any of the Year One-branded stories I've read, though it doesn't hesitate to use the pathos of The Killing Joke and the seriousness of Babs' Oracle identity and the Birds of Prey (similar to the way Huntress: Year One would foreshadow Helena's later relationship with Barbara). The inventiveness and loveliness of the art and storytelling definitely lift this into the august company of the best Year One collections.

What do you all think?

[Frontier]

It's kind of interesting to think which prestiege heroes haven't gotten a major Year One story, like Aquaman and Flash.

For what it's worth I count Green Lantern: Secret Origins as a Year One story, more or less.

[millernumber1]

It's kind of interesting to think which prestiege heroes haven't gotten a major Year One story, like Aquaman and Flash.

For what it's worth I count Green Lantern: Secret Origins as a Year One story, more or less.

I mean, there's definitely a lot of origin stories that aren't branded as Year One - Superman: Birthright, pretty much anything called Secret Origins as you mention, the entire Year One Annual project from 1995, the bazillion Superman origin stories, the Earth One series. I was more looking at the ways DC has used the Year One brand to set it apart from other origin stories.

[Assam]

JLA: Year One is definitely my favorite. One of the best Justice League stories ever told and as a kid it was one of my favorite comics in general.

Of the others I've read:

Batman: Year One- Very, very good. It's not one of my absolute favorite Batman stories, but it is certainly the best thing Frank Miller has written.
Guy Gardner:Year One- Another one of my favorites.
Robin: Year One-Not bad.
Batgirl: Year One- Pretty good, but very overrated.
Nightwing: Year One- I can barely remember what this was about.
Teen Titans: Year One- Heavily flawed, but I still really enjoy it.

[Ascended]

JLA, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman are my favorites here. Black Lightning was quite solid as well, but not quite on the same level.

I have to confess....I've never read Batman Year One. >shame<

And I think I actually own it! >hides<

[millernumber1]

JLA: Year One is definitely my favorite. One of the best Justice League stories ever told and as a kid it was one of my favorite comics in general.

Of the others I've read:

Batman: Year One- Very, very good. It's not one of my absolute favorite Batman stories, but it is certainly the best thing Frank Miller has written.
Guy Gardner:Year One- Another one of my favorites.
Robin: Year One-Not bad.
Batgirl: Year One- Pretty good, but very overrated.
Nightwing: Year One- I can barely remember what this was about.
Teen Titans: Year One- Heavily flawed, but I still really enjoy it.

Hmm. I'll have to think about JLA Year One. I just don't like the Justice League in general, so it's really hard to get me to read any JL story.

I would disagree, obviously, that Batgirl Year One is overrated - I think it's incredibly well constructed, and the art is so pretty. I really wish the artists for both Robin and Batgirl Year One got more regular work. (Of course, I also love Rick Burchett a lot, so... )

JLA, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman are my favorites here. Black Lightning was quite solid as well, but not quite on the same level.

I have to confess....I've never read Batman Year One. >shame<

And I think I actually own it! >hides<

Go for it! It's worth it!

I need to read Green Arrow Year One, since Jock is a really great artist.

[MRP]

Don't forget all of DC's 1995 annuals did Year One stories and branded them as such.







-M

[MRP]

Of the one listed by the OP, I've read a bunch of them but the only 2 I've held on to to become part of my permanent collection are the Miller/Mazzuchelli Batman Year One and the Diggle/Jock Green Arrow series in trade.

-M

[millernumber1]

Don't forget all of DC's 1995 annuals did Year One stories and branded them as such.
-M

Yup! That was a major project! But I don't think any of those one-shots have lasted in fan's memories as the miniseries have. Do you have favorites - are the three shown the best in your evaluation?

[MRP]

Yup! That was a major project! But I don't think any of those one-shots have lasted in fan's memories as the miniseries have. Do you have favorites - are the three shown the best in your evaluation?

The Spectre annual stands out for me, but then the Ostrander run on that title is probably one of my top 5 runs of all time. I remember liking a lot of the annuals and I bought a lot even from series I wasn't otherwise picking up, but I sold off a lot of my individual issues when I moved halfway across the country 15 years ago and haven't revisited many of them since. I think Spectre and Hawkman might be the only 2 I still have filed away.

-M

[millernumber1]

The Spectre annual stands out for me, but then the Ostrander run on that title is probably one of my top 5 runs of all time. I remember liking a lot of the annuals and I bought a lot even from series I wasn't otherwise picking up, but I sold off a lot of my individual issues when I moved halfway across the country 15 years ago and haven't revisited many of them since. I think Spectre and Hawkman might the only 2 I still have filed away.

-M

Cool! It's really a bummer that so many of the Annuals aren't digitized on Comixology. So much history is lost!

[Assam]

Yup! That was a major project! But I don't think any of those one-shots have lasted in fan's memories as the miniseries have. Do you have favorites - are the three shown the best in your evaluation?

Talking those annuals, my top 3 would be Legion of Super Heroes, Flash and Azrael. That is, if you don't count Legionnaires. It had the Year One branding, but it wasn't a Year One story. If it does count, it's the best by a MILE, serving as the climax to one of the Legion's best stories.

[dan12456]

My favourite year ones are Wonder Woman Year One (the definitive Wonder Woman origin I really was missing from my collection) and Green Arrow Year One (not necessarily my favourite take on what transpired during Ollies time on the island, but I've read/watched over half a dozen different versions of what happened there and this is one of the best for sure.)

[Badou]

Batman Year One - Classic Batman story that really set the foundation for the modern Batman.
Robin Year One - Okay story with some nice moments, but it doesn't rise above that and become something really memorable. Pairing it with Batigrl Year One helps it a little.
Batgirl Year One - Greatest Batgirl story still. Nothing since has topped it. Amazing art, fun action, and shows how strong of a lead Barbara is.
Nightwing Year One - Disappointing. Really pails in compares to even Robin Year One and I dislike that writers still use it as a reference for current stories.
Titans Year One - Very dull and forgettable.
Green Arrow Year One - Not the best Green Arrow story but I still liked the take on the character.

Those are the only ones I've read.

[Aahz]

Nightwing: Year One- I can barely remember what this was about.

It is not bad, but imo "Batman Adventures: The Lost Years" is the superior version of this story.