Tom King, Jordie Bellaire and Phil Hester delve into classic noir with Gotham City: Year One, the story of the criminal origins of Batman’s city, in a volume published by ECC Ediciones

The world of Batman It is so rich that it gives rise to a multitude of stories, whatever you have dark Knight or any of the many heroes or villains of your city as the protagonists. But its potential is such that it goes even further. King Tom, Jordi Bellaire And Hester Thread They prove it with a story black classic where we go back to the times of our grandparents Bruce Waynepublished by ECC Editions under the title of Gotham City: Year One on your seal Great DC Graphic Novels.

The detective, the kidnapped girl, the Femme Fatale and death

We are not used to seeing stories DC Comics that stray so far from the usual superhero tone that their comics usually have. Fortunately, King is at this point in his career (or has he always been?) so above these conventions that he dares to do anything. Perhaps another author would not have been allowed this audacity with a story like this, but strips are strips…

Let’s go back several decades into the past of Gotham Cityat a time when the Wayne family was nothing short of kings of the city. At that time Gotham could boast of being a model for the rest of the United States in almost every way. Prosperity and peace were its hallmarks, with crime rates well below other major cities such as Metropolis.

But there is always something that can cloud the atmosphere, and in this case it is the call hijacking. “Princess of Gotham”the newborn Wayne heir. The child has been kidnapped and there is no trace of his whereabouts or his captors.

This sad situation will have an impact on the life of our protagonist, the private detective. Slam Bradleywhen a young woman bursts into his office with an assignment: she must take a note to Wayne Manor to be delivered. And so begins a story that will mark the beginning of the decline of the town, until it gradually becomes the hole it is today…

Batman’s Legacy

The entire story will be narrated by an elderly Bradley, bedridden as Batman listens to these unknown facts about his family’s past and even his own superhero legacy. We will thus learn about the creepy relationship between his grandparents and the dirty story of the kidnapping of what would become his aunt.

Slam doesn’t know why he was chosen to inform the Waynes that the kidnappers expect a large ransom in exchange for the child, who of course they threaten to kill if this information reaches the police. But that doesn’t stop him from taking charge of the case and acting as the intermediary between the richest family in the city and the criminals who kidnapped the heiress.

Things will soon start to go wrong and Slam will begin to suspect that something is wrong as his troubled past as a police officer comes back to haunt him. And it is precisely the unsolved murder of his assistant that is the first domino to fall and sets in motion a tragedy that will shake the foundations of the city…

The most serious Tom King

King has proven throughout his career that there is no genre in which he is bad, from pajamas to suspense, from intrigue to the more thoughtful, but the noir-like tone he gives to this comic will probably surprise even his most devoted. loyal readers. What will not surprise you is how brilliant the writing is.

King immerses himself completely in the genre, as per a And Brubaker it was about bringing us a story full of the typical clichés of this type of narrative and making them his own. At certain moments it might even seem that, ignoring the surnames of some of the protagonists, we could be faced with a new adventure of the anti-hero Sam Spade get out of the mind of Dashiell Hammett.

Another aspect to highlight is how the events that happened here will have their impact in the future, to the point of seeing step by step the transformation of an entire city. And that is where the artist Hester Thread and above all the colorist Jordi Bellaire They earn the reader’s respect with the setting achieved here.

In short, this masterpiece transcends the typical DC Comics superhero genre and delves into the world of superheroes. black classic with a story filled with mystery, intrigue and tragedy. This comic is perfect for those readers who are looking for something more than the traditional Batman stories. It is ideal for fans of detective series, lovers of detective novels and anyone interested in exploring the origins and transformation of the Batman universe. Masked vigilante.

Gotham City: Year One (DC major graphic novels)

As incredible as it may seem, a few decades ago Gotham was a bastion of hope among the great cities of the United States. Wealth and prosperity seemed its only horizon. What happened to make it become the devastated city that gave birth to the Dark Knight?

Two generations before Bruce Wayne, Detective Slam Bradley accepts an assignment to investigate the disappearance of his family’s young heiress after “the kidnapping of the century.” The results of his investigation will reach the ears of Batman in the present, when an elderly Slam will tell him the details, even if they will be as gruesome as they are revealing…

King Tom And Hester Thread They team up for the first time in this gritty six-part story with never-before-told insights into the deterioration of Batman’s city. Gotham City: Year One It is an epic and heartbreaking noir story destined to leave a deep mark on its protagonists and its readers.

Authors: King TomJordie Bellaire and Phil Hester