Batman Origin, Take 58.

With DC Comics having *just* rebooted their entire universe and uprooted and revised all established superhero origins, do we really need another Batman origin story that's different from the original Batman created by Bob Kane, different from the post-Crisis Batman, different from the post-Flashpoint/New 52 Batman, different from Batman starring Michael Keaton, and different from Batman Begins starring Christian Bale?  The answer, simply, is no. They're all similar, but each tells a slightly different tale, using different somewhat characters and string of events. However, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank did an amazing job with story and art in Batman: Earth One that it's hard to say no.

I'll be the first to admit that I was not a fan of the Superman: Earth One book that came out a couple of years ago. The story was lame and...another, different Superman origin?  Really?  And what's with the "Earth One" thing?  Don't the current series in the DC Universe take place on Earth One?  Is this a different Earth One?  Besides multiple Earths, are there multiple Earth Ones, Earth Twos, etc.?

Needless to say, I hesitated buying Batman: Earth One.  I had faith in Johns and Frank, though, so I decided to give it a shot.  If it were any other creators, I probably would have skipped it.  Luckily, I wasn't disappointed.  Johns provides a different take on Batman's origin, but still sticks closely to the original premise. The Penguin is involved this time around, as is a much younger, thinner, and sober Detective Harvey Bullock. There is no Robin, but there is hint of a Batgirl in Barbara Gordon, who makes a couple of brief appearances. Rather than Bruce's parents' deaths being an accident, it's more like a conspiracy. By far the most interesting twist was that Martha Wayne's maiden name was Arkham(!), that her bloodline was doomed for insanity, and -- I think -- that the house in which she grew up was abandoned and would one day become Arkham Asylum. I would love to see that detail added to Batman's mythos. It would make for some interesting stories. And while I liked the interaction between the young Bruce Wayne and a goateed war vet Alfred, I think it was too big of a change for one of the major characters in Bruce's life for people to digest.  Alfred was the only character on this alternate Earth who didn't even come close to resembling the "real" character. 

There were some sensitive, emotional moments that Johns captured between Bruce and his parents and Bruce and Alfred, but there weren't enough to really involve the reader emotionally in the story as much as they should have been.  I know Johns has it in him, so I was disappointed that there weren't more heart-tugging moments.  Gary Frank did an amazing job on the artwork throughout, and I loved looking at every detailed panel.

All in all, it's worth the read, even if you know Batman's origin inside and out. Just don't confuse it for his real origin...whatever it may be now.