It’s barely exaggerating to say that everyone knows Batman’s origin story by now. It’s one of those universal constants, as ingrained in popular culture as Mickey Mouse and the Coke logo. It’s easy to sum up: As a kid, Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents, and subsequently dedicated his life towards eradicating crime. And because criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot, he decided to do it while dressed as a giant bat.
And yet for as many times as the story’s been told, in comics and books, film and radio and on television and on stage and shaved into the fur of slow-moving long-haired cats, people keep trying to find new ways to interpret the mythos, to say something new and profound. Bruce Wayne and Batman change with the times, and in Batman: Earth One, we have the latest attempt to reinvent the wheel, to create an all-new Batman legend. A younger, hipper, edgier version, if you will. But writer Geoff Johns—currently one of the major movers and shakers at DC Comics, renowned for his ability to breathe new life into the classics such as Green Lantern and Aquaman—takes the opportunity to make more than a few tweaks. The result?
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