Frank Miller's Batman: Year One Prequel Would Finally Reveal Jim Gordon's Secret Past

Frank Miller is one of the most iconic Batman writers in the character's history, delivering countless classics throughout the years. Even his more divisive work in Gotham City, at the very least, remain talking points whenever Batman fans discuss the Caped Crusader's most important stories.

With that said, nobody can dispute Batman: Year One's impact on the comic world or the character of Batman himself. It is the quintessential Batman origin story, showing readers exactly what Bruce Wayne had to go through as he decided to watch over the streets of Gotham. However, there was one other character who shared nearly just as many important moments in Year One, and Miller believes he has an idea for a story that follows him.

Frank Miller Wants To Return To Year One For A Jim Gordon Prequel

While speaking on the Word Balloon podcast, legendary Batman writer Frank Miller teased the untold tale of Commissioner Jim Gordon — still a Lieutenant during the events of Batman: Year One — about why he was forced to return to Gotham City after a 15-year stint with the Chicago police force. While some may feel there is enough context in the pages of Year One to explainwhy Gordon may not have gotten along well during his time in Chicago, it can't be argued that there isn't plenty of story left untold.

Miller hinted at having the story plotted out in his mind — dating all the way back to when he was working on his pivotal Batman tale, The Dark Knight Returns. "I wrote a backstory for Batman. And I just did it for my own purposes of, you know, what I had in mind as I wrote him in Dark Knight. And I used that as the basis for Year One," Miller told Word Balloon host John Siuntres. "I was working with [artist David Mazzuchelli], who has such a wonderful, understated, subdued, even quiet approach to the artwork, that I knew I could have a completely different tone than Dark Knight. Instead of having this thunderous book, it was much more, almost like a Raymond Chandler story where the hero was very calm and things just weren't so noisy."

Jim Gordon Played A Pivotal Role In the Original Batman: Year One

Jim Gordon starts out in Batman: Year One as a recently transferred Chicago cop who struggles to regain his footing in Gotham City. Throughout the story, it's made clear that he is anti-corruption, which is something that makes him somewhat of an outlier in Gotham. Gordon finds it impossible to fight crime in Gotham City while needing to work alongside crooked colleagues such as Commissioner Loeb and Detective Flass — and, therefore, is forced to form an uneasy alliance with the brand-new vigilante known as the Batman.

This alliance with Batman develops an endlessly interesting morally grey layer to Gordon — though it's clear that it's always been present in the character. In one of the most satisfying scenes from Batman: Year One, Gordon takes the law into his own hands when he violently beats Detective Flass for the latter's shady dealings in the city. This focus on the character and his moral complexity helps make Jim Gordon not just a secondary character in Year One as he is sometimes portrayed, but a co-lead with Batman himself.

Given the fact that Frank Miller has returned to the world of Batman time and time again — with multiple Dark Knight sequels and spin-offs, All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder and Spawn/Batman — he has yet to return to the specific time period of Batman: Year One. Any Batman fan can agree that the idea of Miller going even further back in the lore than Year One is a fascinating concept and would surely make for yet another must-read story. Especially if it follows Jim Gordon, one of the most interesting parts of Batman: Year One.

Frank Miller's Batman: Year One can be read wherever comics are sold.