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In 1986, DC Comics decided to update its classic superheroes, some of whom, like Batman, had been around since before World War II. Although DC's editorial board decided not to mess with the Caped Crusader's origin -- as they did with other characters' -- they did want to flesh out his story, to make it more resonant for modern-day readers. And who better to tackle the assignment than Frank Miller? The writer and illustrator had recently taken on a similarly character-redefining project with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which portrayed the aging superhero coming out of retirement. Miller's interpretation also provided a template for the complex and conflicted Batman of the movie franchise, which began in 1988 and continues through Batman Begins, now in theaters. (See review at left.)

In Batman: Year One, which has been reissued in a handsome hardback deluxe edition, Miller hands over penciling duties to David Mazzucchelli for a tale that imagines Bruce Wayne's ham-fisted first forays into crime-fighting. It also examines the saga through the parallel story of James Gordon, a by-the-book police lieutenant and transplant to the extremely corrupt Gotham police force. In fact, Wayne and Gordon narrate the action in turns.

Millionaire playboy Wayne, 25, returns to his ancestral mansion in Gotham after spending a dozen years abroad. During that time, he honed his body and mind to become the ultimate crime-fighter, his path set by the murder of his parents, which he'd witnessed at age 7.

At the same time, Gordon relocates with his pregnant wife to take a job with Gotham's dirtiest. A straight shooter, he goes the Serpico route, refusing to participate in the precinct's business-as-usual violence and graft. Soon, he's taking on his colleagues and the crooked police commissioner.

Meanwhile, an incognito Wayne hits the crime-ridden East End to enact a little street justice. Before long, he's in the midst of a "situation," as he tries to protect a child prostitute from her violent pimp. Inexperienced, he botches the job and barely escapes. Gordon, too, learns some hard lessons. After taking his lumps from baseball-bat-wielding fellow cops, he exacts retribution from their hulking ringleader, sending a powerful message throughout the precinct.

The newspapers hail Gordon as a "hero cop," while the police attempt to track down Batman, who has since adopted his trademark cape and cowl, for his vigilante antics. The hunt for Batman gets intense after the Dark Knight infiltrates a dinner at the mayor's mansion and puts the powerbrokers in attendance on notice. "You've eaten Gotham's wealth, its spirit," he remonstrates. "Your feast is nearly over. From this moment on -- none of you are safe."

When the police corner Batman in an abandoned building, they decide to bomb the place, despite its derelict inhabitants and Gordon's impassioned pleas. Batman again barely escapes, but he and Gordon come to the conclusion that if they're to clean up Gotham, they'll need each other's help.

Miller weaves in a few subplots, as well. Gordon has a fling with a beautiful detective in his command, and Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman, pops up throughout the book. The former, however, has greater implications than the latter, whose role seems superfluous.

Mazzucchelli's rich illustrations bear the stamp of several influences, from Golden Age Batman to the campy TV show of the 1960s to Miller himself, whose detailed instructions appear on his typewritten script for the graphic novel, several pages of which are included in this deluxe edition along with Mazzucchelli's sketches. While Year One is also available in softcover for $9.95, this special edition more than justifies its $19.99 cost, with gorgeous color reproduction, an illustrated afterword by Mazzucchelli and a generous peek into the creative process of writer and artist.

Another tale of Batman's home turf, writer Greg Rucka's Gotham Central: Half a Life shifts the focus to the city's Major Crimes Unit, specifically Renee Montoya, an übertough Latina detective. Batman plays a supporting but pivotal role in the story, which compiles issues 6 through 10 of the Gotham Central title that follows the exploits of the elite police squad handpicked by Gordon, who is now police commissioner.

After a major earthquake wracks Gotham, the MCU has its hands full. Montoya encounters Batman's archfoe Two-Face while he is helping a squad of citizen rescue workers, and she is immediately wary. Still, she realizes that Two-Face -- erstwhile prosecutor Harvey Dent, whose mind warped along with half his face when a defendant hurled acid at him -- relies on the flip of his trademark coin to decide his actions. The detective reasons she has a 50-50 chance that Two-Face will do the right thing. Batman, who keeps an eye on the proceedings, is not so sure, but he agrees to trust Montoya, who pleads with the Caped Crusader to leave Two-Face in her custody as they go about the dirty, heavy rescue work.

Little does Montoya realize what her kindness will cost her. In the second part of the saga, the single detective receives flowers from a mystery admirer for her 29th birthday. Using her police clout, she discovers that the tulips were sent by Bruce Wayne, who'd acted on behalf of his former pal Dent, now doing a stretch in Gotham's infamous Arkham Asylum for the criminally insane.

In the title story, Montoya's life begins to crumble. When a sleazy private investigator hired to tail her winds up dead, Internal Affairs investigators pay her a visit. Their suspicions are fueled by a photo snapped by the PI showing Montoya kissing her girlfriend, which also makes its way to her precinct, as well as to her very traditional Dominican parents. The reaction from both parties is sadly predictable. And when the man who hired the PI is found dead by a gun registered to the detective, Montoya is arrested, the frame-up complete. Of course, Two-Face pipes the tune to which all the players dance. And it's just as evident that Batman will have a hand in setting things right.

More so than the artwork, plot and character development make Half a Life a riveting read. While Jason Person and Cam Smith's animation-inspired illustrations pop vibrantly from the pages in the initial "Two Down," Michael Lark's dreary, workmanlike artwork in the title story seems rather drab by comparison.

Rucka's cop-show dialog and detailed characterizations keep readers' attention. Montoya's faithful partner, the brilliant, hard-edged Crispus Allen, never doubts her and provides one of the book's most electrifying characters. Rucka also seems to get just right the painfulness of Montoya's situation as she's forced out of the closet in a career and culture that could hardly be less accepting.