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A Batman: Year One prequel focused on Jim Gordon’s unwritten past as a Chicago cop is something Frank Miller has an idea for
After the new DKR spinoff on Carrie Kelly’s Robin, how about a Batman: Year One prequel with Jim Gordon?
NewsbyGeorge Marston, Contributing writer
Published on Fri Jul 10 2026
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Frank Miller set the stage for the modern interpretation of Batman’s early years with Batman: Year One. And though it was told nearly 40 years ago, Miller himself says there are still stones left unturned that were laid down way back in 1987 – and there’s even a chance he might get to tell more stories that could provide some long-awaited answers
Specifically, while speaking on the Word Balloon podcast, Miller points to the still untold tale of why Commissioner Jim Gordon – still a Lieutenant at the time of Batman: Year One – was forced to return to Gotham City after a 15-year stint as a cop in Chicago. Though some context clues are given through Gordon’s forceful opposition of police and political corruption, the reason he was drummed out of Chicago has never fully been revealed
Miller himself seems to know the answer, and he’s likely had it in mind since long before Batman: Year One was even published, as the story grew out of notes Miller wrote when preparing his landmark Dark Knight Returns limited series that rocketed Batman back to massive popularity while solidifying Miller’s reputation as one of the most beloved comic creators of all time
“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 states on Word Balloon. “And then 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, you know, Wagnerian, you know, 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.”
Gordon fills the role of the hard-nosed hero cop in Batman: Year One, building a partnership with Batman when he recognizes the Caped Crusader is an ally in the fight not just against the rampant street crime in Gotham, but against the city’s corrupt political apparatus
Still, Miller plays coy when asked directly if that story could still be told in a future comic, saying only “I’m not talking,” with a wry smile
Miller has returned to Batman multiple times over the years with sequels and spin-offs from The Dark Knight Returns, including 2001-02’s The Dark Knight Strikes Again, 2015-17’s The Dark Knight III: The Master Race, 2016’s The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade, 2019’s Superman: Year One, and The Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child, also from 2019. He is currently working on a Dark Knight sequel focused on the Carrie Kelly Robin, drawn by Ben Caldwell
The Dark Knight Returns: How to read all 10 books in Frank Miller’s classic Batman saga in order
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George Marston: George Marston is a media critic and journalist who has specialized in superheroes and comics for nearly two decades. Along with focusing on comics and superhero media at Newsarama, George has honed a critical voice exploring TV, movies, and video games with bylines at Total Film, SFX Magazine Online, Space.com, GamesRadar+, and more. During George’s time at Newsarama, the site received the 2020 Tripwire award for Best Comics-related Website / Publication. (They/Them)
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