BATMAN YEAR ONE COMMEMORATIVE EDITION

Warner Bros provided ageekdaddy.com with a free 4K Ultra HD disc of the DC Universe Movie Batman Year One. Opinions expressed are honest and my own. 

My son and I were geeked this weekend to watch BATMAN: YEAR ONE remastered to view in 4K Ultra High Definition for the first time commemorating the tenth anniversary of the release of this DC UNIVERSE MOVIE. The Batman: Year One -- Commemorative Edition is a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Code movie pack that will be available at retail beginning November 9, 2021. We really appreciate Warner Bros Home Entertainment providing this Geek Daddy with an advance screening of the new 4K Ultra HD version of this animated movie before its official release.

Originally released in 2011 on Blu-ray, BATMAN: YEAR ONE is given new life thanks to advancements in home entertainment technology now with four times more vibrant resolution being displayed in a 4K format. Holy Pixels Batman! This remastered commemorative edition looks fantastic on the large screen 4K television set in our living room. So glad I also bought an Ultra HD disc player to go with it to be able to watch 4K home video releases like this!

Batman: Year One is based on the landmark 1987 DC titles from 12-time Eisner Award winner and Eisner Award Hall of Fame member Frank Miller and illustrator David Mazzucchelli. The film depicts young Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham City in his first attempts to fight injustice as a costumed hero. The playboy billionaire chooses the guise of a giant bat to combat crime, creates an early bond with a young Lieutenant James Gordon (who is already battling corruption from inside the police department), inadvertently plays a role in the birth of Catwoman, and helps to bring down a crooked political system that infests Gotham City.

While titled "Batman: Year One", it is James Gordon who is center stage and really the focus of the story. It shows the young Gordon as someone who can kick ass and be a hero in his own right but also struggles with living up to his own code of moral ethics. We see a police officer who fights off not just criminal endeavors but enticements that could lead him astray. At the same time we see a Bruce Wayne full of uncertainty and lacking confidence becoming the Caped Crusader who in later years strikes fear in evil doers. Batman actually makes mistakes and is shown to be vulnerable almost getting killed on a number of occasions by making "amateur" errors and having a lack of experience. We witness depth in both characters that portrays them in perspectives different than how the two are often portrayed in Batman adventures and get to enjoy seeing the two forge a bond of friendship that will evolve into a partnership between them to fight crime within Gotham City.

This movie doesn't show the Batman you probably are expecting which makes it in my opinion even more interesting to view. Plus my son and I both agreed the focus on Gordon was compelling too.  I have to admit not being much of a fan of the live-action DC Comics inspired movies but have developed a real admiration for the animated flicks like Batman: Year One which are in the DC Universe Movie collection. These movies provide a great translation to video of the actual comic book stories from DC Comics that are the inspiration for today's superhero films and television shows. If you are a Batman fan, 2021 has been a great year for these animated DC Universe Movies with the release of Batman: The Long Halloween, Injustice, and the remastered 4K Ultra HD commemorative edition of Batman: Year One. If you haven't seen any of these animated feature length films from Warner Bros Home Entertainment now is the time to start checking them out!

Just because Batman: Year One is an animated movie doesn't mean that it doesn't include an A-list of talent in its cast. Six-time Emmy® Award winner Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Trumbo, Your Honor) and Gotham star Ben McKenzie (Southland, The O.C.) lead a star-studded cast as Lieutenant James Gordon and Bruce Wayne/Batman, respectively. Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) provides the voice of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Katee Sackhoff (The Mandalorian, Battlestar Galactica) gives voice to Detective Sarah Essen, and the late Alex Rocco (The Godfather) is the voice of crime lord Carmine Falcone. Additional voices/characters include the late Jon Polito as Commissioner Loeb, Jeff Bennett as Alfred, Grey Griffin as Barbara Gordon & Vicki Vale, Robin Atkin Downes as Harvey Dent, Keith Ferguson as Jefferson Skeevers, and Fred Tatasciore as Detective Flass. 

Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Voltron: Legendary Defender) and Sam Liu (Batman: Soul ofthe Dragon, Superman: Red Son) co-directed Batman: Year One from a script penned by AcademyAward® nominee Tab Murphy (Gorillas in the Mist, Disney’s Tarzan). Animation legend Bruce Timm(Batman: The Animated Series) executive produced this movie which is full of top notch illustration. While released on home video, Batman: Year One could hold its own as a motion picture shown on the silver screen at theaters. 

While you may not be seeing Batman: Year One on a huge screen, or maybe you will as some televisions and projectors are providing almost theater quality viewings these days, there are still perks to getting your hands on home video releases to add to your entertainment library. Bonus content! Here are some of the extras that come along with the main movie:

• Featurette – Reinventing Gordon (New) – An examination of the history of James Gordon through comics, animation, and feature films. 

 • Featurette – Conversations with DC Comics – The Batman creative team at DC discusses the personal influence of Batman: Year One on their careers. Batman producer Michael Uslan leads the chat amongst well-known writers, editors, and artists of Batman lore, focusing on the darker, realistic interpretation of Batman’s origins by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. 

 • Audio Commentary – Featuring co-producer Alan Burnett, co-director Sam Liu, DC creative director Mike Carlin and casting/dialogue director Andrea Romano. • Featurette – Heart of Vengeance: Returning Batman to His Roots – “The Dark Knight Returns” provided the denouement of Batman's life. Frank Miller's next seminal work would provide his near-mythic origin in “Batman: Year One.” This documentary spotlights the contemporary genius of Miller and the audience that was poised to appreciate the depths of his work. 

 • DC Showcase – Catwoman (2011 Animated Short) – The felonious feline’s adventure takes her through the seedy streets of Gotham City. Eliza Dushku reprises her Batman: Year One role as the voice of Catwoman. The short is directed by Lauren Montgomery (Batman: Year One) from a script by Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series).

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CURSED BRINGS ARTHURIAN TALE TO NETFLIX

Netflix gave me an advance chance to check out one its newest original shows CURSED this week before it debuted today on the streaming service. Based upon the book of the same name written by Academy Award-nominated script writer / novelist Thomas Wheeler and illustrated by famed comic book artist Frank Miller, CURSED takes the mythology of King Arthur and blends it up into its own unique medieval tale. Everyone knows the story of how pulling a Sword from the Stone made Arthur a King, but what if instead Excalibur chose a Queen?

CURSED has many familiar names Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere and Lancelot but the characters are portrayed differently than people have previously come to know them. This story focusses on a lesser known character and delves into how she transforms into the mystical enchantress known as Lady of the Lake. The primary hero of CURSED is a young lass named Nimue who can't run away from her destiny to be a leader and warrior.



Nimue is part of a druid-like clan called the Fey who some of its population are gifted with the ability to converse and control nature. The Christian church believes the Fey are an affront to God and evil demons. Father Carden, a religious zealot, has created an army of Red Paladins who are massacring the Fey and destroying their settlements throughout Britain as King Pendragon turns a blind eye to the atrocities. When a Red Paladin army led by an intimidating fighter known as the Weeping Monk arrives at Numue's village she is forced to accept her fate to become Queen of the Fey.

Nimue is provided with a powerful sword with magical properties and instructed to seek out aid from King Pendragon's counselor the wizard Merlin. A chance encounter gets her the aid of a mercenary sword-for-hire known as Arthur who assists the heroine on her quest. Yet while Arthur and Merlin are in CURSED it is Nimue who is the star of the show with the other two normally leading characters taking second billing.

The traditional King Arthur characters take on new roles while this adventure revolves around Nimue and her taking possession of Excalibur in an effort to save her people the Fey from Father Carden and his Red Paladin army.  Merlin is an amoral drunk who has lost his magical powers yet pretends he still has them. Arthur dreams of being a knight but instead has found himself a soldier serving anyone who can pay him in gold coin. That is until he decides to help a damsel in distress. Gawain is a Fey who supports Nimue as his new queen. Plus another famous knight from Arthur's round table turns out to be the Weeping Monk. Who could that be?

Rated TV-MA this show is more for adults and older teens than for young kids.  Violence, scary characters and a scene that shows more of Merlin's ass than we really needed to see makes CURSED a show for mature audiences. While the show takes literary license from the book, there are still plenty of scenes that come right from the novel that bring some of Frank Miller's impressive illustrations to life. I've really enjoyed watching CURSED and am looking forward to hopefully there being a second season of episodes.

To learn more about this new Netflix series, visit discovercursed.com which is full of information about the show's characters and cast. If you access the website from a mobile device there are also a number of augmented reality features that will immerse users within the world of CURSED. Watch your face become transformed into the Weeping Monk or a magical power wielding Fey. See the destructive nature of lighting released in front of you or watch nature tear up the ground right in front of you. Plus you can try to wield the sword of Excalibur! Do you have what it takes to pull the sword from the stone?!

FRANK MILLER AUTOGRAPHED DAREDEVIL COMIC

Who is your favorite comic book super hero? Batman? Captain America? Hell Boy? Mine is Daredevil.

Trial attorney by day and super hero by night there is a lot that I can relate to when it comes to Marvel Comics' Daredevil. The man without fear doesn't let being blind handicap him as all his other senses have been ultra heightened to give him an edge when it comes to battling evil doers. Fine tuned hearing that gives him a radar-like view of the world around him puts Spider-Man's spider sense to shame. Fighting mob goons and ninja mercenaries in Hell's Kitchen provides for great noir style tales being told within the pages of Daredevil comic books.

The comic book artist who has the most impact in defining Daredevil is Frank Miller.  One of the Daredevil issues he crafted for Marvel is considered by many as one of the all time great comic books. Now Dynamic Forces is reprinting Daredevil #181 with all its original 1964 content, including the ads. That is not all though … these limited edition replicas available through Sideshow Collectibles will have their covers each autographed by Frank Miller himself.

In Daredevil #181, the psychotic Bullseye is determined to escape from jail and visit vengeance on the man who put him there - Daredevil! But when he finds a way to get free, there's something he must deal with first - winning back his position as the Kingpin's number one assassin. And to do that, he has to get rid of Wilson Fisk's deadly new killer for hire - Elektra, the woman Daredevil loves Brace yourself for two brutal life-and-death showdowns in this double-sized comic book story being republished by Dynamic Forces.

This is a collectible that any Daredevil fan would be delighted to get their hands on. I know I want one! Don't miss out on ordering one of  these limited run comic book reproductions signed by Frank Miller from Sideshow Collectibles before they sell out.

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