Batman: Year 100

Writer(s): Paul Pope
Artist(s): Paul Pope
Publisher: DC Comics
ISBN: 978-1401211929
Price: $19.99
Page count: 232
Year Released: 2007
Status: in print
Original Source: Batman: Year 100 1-4; Batman Chronicles 11
Other Collected Edition(s): hardcover edition (ISBN: 978-1428731875)
Genres: mystery/crime; science fiction; superheroes
Recommended for Fans Of:
Possible Objectionable Material: mild violence
If You Like This Book, Try: Batman: Year One; The Dark Knight Returns
Also in This Series: n/a

Plot Summary
In the year 2039 the United States remains vigilant in its defense against domestic terrorism, and the Federal Police Corps (a division of the Department of Homeland Security) has its sights set on a recently resurfaced terrorist: the Batman. Silent for decades, the Batman has returned to Gotham City and the F.P.C. believes that he has murdered one of their own. F.P.C. Agent Pravdzka, who was responsible for eliminating all of the supervillains contained in Arkham Asylum several years prior, is particularly interested in finding and destroying the Batman once and for all. Unfortunately for him, the Batman breaks into the F.P.C.'s Gotham City headquarters to examine the body of the cop he's accused of killing, and uncovers a conspiracy to create one of the most lethal biological weapons on the planet. With the help of the original Commissioner Gordon's grandson, a new Robin, and a few other allies, the Batman must figure out how high the conspiracy goes before Pravdzka's goons catch up to him.

This book also contains Pope's short story "Berlin Batman," which reimagines Batman's origin as a German Jew (whose parents were beaten to death by an antisemitic mob) living in 1939 Berlin, where he helps Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises escape from the Nazis.

My Own 2 Cents
Batman: Year 100 is an action-packed comic book, with more focus on Batman fighting dozens of cops at a time and rocketing around on his souped-up Batcycle than on a deep, involving story. But Pope's beautiful, fluid artwork makes the book a worthwhile read if you're into that kind of thing.

Thematically and stylistically, Batman: Year 100 owes quite a bit to Frank Miller's two best Batman books, Batman: Year One (which repositions Batman's origins in a more realistic, modern setting and focuses on Batman fighting cops, etc.) and The Dark Knight Returns (which, like Batman: Year 100, takes place decades into the future and explores similar dystopian ideas). Unfortunately, whereas Frank Miller has a firm grasp on creating snappy, staccato dialogue, Pope's own "in the heat of battle" dialogue tends to be useless and cheesy (i.e., "Rock 'n' roll!" "How's it hanging?" etc.).

All in all, I would recommend starting with Miller's Batman books first, unless you're a big Paul Pope fan and want to complete your collection.