Batman: Scarecrow - Year One #1

Scarecrow: Year One #1

by Bruce Jones, Sean Gordon Murphy (Illustrator), Lee Loughridge (Illustrator)

To Batman, he is the Master of Fear...

...manipulating the inner demons of all he encounters.

But even the Scarecrow has demons. As he embarks on a horrific killing spree that will bring him into conflict with Batman and Robin, the Scarecrow's own fears are revealed for the very first time. (One of two.)

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Fiction, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels, Batman

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Liz.Loki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved how Scarecrow’s backstory was handled here. He’s a very interesting villain.

[artemis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan Crane, my beloved.

[Addison]

Did not read today but I don’t know what day I did read it

[Tvrtko Balić · Rating 2 out of 5]

Scarecrow's backstory was handled well. Parallels between Batman and Scarecrow were handled well. However, little more stood out and Batman's detective work, which is definitely an important part of the story, is handled terribly. It didn't make the book terrible, those other parts are still good, but it did leave me disappointed and disinterested in continuing the story (I don't really see what could be revealed in the second part that we haven't already seen or that would make sense moving forward).

[saline nut · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - Pretty okay story. I really liked Bruce and Dicks relationship throughout the story, I like that you can tell it’s their early days and it’s shown how much life Dick brings to Bruce. Batman’s characterisation felt a bit off to me at some points, more specifically when speaking to people who aren’t Robin as he felt a bit too open. I really enjoyed this interpretation of Scarecrows origin but found some of his parts a bit uninteresting. Overall pretty fun.

[Tefi ⟡♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

No me pareció tan wow la historia de Scarecrow, o sea si me interesó el pasado y toda ese plot de él creando el líquido para hacer al ser humano consciente de sus peores miedo y ajá, pero siento que habrán más historias bacanes de ellos.

Por otra parte, qué lindo ver las interacciones de Dick y Bruce really.

[Michael Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dug the dynamic Batman & Robin have here, and the story nicely showcases the parallels between Batman and my personal favorite arch foe of The Caped Crusader: Scarecrow, who gets a backstory here that is compelling.

[Rao Javed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely...there is a deep story behind scarecrow

[Fortune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the batman and robin in this. Batman can be so funny at times. Also didn’t think scarecrow would have such a good and interesting beginning story. One of my faves so far

[mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the Scarecrow story I come back to most, also really solid as an origin story! The art is also gorgeous.

[Devero · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bah.
Tante pose noiose e non sense per un primo capitolo di una mini decisamente poco interessante e nel complesso con disegni inferiori alla media americana del periodo.
1 stella

[the great wizard ella]

wow!! jonathan crane has a very interesting backstory. he’s a very cool character

[Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

every time you think crane has said the craziest thing about his childhood he comes out with another even crazier shittake it is incredible

[gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ i might be a scarecrow apologist wait no okay guys in the sense that…

[Austin Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.8

[Josh Bandstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as the original Batman: Year Once provides insight and motivations into the character of the Batman, Batman: Year One Scarecrow dives into the origin of Jonathan Crane, aka The Scarecrow. Crane started life as a fearful and frail boy, bullied by just about everyone in his life, peers and family alike. Determined to prove his worth and armed with his incredible intelligence, Crane becomes the master of his own fear... and everyone else's, too!

Considered by many to be the definitive origin for the Scarecrow, Batman: Year One Scarecrow manages to make Jonathan Crane into a sympathetic character. To anyone who has ever been pushed around or bullied, the Scarecrow represents the fantasy of being able to strike back at the people who may have done you wrong. He also serves as an excellent foil to Batman himself; while Batman uses fear to deter villains from committing crimes, Scarecrow selfishly uses his power to get revenge and obtain his heart's desires.

It's also refreshing to see Batman demonstrating his prowess as a detective. Though this thread is frequently included in Batman stories, it is essential for the progression of the plot of this book, as Batman has no idea who the Scarecrow is yet. Batman also exhibits a more rough and impatient side in this story, which makes sense as the Dark Knight is just beginning his career.

The only criticism I have about this story is the layout sometimes makes the story difficult to follow. While most artists tend to end plot threads (or "chapters") at the ends of pages, Sean Murphy decided to end these threads in the middle of the page at times. It makes the book appear a bit disorganized, and while this can be used to great effect for stories that intend to put the viewers on edge (which is logical given the Scarecrow's character and the over-arcing mystery of this book), it just seems kind of sloppy in its application here. A minor gripe in an overall fascinating story, however, and I can't wait to read the second half!

[Dan Prestwich · Rating 3 out of 5]

A much better attempt at "let's dig into the Scarecrow's backstory and find out what makes him tick" than Cycle of Violence (which I also read in October, hence why I bring it up). Has some really great, punchy, smart-alecky dialogue that, in particular, creates a terrific Batman/Robin dynamic.

B-

[Amy Rene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved getting to see Jonathan Crane's backstory in this comic. It's what drew me to it in the first place, and it was devastating to see all of his previous fears and how they drove him to become the man he is. This comic humanized him in a way I hadn't been expecting, and I loved it all the more for it.