Batman Black and White, Vol. 1

As advertised, pretty much. Batman gets his start – not an origin story, or about his training, but his start on the streets – as told by Frank Miller.

Just fine for what it is. It's well done. The most interesting part of Batman stories other than Wayne's personal demons has always been the larger-than-life villains, though – especially the Joker – and we don't have that here, really. The name is dropped late, but this is mostly about Batman's introduction, and reception by the city and a mostly corrupt police department. In fact, this is as much or more about Jim Gordon as Batman.

Not that Year One isn't well-made or worth reading, but it may or may not be what you're interested in when you decide “Hey, I want to read a Batman story.”