From the Five Of The Greatest ‘Year One’ Stories In Comics Posted 6/19/09 4:01 pm ET by Alan Kistler

Excerpts..

“JLA: YEAR ONE” (DC): …this story written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Barry Kitson, readers finally got to see how much the team awkwardly learned how to work together and what early menaces…

….several guest-stars (including Batman and Superman)…

“NIGHTWING: YEAR ONE” (DC): Written by Scott Beaty and Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Scott McDaniel….Dick Grayson decided he would no longer be Batman’s partner, Robin. ….seeking advice from Superman and chatting with the ghost of a long-dead acrobat….how Dick reacted to the news that there was now a new Robin in Gotham and just how he finally assumed the guise of a Kryptonian mythical hero called “Nightwing.”

“X-MEN: CHILDREN OF THE ATOM” (Marvel): …This story, written by Joe Casey and illustrated by Steve Rude, gave us a revised origin story on the teens who would become the original X-Men…

“GREEN LANTERN: SECRET ORIGIN” (DC): Written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ivan Reis, this was the story of how test pilot Hal Jordan became the Green Lantern…revealed previously unknown connections between characters, …foreshadowed stories from later years in Hal’s career (including the upcoming “Blackest Night” crossover)…..

“BATMAN: YEAR ONE” (DC): most successful of these revised origins…

…The first story to be called “Year One” is still the staple that others are measured against. Written by Frank Miller and illustrated by David Mazuchelli..
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Focusing on mobsters and corrupt city officials rather than super-villains, this story is a character-driven piece…

….Honorable mentions go to “Green Arrow: Year One” and “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”