David Mazzucchelli ‘Hopes People Don’t Buy’ New ‘Batman: Year One’ Collection

Upon inspecting an advance copy of the new edition of Batman: Year One, artist David Mazzuchelli told The Comics Journal's Dan Nadel that the forthcoming reprint doesn't exactly do justice to the seminal work he created with Frank Miller and Richmond Lewis in 1987. Indeed, citing poor reproduction values and other formatting issues, the Eisner-winning artist said he actually hopes his fans don't buy it and advises those who may have pre-ordered the book to demand a refund.

DC just sent me this book last week, and I really hope people don't buy it. I didn't even know they were making it, and I don't understand why they thought it was necessary - several years ago, DC asked me if I'd help put together a deluxe edition ofBatman: Year One, and Dale Crain and I worked for months to try to make a definitive version. Now whoever's in charge has thrown all that work in the garbage. First, they redesigned the cover, and recolored my artwork - probably to look more like their little DVD that came out last year; second, they printed the book on shiny paper, which was never a part of the original design, all the way back to the first hardcover in 1988; third - and worst - they printed the color from corrupted, out-of-focus digital files, completely obscuring all of Richmond's hand-painted work. Anybody who's already paid for this should send it back to DC and demand a refund.

More on this, as well as Mazzuchelli's thoughts on IDW's Artist's Edition of his Daredevil work, at The Comics Journal.