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Summary: The gripping conclusion
Review: This is a fitting conclusion to one of the best stories I've seen. Gotham destroyed in an earthquake, cut off from the rest of the world (no one in, no one out), fought over by various gangs, led by the police, super villains and the Batman himself. The series has been loaded with drama, suspense, action, great art--all in all you have to love it.
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Summary: Gotham's darkest hour
Review: This continues the storyline of the battle for the ruined Gotham. It's a well told tale.
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Summary: Gotham in ruins
Review: This is the second volume of the No Man's Land story, where Gotham lies in ruins, cut off from the outside world, battled over by gangs (including the police), and Batman and his team fight for the good of Gotham. It's a gripping storyline.
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Summary: the beginning
Review: This is the beginning of a great new story arc. After the great earthquake, seen in Cataclysm, Gotham is cut off from the outside world. No one in, no one out. Now it is ruled by gangs and our hero, The Dark Knight is missing in action. You've got the first two parts of this arc, and it is gripping.
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Summary: It's all about bread and circuses
Review: (Note: This is a review for No Man's Land Vol. 2. Amazon groups all five volumes and the novelization as one product.)In No Man's Land Vol. 2, Batman starts to retake Gotham piece by piece. He establishes a line of information with the Penguin. With the help of Batgirl, False Face and other criminals are put away in Blackgate prison, which is being controlled by Lock-Up. Gordon also claims more territory for the GCPD Blue Boys, but at a terrible price, for which the consequences will be paid in future volumes. There are also stand alone stories chronicling the life and trials in NML of its various citizens. My biggest disappointment with this volume is the artwork. Many varying styles of artwork are featured here (as opposed to volume one, which featured only two), and two of them are too cartoony for the dark, gritty feel NML is trying to achieve. I won't say it's bad artwork, but it definitely belongs elsewhere, like in the Batman animated titles. Thankfully, the artwork doesn't detract from the story, which is still excellent. A couple of continuity issues could be raised (like how Two-Face suddenly winds up in Renee Montoya's community when he has his territory to control), but it's a minor quibble. After two volumes, NML is still going strong.
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Summary: Hell comes to Gotham City
Review: (Note: This is a review for No Man's Land Vol. 1. Amazon groups all five volumes and the novelization as one product.) After a massive earthquake levels Gotham, the US government cuts off support and blocks off the city from the rest of the country. Arkham Asylum's most dangerous inmates are freed, and gang wars rage as each take various chunks of Gotham for themselves. This is the situation Batman and his allies find themselves in in No Man's Land, a massive crossover that ran between 1998/1999. Vol. 1 of this collected edition contains two story arcs; the first highlights a new, unknown Batgirl, Batman's return to Gotham, and the beginnings of Jim Gordon's vow to retake his city. The second story features Huntress and the Scarecrow as they deal with a weapons cache hidden beneath a refugee center. While DC seems to have gotten carried away with massive crossover arcs after the infamous "Knightfall" saga, "No Man's Land" is an excellent read. Characters are stripped of their normal trappings and forced to fend for themselves in new and interesting ways. Batman operates in daylight to make his presence known; Jim Gordon resorts to unethical tactics by turning gangs against each other; even Scarecrow finds new ways to create fear without his toxins. What helps "No Man's Land" trememdously is that while each chapter of a story was published in a different Batman title, they retained the same writer and visual team. The continuity is served much better this way, without awkward pauses while switching writers or varying art styles that distract from the story. The art itself is very good, conveying the hopelessness of ruined Gotham. It's nothing overly spectacular or notable as far as comics go, but it's a solid effort. Again, the writing is very good. I'd say that the Scarecrow story could've been trimmed down by a quarter and not lost anything, but it still does a good job portraying the ethical and moral dilemas that come in times of need. Highly recommended, though be sure to read Batman: Cataclysm first to get some background on the actual earthquake itself.
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Summary: No Jokers about it
Review: "Batman No Man's Land" is by far the best Batman novel currently available. It is well worth its price many times over. However, I recommend it only to fans of Batman.
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Summary: Not the old Batman
Review: I grew up on Batman comics in the Silver Age of Comics. [Too young for the Golden Age] Batman was a justice seeker in a world where justice always happened in the correct manner. This Batman is the Batman of the much darker age of comics. Justice is not always justice as we know it. He's flawed as are other characters who were flawless or easily gained insight in the Silver Age. Those traits are not happening here. If you are seeking a Fairy Tale, this isn't the book for you. If you like a cutting edge and a darkness to your books you might want to take a look. Not as Dark as Vachss' Bat but close. This Bat is much more real than the old Silver Age one. He grew up.
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Summary: The writing isn't bad, but the story is...
Review: Alright, Batman was always suppose to be a flawed hero but this is just plain stupid. Since it based on a comic book I'm not going to get into the likelyhood that a entire city would be removed from the nation because of crime. However, I will talk about how Batman and the other characters in this book have this flawed sense of justice and morals. Every good guy in this book seems to think it is more important to save the bad guys life no matter what. Good lord if any of the major characters took out the bad guys when they had a chance in this book then hundreds of the average citizens would not have been killed. I mean come on, Joker and Two Face kill people randomly yet Batman and the others somehow allow give them a pass so they can kill some more. I know killing oif these character would ruin any future books, but how can you look up to Batman as a hero if he is willing to let innocent people die because he doesn't have the guts to take care of the bad guys. I mean even the normal average everyday bad guys in the book gets a pass. The crazy policeman Petite killed lots of people while he tried to keep his piece of the No Man's Land pie, yet he gets a pass when one of the good guys is right there to stop him. I would love to read more from the DC universe, but the hero's in these books have such a weak foundation it tough to read. Batman has no moral high ground to stand on. If the hero is so flawed that you can't at least feel for him, then what the [heck] is the use. Not worth the time to read it in my opinion. But hey, maybe I am biased, I've been a Marvel fan for 35 plus years.
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Summary: Great vacation take along book
Review: I was getting strange looks reading comic books by the pool at the resort we were at, even from my wife. The best soloution was to get a novel based on a comic book and the problem was solved. This book is great for any fan who doesn't have the time to chase down issues of a comic to complete a story arc, like most of us 40 somthing professionals we just don't have the time. It is a great story and it gives a great intro to a new Batgirl. I recomend this book to anyone who enjoys Batman.
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