Batman

The DC Universe has undergone its changes over the years but the darker, more radical changes have been largely confined to one-off, alternate universe tales, or were featured in the publisher's Vertigo line. Not so for the Batman: No Man's Land story line, in which the entire city of Gotham is effectively destroyed by an earthquake, then completely sealed off and abandoned by the United States Government.

Broken down into gang-run neighbourhoods--some independent, others run by Two Face, the Penguin and Scarface, plus the Blue Boys (formerly the Gotham City Police Dept., still run by Jim Gordon)--the city is fractionalised but settling down into a new paradigm. The barter system is back, with a fresh apple worth its weight in diamonds; the populace is reduced to being either hunters or gatherers. Oracle is the only one with a clear picture of the city, the Huntress is working desperately to keep things safe in her neighbourhood and a mysterious, female Bat is doing her part ... but the Batman himself hasn't been seen in months.

While not as dark or personal as Frank Miller's classic Dark Knight Returns, writers Bob Gale and Devin A. Grayson take advantage of the freedoms afforded them with so wide open a premise: there's insight into the characters of the Scarecrow and Huntress; there's an intriguing look at the squad of police officers who made the decision to stick around; and Bats himself, after some 60-odd years, is actually placed in a new situation. Alex Maleev and Dale Eaglesham's art supports the two story arcs beautifully. Maleev's art owes a debt to Travis Charest, but his panelling is restrained, imposing considerable order on a story of city in chaos, while Eaglesham's post-Image use of splash pages works well with a more emotional, impressionistic tale. --Randy Silver

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No Man's Land...wow. - Rated
And so from 'Cataclysm' to this! The American government no longer wants to know about Gotham City after the earthquake that shattered it, and leaves it to it's own devises. Pretty soon, it becomes clear that supplies will run out, no-one 's coming to help and even The Batman has abandonded his city. As the populace begins to revert to a tribal state of terratoriality (spelling?) and makes it's own rules to survive in the ruins, The Dark Knight returns...to a world he has no idea about! Gotham's social order has been completely altered, and Batman is finding it very hard to spread the fear he so needs in order to keep his city in balance.
It's always good that the writers of Batman keep us on our toes with amazing stories that pit Batman against unstoppable enemies, but this one is brilliant. Completely turning the Batman mythos on it's head adds a whole new Gotham City(perhaps Gotham reverted to its typical state- decay) for The Batman to patrol, this really is an amazing start to No Man's Land!
The artwork is amazing, and the only letdown is the non appearance of certain Bat-villians... but this is only volume one!

the best batman graphic novel i've read to date - Rated
as put in the title this is simply put one of the very best batman graphic novels i have read to date, i would even go as far to say as its also one of the best DC graphic novels i have read. the story is amazing and creative, the Batman, out alone against an entire city full of gangs and disorder, this is the way Batman should be. The art is very good, and very appropiate for this story, keeping away from some of the more child friendly art i have seen. roughly put this is definatly worth buying and i implore any Batman fan to do so.

Hugely disapointing - Rated
A great premise, one of the best characters in the comic field and some fine art. - then comes the marketing - Batgirls barely seen and pathetically used, batman is a mere two 'd' version of himself and as per usual he's not allowed to do anything really devastateing to the support charectors and villians because, well, they need to use them again and again add nausium. It's all just marketing in the end. Wait for the pointless movie too.

A Touch Of Class - Rated
Would you believe it, they've gone and surprised us again! The guys at DC have pulled off the unthinkable and come up with a storyline that proves to be one of the most challenging yet. With Gotham in ruins, the people of Gotham being ignored, it's up to Bats to do his thing - or is it? Strangely enough, Batman/Bruce Wayne is nowhere to be found at the start, but there does appear to be an awfully familiar character in the shape of...could it be...yes, it is, it's Batgirl! But how, you ask... Well, apparently, an unknown has taken over the cape and cowl for Barbara Gordon, and in Batman's absence, it is just as well. The first part of this volume of No Man's Land deals well with giving a clear picture of Gotham in the wake of the recent disaster and its subsequent repercussions, and eventually, we can finally welcome Batman home (or what's left of it). The second story in the book presents an altogether different kind of Scarecrow than we are all used to, especially without any fear gas readily available, and so he has to make do with the gift of the gab, which almost works to his ideal advantage! However, with Bats back in town, and the Huntress also on the job, it's a sure bet that 'Crow's plans will end up backfiring on him (and maybe even more!). A fantastic read, and it goes without saying that the plot is up to the usual standard that is provided by DC. However, they do tend to go a little over the top with the psycho-bable in the second part, and at times, it is a little hard to take seriously.

Pure Adrenaline! - Rated
Never seen a tale like this before... The future is upon us and i have seen it in this story. Brillant peace of work! Thank you Bob Gale!!