Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 2 [Paperback]

Greg Rucka (Author), Bob Gale (Author), Ian Edginton (Author), Dennis O'Neil (Author), Lisa Klink (Author)

Book Description

Series: Batman: No Man's Land | Publication Date: February 1, 2000

Fans of Batman are lucky to get Greg Rucka--the talented, gritty young author of Keeper and Finder, among others--sharing time with their favorite licensed character in this novelization of DC's complete No Man's Land comic series. (And fans of Rucka--assuming they get around to reading this at all--will still likely hold the opinion that Atticus Kodiak could take Batman in a standup fight any day.) DC shook up Gotham--literally--in its 1999 Batman plot arc: a 7.6 earthquake rocked Gotham City, wreaking enough destruction to bring the broken, crime-ridden, runt kid-brother of Metropolis and New York to its knees. In the story line's most indulgent liberty, those fat cats in Washington decide to write off Gotham, +á la Escape from New York, blowing up the connecting bridges, mining the surrounding waterways, and signing into law the Federal Declaration of No Man's Land, which makes it a crime to even set foot in the city. The usual suspects from Arkham Asylum, Two-Face and the Penguin, the Riddler and Dr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Mr. Zsasz, file out to begin running the show, strong-arming and manipulating the block-by-block turf battles that envelop the now-ultraviolent city. A conflicted Batman shows up fashionably late, only to find that these lunatics are the least of his worries: Lex Luthor, Superman's archfoe, has nefarious designs on Gotham too. Could this possibly get any better? Sure, No Man's Land is derivative fiction, but the appeal of Rucka--and, of course, Batman--can make this one worth the read. --Paul Hughes

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics; First Printing edition (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563895994
• ISBN-13: 978-1563895999
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.5 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Batman in No Man's Land, May 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

For those who don't know, the No Man's Land titles are the adventures of Batman and his sidekicks in a Gotham City so devastated by an earthquake that it has been declared a federal disaster area. Among other things, this storyline introduced the new Batgirl and Harley Quinn into comic book continuity. This particular volume has Batman newly returned to the city and fighting several of his deadliest foes, including the Penguin, Black Mask, and Two Face. One of the most interesting stories is one in which Detective Montoya of the GCPD (now reduced to the level of a street gang) takes a day off and visits her family, only to find Two Face helping rebuild the community. In a story defying probability, his coin keeps landing good side up, causing Two Face to be ruled by the good side of his personality. There's some other good stuff in here as well, but there's definitely better Batman material available.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's all about bread and circuses, March 7, 2004

By 

Simon (Brampton, ON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

(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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Batman: "It's not working... I was away too long.", September 28, 2008

By 

H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Just moved to posh Marina Del Rey, CA - where if you drop a quarter, why, you just keep on walking) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

Three and a half stars.

Back in 1999, DC Comics came out with BATMAN: NO MAN'S LAND, a momentous year-long event which ran thru the Batman-related titles, including that of Nightwing and Robin (although, unfortunately, none of their issues were collected in the five No Man's Land trades). In the wake of the filovirus and the earthquake which ravaged Gotham and its denizens, Congress shockingly withholds federal aid and declares the ruined city unsalvageable. Gotham is evacuated and then cut off from the rest of the world. With Batman nowhere in sight, what's left of Gotham rapidly devolves into a savage, near feudal state, with city blocks carved up into fiefdoms by vicious gangs and Arkham Asylum escapees. This is the worst Gotham has ever been.

One hundred days later, Batman finally shows up.

Okay, this stuff happened almost a decade ago, but, what the heck - minor SPOILERS follow now.

BATMAN: NO MAN'S LAND, Vol. 2 continues Batman's attempts to reclaim the city from the lawless, except that in this volume he suffers a setback. In Volume 1, he'd already drawn the help of Oracle and the Huntress; here, he forms temporary alliances with the Penguin, who ramrods Gotham's largest black market, and Lock-Up, who now controls Blackgate Prison, which Batman uses to hold captured criminals.

On the GCPD end of things, the GCPD Blue Boys (ex-cops who volunteered to stay in Gotham to uphold law & order) attempt to expand their territory by crossing into the Penguin's border. Ex-Commissioner James Gordon strives to hang on to his principles, even as he feels control of his men eroding away. These issues continue to explore Gordon's bitter disenchantment with Batman, who he feels had abandoned Gotham in its direst need. The two-part "Mosaic" pits Batman against Black Mask and has Barbara Gordon finally finding out about the new Batgirl. "Shades of Grey" has Batman questioning himself, so distracted is he that he puts his costume on backwards.

Also several stand alone stories here, including a story taking place just prior to No Man's Land, an account of an encounter between Detective Renee Montoya and Two-Face. This is significant because it sets the stage for a sub-plot later down the line, as Two-Face would fall in love with Montoya and act on it, but in his own special, deranged fashion. Volume 2 closes with the two-part "Claim Jumping," in which Two-Face finally makes his big move. Come to think of it, everyone makes their big move (Batman doesn't come off too well).

How tricky must it have been, juggling several Bat titles and having to keep tabs on the various storylines. The writers, the excellent Greg Rucka among them, do a good job of keeping things consistent and chronological. The beef is with the artwork, as a dizzying host of illustrators parade in and out. The most grating is D'Israeli, who handles the art chore for the "Bread and Circuses" two-parter. Dude's style is cartoony and is so NOT tailored to the grim goings-on in No Man's Land. The best artist in the bunch is Frank Teran ("Mosaic"), whose gritty, shadowy take is spot on. I also dig his wiry muscular Batman.

For those who care, BATMAN: NO MAN'S LAND Vol. 2 collects BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #117 & 119, BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #85-87, BATMAN #565, DETECTIVE COMICS #732-733, and BATMAN CHRONICLES #16.

If you simply don't have the time to read all five trades compiling No Man's Land or if you just want to read an exciting, well-written book, check out Greg Rucka's novelization of Batman: No Man's Land. I happen to think it's the best book adaptation from a comic book story ever.