Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 3 (Paperback)

by Greg Rucka (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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 (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563896346
• ISBN-13: 978-1563896347
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #269,625 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Batman Gets Interesting (Again), September 29, 2000

By	M. Howell "likes good things" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There's a good chance that if you are reading this review, you already know what Batman: No Man's Land is. If not, here's a brief summary. Batman: No Man's Land was a year long crossover that revitalized Batman as he fought to restore a Gotham city shut off from the outside world after a devastating earthquake. Trade paperback number three kicked this storyline into high gear!!!! With awesome stories by Greg Rucka and Devin Grayson, coupled with the art of Mike Deodato and many of comic's best artistic talents, DC pulled out the big guns to make Batman great again!!!!! This trade introduces the new Batgirl (the daughter of the deadly assassin Cain) and made every member of the Batman team shine!!! If you like Batman, or have ever liked Batman, you are certain to enjoy this great and affordable collection!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars There's a new bat in town..., April 19, 2004

By	Simon (Brampton, ON) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

(Note: This is a review for No Man's Land Vol. 3. Amazon groups all five volumes and the novelization as one product.)

This third volume in the "No Man's Land" series will be remembered as the first appearance of the new Batgirl, whom Batman passes the mantle to after unmasking the old one (you can probably guess who it was, but I won't spoil it). Superman also visits Gotham, Billy Pettit finally splits from the Gotham Blue Boys, and Batman and Robin have to free Poison Ivy from Clayface.

By now, the weaknesses of writing a major comic-book crossover are starting to show, though No Man's Land is still more coherent than it has any right to be. Since Billy Pettit wasn't featured at all in volume 2, his departure here comes across as more of a plot point than something dramatic and meaningful. The new Batgirl's origins also feel rushed, and it seems odd that Batman would be so quick to accept her - maybe desperate times call for desperate measures? There's also a filler story involving Mr. Freeze that is horrible to read, both from a writing and artistic standpoint (and why would Batman blow up a power plant when Gotham desperately needs power?)

That aside though, there's some good stuff here to balance out the bad. It's always fun seeing Batman upstage Superman, even if it's been overplayed. The new Batgirl looks to be an interesting character, and I look forward to the role she'll play in restoring Gotham. The Poison Ivy/Clayface arc is great in terms of story and artwork, and also furthers the subplot concerning Gordon, Montoya, and Two-Face.

This volume, like the previous two, is still worth picking up. It's the slightly awkward period of any major crossover, but things only get better from here.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When is Volume Four Coming???, September 29, 2000

By	Philip Kost (Mission, Tx. USA) - See all my reviews

In volume three of the No Mand's Land (NML) trade paperback series, the editors start with two issues that they could have placed else where in the book. The stories are good, but definitly seem out of place if you are trying to continue reading from Volume Two. However once you get past those stories then you pick up where Volume Two left off. Once again the story heats up as Batman realizes that he can not handle NML alone. He calls in the troops and starts dividing the city. This at the point when you wish for a copy of the other series that NML took place in. (IE Robin, Nightwing, Azreal, Etc.)You also get the introduction of the new Batgirl and get her story. The story following that with Poison Ivy is good, but a little unclear in all the things it reveals. When the NML series first came out I decided to wait for the trade paperback(s) and I have not been disappointed. All I can do now is wait for volume four and hope it is not too far off in the future.