Customer Reviews

Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 3

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!!!

First of all, I found volume 3 far better then volume 2.
This Volume is worth a read and those missing Nightwing and Robin will be glad to see their return. Also, there is a great story involving poison Ivy and Clayface and even Superman makes an appearance. Very enjoyable.
If you found Volume 2 to lack some of the qualities of Volume 1, as I did, Volume 3 renews faith in where this epic story is going.

I gave it 3 stars simply because at the same time...It didn't blow my mind. Sure there were some great twists to the story,
The new Batgirl and so forth but generally this is still a build up to the
next Volume.

Also, another reason why I took a Star away from this is because this volume does not include Nightwing #35-39 which deal with Nightwing going to BlackGate, It's simply mentioned in this volume but not shown at all.

Hope this helped!

(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.

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.

A dark premise in combination with the Dark Knight makes for an excellent story of struggle against the power of darkness. The premise is that a massive earthquake has struck Gotham City and the federal government has declared the city uninhabitable. The residents were ordered to evacuate and then the city was sealed off from the rest of the country. Those that remained are engaged in a ruthless battle for survival with criminal gangs carving out territory. A few sections are controlled by people (such as Police Commissioner Gordon) that genuinely want to make things better, but most are controlled by those with a lust for power. Some of the bosses are the traditional adversaries of Batman such as the Penguin, Two-Face and Mr. Freeze.
Within this mix are Batman in one of his darkest forms as well as Robin and a second generation Batgirl. Superman flies into town with the goal to aid in the recovery and meets Batman, who tells him to get lost. Puzzled, Superman ignores him and flies off to do some good. With the help of an engineer, they are able to get a power generating station back online, but this creates even more problems. Faced with an "I told you so", Superman flies off and leaves the solutions to Batman.
Commissioner Gordon and Batman are not allies; in fact Gordon is showing signs of the same mental instability that plagues Batman. Gordon is so opposed to Batman that he is willing to make a temporary alliance with criminal gangs in order to capture territory from another.
Post-apocalyptic battles to recover civilization have been a staple in literature and the movies for decades, sometimes they are well done and sometimes they are ridiculous. While there are some questionable premises in this story, it is easy to ignore them as Batman and his entourage struggle to restore some modicum of civilization to the ravaged streets. Great artwork and dialog about people under great stress.

It may be a small thing, but ever since I was a kid I always said that Batman is better than Superman. Even before I could articulate why, I would argue to death my views. This book in my opinion has enforced my views. Despite Superman's intent to do good (which is nothing to ever be ignored), Bruce/Batman proves that even in chaos, Gotham is his city; he knows what is best for his city.

Other than that, with the introduction of characters like Nightwing and Robin into this storyline really helps bring the Gotham family together by adding more interesting bits of humor as well as action.

This continues the storyline of the battle for the ruined Gotham. It's a well told tale.

Again Batman finds himself struggeling to understand his own destiny. He wrestles with the desire to serve Gotham, yet at the same time he is faced with overwhelming odds, and realizes he can't go at it alone. It reminded me of the Batman who we loved, the "Dark Knight." Batman has always clung to his own demons, and in this series these demons are ever present, and Batman again is the renegade who fights to come to terms with his own weaknesses and loss, while at the same time offering hope to the downtrodden and weak. Excellent story. A must for any "Dark Knight" fan!

I never got the item, only an email stating the the item was so bad, the post office sent it back.