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
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By Simon
Format:Paperback
(Note: This is a review for No Man's Land Vol. 4. Amazon groups all five volumes and the novelization as one product.)
After stumbling a bit in volumes 2 and 3, No Man's Land gets back on track with volume 4. The big draw here is Bane, who has been sent to Gotham by a mysterious backer for purposes unknown.
And really, that turns out to be the weakest part of the volume. The opening chapter with Bane's return is just horribly written, with Batman and Bane talking way too much. The other parts, where Bane mows a path through downtown Gotham, isn't that interesting to read and only builds up to a small plot point.
However, the other chapters in the book completely make up for that let-down. Devin Grayson returns to pen two amazing stories, one involving Leslie Tompkins and the MASH sector, and the other featuring Clark Kent visitng NML. Dale Eaglesham also returns as artist, and draws a great Billy Pettit who is looking more crazed than ever. The Two-Face/Montoya/Gordon story also comes to head, as Two-Face puts Gordon on trial for war crimes. It's one of the best arcs of No Man's Land, and bring this subplot full circle. After that, Gordon and Batman finally have their long-awaited chat. Then it's simply a matter or repositioning everyone for the final volume, and finding out who the mysterious outside interest is.
If I have one complaint, it's that DC didn't bother to include the Nightwing arc of NML in these volumes. In volume 3, he was assigned to retake Blackgate Prison. Here he's already done it. I've heard Nightwing's adventure in Blackgate was pretty good, and it's unfortunate it didn't make the cut.
If you've read the other 3 volumes, continue reading. Volume 4 does a great job of continuing this major Batman crossover arc.
By BatGirl
Format:Paperback
This is the greatest book that I have ever read!This book made me become a hard-core Batman-Fan!!!!!!OMG, words cannot describe this books' perfection...wait, yes it can!I really loved how Rucka didn't just frame it on Batman, but entire community of No Man's Land.The fact that all the greatest batman villians were lose and especially insane, made their actions become intertwined. for them, it was either partnerships, or back-stabbings, this book had so many different viewpoints that you could understand EVERYTHING that was happening, or what the narrating characters were feeling. I liked very much the special touch Rucka put in with the Oracle's Journal. I was Barbara's input that I liked reading the most because her theories always left you puzzled.But the strange thing on my part was that I quite enjoyed the beginning.....the absece of Batman.......?
Format:Paperback
This volume (4 of 5) is a filler that leaves a lot of loose end, the writing is getting better, and the action is heating up. A lot of loose ends from the begining of NML are tied up(Batman's relationship w/ Gordon and the res tof the "gang", Two Faces new relationship with Montoya) and it features the odd return of Bane. All in all a good read, and worth it since Volume 5 is out and is a brilliant read.
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