As a fan of dystopian stories in general, this one was right up my alley. I enjoyed how there were a ton of familiar characters, all of them acting in ways that were both to be expected and surprising. Gotham has turned into a place where priorities change, and while some people are trying to thrive and retain what they had before, others are just trying to make it from one day to the next. It was interesting to see how these motives shaped and changed these characters. I particularly enjoyed the mystery of who the new Batgirl is. Maybe it's obvious for die-hard Batman fans, but I still have no clue who's hiding under there. I'm excited to see where that particular storyline goes, whether they reveal her identity or not. ( )

One of the taglines of this TPB copy is 'Now the quest for survival begins', and it's not a bad way to put it. These are a gritty bunch of issues for sure. Batman, Oracle, Huntress, etc. are seemingly taking on all the crazies of Arkham.

There's also the subplot of the GCPD and Commissioner Gordon and his 'Blue Boys'. They and the rest of the characters are used to tell the story to us readers of civilization.

It's not a happy go lucky TPB or story. But the art on the whole is pretty good. It's hard to do gritty while not making each and every scene super dark.

I also liked how the artists used shadows. Though I do wish that there'd been a Gotham City 'territory' map on practically every page so it'd be easier to keep track of who was in charge of what territory. Still, a great start to the five volume TPB No Man's Land series. ( )

When Hell goes to war with itself, only the devil is declared the winner

DC comics has brought together two of my favorite things; Batman and post-apocalyptic fiction. I almost feel as if this series has been made for me.

So, here’s the deal. A massive earthquake has rocked Gotham City to its core – combine that with an outbreak of a deadly disease not unlike the Ebola virus and you have a recipe for disaster. Rather than send aid or attempt to rebuild Gotham, the government has sealed it off from the rest of the civilized world, proclaiming it no longer part of the United States.

Those that wanted to leave were initially given the choice; however, the gangs, the sick and the released criminals from Arkham Asylum decided to hang around. Also staying put are several dedicated members of the GCPD; an effort to bring order to the once powerful city.

Watching Gordon struggle over how to enforce the law really grabbed me. Not only is he dealing with anarchy on a massive scale, he’s realizing that he has no one to tell him the “right” and the “wrong” way of doing things. Suddenly, he’s in the shoes of the Batman. Gordon knows that he needs to implore drastic measures to restore order to Gotham; he just has to realize his own limits.

I’ve always liked Scarecrow, I just didn’t realize how much until 2005’s Batman Begins. In No Man’s Land, 6 years before the release of Begins, Scarecrow is given a pretty prominent role. Rarely using his fear induced chemicals; Scarecrow attempts to seize control of a sector of Gotham through the manipulation of already frightened people. Gale gives us Scarecrow in his most clever state; making the reader realize that he truly is a pretty strong villain in his own right.

The end of the first volume finishes strong with a pretty cool reveal. I’m glad I have the 2nd volume already on deck!
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A great one. An earthquake hits Gotham and the city ends up being an independent territory. Some people leave and others stay. Anarchism rules Gotham. But the Bat and Huntress decide to help the victims of indiscriminate violence.
This comic is original, different and very dynamic. It has a big variety of characters involved in the story. Gonna read the next volume soon!
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I wasn't expecting much out of this after finishing Cataclysm, but No Man's Land succeeds where its prequel failed by using the destruction wrought by the earthquake to completely subvert reader expectations about the Batman universe. While Gordon is struggling to adapt to existing outside the law (even at one point suggesting that he's trying to become Batman), Batman is adjusting to a world in which he's lost his greatest weapon, his reputation.

Everything we know about Gotham City is no longer true, and I'm excited to see what that will mean. ( )