Batman: No Man's Land, v. 2 & 3

Collects: v. 2: Legends of the Dark Knight 117,119; Shadow of the Bat 85-7; Batman 565; Detective Comics 732-3 v. 3: Batman 566-9; Legends of the Dark Knight 120-1; Shadow of the Bat 88; Detective Comics 734-5 (1999)

Released: 2000 (DC)

Format: 200 pages / color / $14.95 / $12.95 / ISBN: ???

I was optimistic about the late ‘90s No Man’s Land crossover after I read Batman: No Man’s Land, v. 1. Volumes 2 and 3 show why that optimism should have been cautious.

All the hallmarks of the megacrossover are there: wildly varying art, inconsistent writing, characterization all over the place, and plot holes here and there. For instance, what is Two Face: devious gang leader or do-gooder who has almost shed his reliance on his coin? (Although it is Two-Face, so “both” is, I suppose, an acceptable answer.) Why does Superman get so easily discouraged from helping Gotham? Why did group editor Dennis O’Neil let Larry Hama write an issue?

It’s not that bad, of course. The setup done, No Man’s Land becomes a story of wars over resources and turf. In v. 2, Batman steadily claims a large piece of Gotham with the help of the new Batgirl, who chafes under Batman’s strictures. The Blue Boys — remnants of the Gotham City Police Department — are also on the march, with the help of a mysterious and vicious benefactor.

V. 2 does what you would want — it forms a complete leg of the No Man’s Land journey, ending with an effective climax that changes the status quo for the next book. There are revelations, failures, and broken alliances. Overall, it’s satisfying.

There are nitpicks. The art styles vary wildly, and Phil Winslade’s big-eyed, cartoony style is horribly out of place in such a grim book, even if the story he draws is technically set before No Man’s Land. There is also the question of whether the two-part “Bread and Circuses” story that begins the volume is out of place — despite clashing with Batman in v. 1, Penguin acts as if it is the first time he has met Batman in No Man’s Land — or contains a whopping continuity error.

V. 3, on the other hand, starts weakly. Superman tries to restart Gotham but gives up in less than a day in “The Visitor” by Kelley Puckett and Jon Bogdanove. This is followed by “Power Play,” in which Hama writes Batman and Mr. Freeze as horribly overchatty. He also gives Mr. Freeze a working power plant (perhaps hijacked after “The Visitor”) and a giant ice castle.⁸ It’s not until the third story, “Mark of Cain,” that the story at the end of v. 2 is followed up on.

The Blue Boy’s benefactor hires Cain, an assassin, to kill Commissioner Gordon; Cassandra, the assassin’s daughter, is Oracle’s most trusted courier. Batman finally calls his allies to Gotham, and he boots out the new Batgirl — actually the Huntress — for her failure to protect his territory. Cassandra Cain becomes Batgirl and nearly succeeds in her first mission, making Batman proud. Batman and Robin deal with Clayface and Poison Ivy’s battle for the fruitful Robinson Park, in a story with some very nice art by Bill Sienkiewicz and Dan Jurgens. And the GCPD loses two prominent members.

Because of the slow start, v. 3 seemed weaker than the preceding two volumes. There also seemed less plot movement — despite the change in Batgirls, the volume begins with one Batgirl and ends with the same number — and “Huntress as Batgirl” doesn’t seem to make much sense. (No explanation was given for her temporary double ID.) Batman calls in his allies but doesn’t seem tot use them much. The GCPD has the most changes, and they’re barely in this volume; also, they’ve stopped being prominent dynamic forces and have retreated to being potential hostages.

The slide in quality seems ominous, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be corrected. V. 4 and 5 will tell the tale.

Ratings: v. 2: (3.5 of 5)

v. 3: (2.5 of 5)

Batman: No Man's Land, v. 1

Collects: Batman #563-4; Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83-4; Detective Comics #730-1; Legends of the Dark Knight #116 (1999)

Released: September 1999 (DC)

Format: 200 pages / color / $17.99 / ISBN: 1563895641

When I first heard the idea of the No Man’s Land crossover in the Batman titles in the late ‘90s, I thought it was ridiculous. The premise was this: Because of disasters in Gotham City, the federal government evacuates the willing, then declares the city off limits to the rest of the world. Those inside Gotham can’t leave; aid from outside can’t get in. The city has to fend for itself.

Preposterous. Much too heavy for me to suspend my disbelief from.

Then came Katrina, and suddenly, No Man’s Land didn’t seem quite so ridiculous.

Batman: No Man’s Land, v. 1 starts 93 days into the crisis, with gangs taking control of the streets and marking their territories with graffiti. Batman hasn’t been seen since the beginning of No Man’s Land, and the only force for order is the “Blue Boys,” the remainder of the Gotham City Police Department, although they operate in many ways like another street gang (less brutally, but with territory and tagging).

The book is divided into stories: “No Law and a New Order” and “Fear of Faith.” In the first, written by Bob Gale, the Blue Boys are on the march, securing the southern end of Gotham from the gangs who rule it. But this is the bad, new Gotham, so their tactics now include inciting street wars among their rivals. Much of the conflict is between Commissioner Gordon and one of his officers, Pettit; Gordon wants to use the minimum of force necessary, while Pettit wants to use force to make hollow-pointed emphasis of their effectiveness to the gangbangers they face. The moral arguments are intriguing, and the scene of poverty and barter is written bold. Batgirl and Batman make their return, with Batman taking on the Ventriloquist, one of his old villains, and breaking his gang.

“Fear of Faith” is a Scarecrow story written by Devin Grayson, in which he infiltrates a church that has managed to carve a small, non-aligned safehold. But the Scarecrow tries to exploit the fears of those around him, causing the priest in charge to let the Penguin violate his neutrality; things escalate from there. Unfortunately, the Scarecrow isn’t completely convincing in his machinations: he has no goal, and he wants only to study the workings of fear in the laboratory of the new Gotham. But the narrative boxes don’t quite persuade the reader that this is compelling in any way.

The book avoids the multiple artists that often mar crossovers. The first story has art by Alex Maleev, who’s a good hand with realism, and as he showed later in Daredevil, a good choice for street-level heroics. If this had been published later, DC might ruin his art with crappy coloring, but here the result is appropriately dark and gritty. Dale Eaglesham, who drew “Fear of Faith,” has a smoother line and cleaner look that isn’t quite as appropriate, but it tells the story, for the most part. (The bald, self-scarred False Faces are almost impossible to differentiate.)

Early in the book, Oracle — the information broker to superheroes and daughter of Commissioner Gordon — provides a map of the new Gotham. It’s fun to see all the names of old and influential Batman creators appear on the map as pieces of Gotham geography,³ but the map is meant to show turf boundaries. This, it’s not so good at. With so many groups, there are not enough colors, and there are some obvious mistakes. The structure of the geography makes the police involvement in the finale of “Fear of Faith” slightly problematic, as they had to cross enemy territory to get to the final showdown.

Overall, very entertaining and very promising. Its ambition carries it for the moment, but future volumes have to deliver on the premise.

Rating: (4 of 5)