Batman: No Man's Land
Encyclopedia
"No Man’s Land" is an American comic book
crossover storyline that ran for the whole of 1999
through the Batman
comic book titles published by DC Comics
.
The lead-up story began with the "Cataclysm
" story arc, which described a major earthquake hitting Gotham City
. This was followed by the storylines "Aftershock" and then "Road to No Man's Land" which resulted in the U.S. government officially evacuating Gotham and then abandoning and isolating those who chose to remain in the city. "No Man’s Land" covered, in detail, a period in the lives of the residents of the city, explaining all events from the time of isolation, until its time of re-opening and the beginning of rebuilding.
titles Detective Comics
, Batman, Batman: Shadow of the Bat
, and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight with other spin-offs
serving as tie-in
s. In all, "No Man's Land" encompassed 80 regular monthly issues, 4 specials, and the Batman: Harley Quinn graphic novel
, which introduced Harley Quinn
to the DC Universe
.
The storyline is divided into several arcs. A part of the story would continue from one Batman title and then to the next Batman title that would come the following week, much the same format used in the Superman
comics for that time. Unlike the Superman comics, where a creative team is maintained for one monthly title, the same creative team is maintained for the duration of the story arc.
The core storyline is collected as trade paperbacks
in five volumes. However, because of the large number of issues that were devoted to "No Man's Land", only 40 of them made it into the collections. A novelization of the story line was also written by Greg Rucka
and released as hardcover in January 2000.
DC is currently planning to release a collection of No Man's Land that will, for the first time, include issues previously uncollected
had suffered the results of a magnitude
7.6 earthquake in the earlier Cataclysm
storyline. In response, the U.S government declared Gotham a "no man's land
," destroyed all bridges leading to Gotham and forbade people from entering or exiting.
The city was swiftly carved up by gangs and various supervillains Batman had battled over the years, primarily The Penguin. Jim Gordon
and several members of the Gotham police department
stayed behind to protect civilians. Oracle
and Huntress
also ended up on the inside. Bruce Wayne (Batman) left the city to lobby the government to not cut Gotham off, but failed. Gordon and his men waited for his return, but by the time he returned more than three months later, they believed he had abandoned Gotham.
Huntress attempts to keep order, fashioning a Batgirl
costume. She soon discovers that criminals fear her more as Batgirl than they do Huntress and succeeds in holding territory of her own. When Batman returns, he allows her to continue to use the costume. However, when she fails to hold off Two-Face
and his army of men and loses Batman's territory, she abandons the costume.
Batman and James Gordon's officers work separately to reclaim Gotham, piece by piece, by beating and subduing the gang leaders and then marking the reclaimed territory with graffiti. Various subplots emerge through the battles. Poison Ivy took up residence in Robinson Park and Batman allowed her to remain there as long as she cared for the orphans and distributed food. Superman
briefly visited the city to try and help restore some degree of order, but quickly realised that the city's current state required a greater effort than the 'quick-fix' he had been expecting and departed, realising that his type of help was inadequate for Gotham's present condition. A simultaneous story in JLA
revealed that the Justice League
kept an eye on Gotham during this time by preventing various villains claiming the territory for themselves.
Gordon once allied with Two-Face, but Two-Face betrayed the alliance. Two-Face also hired David Cain to kill Gordon, but Cain is thwarted by his daughter Cassandra
. Cassandra later takes up the mantle as the third Batgirl to help clean No Man's Land up. Later, Two-Face kidnapped Gordon and put him on trial for breaking the alliance. Police officer Renee Montoya
reaches out to Two-Face's Harvey Dent persona, whose defense leads to Gordon's acquittal, Dent's questioning concluding that Two-Face had essentially blackmailed Gordon into the alliance and hence making any alliance between them void.
The turning point for No Man's Land came when Lex Luthor
arrived with his helicopters to rebuild Gotham. However, Luthor's covert plan was to take the deeds and much of the property in Gotham, since the original deeds had been burned after sending Bane
to Gotham to destroy the city's records, and many of the owners either had died in the earthquake or incapable of legal battles because of financial ruins. Lucius Fox
discovers copies of the original documents and notifies Luthor. Luthor then attempts to kill Fox, but Batman intervenes and reveals that he is the one who anonymously tipped the Wayne Enterprises' CEO, tells Luthor that Gotham is not for sale, and warns him to leave.
The United States government reverses the No Man's Land order and allows Gotham to rejoin the United States. Gordon and his surviving police officers are promoted. In the final scenes of the comic, the Joker attacks Petit's compound. Petit is killed and the Huntress barely survives. The Joker later kidnaps all of Gotham's babies, but thankfully does not kill any of them. When Sarah Essen Gordon
discovers the babies, the Joker shoots her in the head while she holds an infant. Batman later convinces a grief-stricken Gordon to not kill The Joker in order to prove that their city can still maintain its morale. When the Joker mockingly asks Gordon if he has a son (asking whether he has anybody else in his life he has not hurt yet), Gordon shoots Joker through one of his kneecaps instead and breaks down as Batman comforts him.
The story ends with the new year
ringing in, as Batman prepares to spend another year as the watchful protector of Gotham, and Gordon says his last goodbyes to his wife, wishing her a happy new year.
Other comics took place in Gotham City during "No Man's Land", but were not cover bannered as part of the storyline:
, who would become the third Batgirl
. An ongoing quasi-relationship between Two-Face
and Renee Montoya
started as a result to this crossover and came to a head in the pages of Gotham Central
s "Half a Life" storyline. "No Man's Land" also saw the death of Sarah Essen
, the wife of Gordon, who is brutally murdered by The Joker in the arc's finale; an event that precipitated Gordon's temporary retirement from the force. The crisis also gave Luthor
enough of a foothold in public opinion to win the candidacy of the President of the United States
in 2000. The same arc also introduced Luthor's bodyguard Mercy Graves
to the DC Universe, after she first appeared in Superman: The Animated Series
. Harley Quinn
also made her first appearance in comics during "No Man's Land", in a one-shot titled Batman: Harley Quinn that also set forth the basis of the friendship between her and Poison Ivy. Batman himself actually changed costumes from the all-black Troika suit to a costume similar to the original, Year One Batsuit
during the event.
Behind the scenes, "No Man's Land" precipitated the exit of longtime writer and editor Denny O'Neil from the Batman family of books. In an interview, he stated that he retired three years before he was supposed to, due to the strenuous nature of editing. O'Neil was replaced by Bob Shreck.
:
. The story features many of the same characters as the comic book arc. It also describes other members of the GCPD. The book omits the characters of Azrael and Superman
, who were present throughout in the comics.
There is also a shorter junior novel written by Alan Grant.
GraphicAudio is producing an audiobook of the novelization of Batman No Man Land. The audiobook spans two volumes and features a full cast, music and sound effects. The first part will be released in October and the second in November 2011
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
crossover storyline that ran for the whole of 1999
1999 in comics
-February:* February 3: Pioneering editor Vin Sullivan dies at age 87.* February 26: John L. Goldwater, co-founder of Archie Comics, dies at age 82.-March:* Incredible Hulk is canceled by Marvel with issue #474.-May:...
through the Batman
Batman (comic book)
Batman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27, published in May 1939. Batman proved to be so popular that a self-titled ongoing comic book series began publication in the spring of 1940...
comic book titles published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
The lead-up story began with the "Cataclysm
Batman: Cataclysm
"Cataclysm" is an 18 chapter DC Comics crossover story arc that ran through the various Batman family comics from March to May, 1998. The plot of the storyline centers around Gotham City being hit by a massive earthquake, the epicenter of the which is less than a mile from Wayne Manor...
" story arc, which described a major earthquake hitting Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
. This was followed by the storylines "Aftershock" and then "Road to No Man's Land" which resulted in the U.S. government officially evacuating Gotham and then abandoning and isolating those who chose to remain in the city. "No Man’s Land" covered, in detail, a period in the lives of the residents of the city, explaining all events from the time of isolation, until its time of re-opening and the beginning of rebuilding.
Publication history
The main storyline ran through the monthly BatmanBatman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
titles Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
, Batman, Batman: Shadow of the Bat
Batman: Shadow of the Bat
Batman: Shadow of the Bat was a comic book series featuring Batman, published by DC Comics. The series ran for 96 issues, from 1992 to 2000. The stories took place in Batman's then-current continuity along with Detective Comics and Batman, in contrast to Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, which...
, and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight with other spin-offs
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
serving as tie-in
Tie-in
A tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing, such as a movie or video/DVD, computer game, video game, television program/television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property...
s. In all, "No Man's Land" encompassed 80 regular monthly issues, 4 specials, and the Batman: Harley Quinn graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
, which introduced Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
to the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
.
The storyline is divided into several arcs. A part of the story would continue from one Batman title and then to the next Batman title that would come the following week, much the same format used in the Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
comics for that time. Unlike the Superman comics, where a creative team is maintained for one monthly title, the same creative team is maintained for the duration of the story arc.
The core storyline is collected as trade paperbacks
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
in five volumes. However, because of the large number of issues that were devoted to "No Man's Land", only 40 of them made it into the collections. A novelization of the story line was also written by Greg Rucka
Greg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
and released as hardcover in January 2000.
DC is currently planning to release a collection of No Man's Land that will, for the first time, include issues previously uncollected
Plot summary
Gotham CityGotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
had suffered the results of a magnitude
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
7.6 earthquake in the earlier Cataclysm
Batman: Cataclysm
"Cataclysm" is an 18 chapter DC Comics crossover story arc that ran through the various Batman family comics from March to May, 1998. The plot of the storyline centers around Gotham City being hit by a massive earthquake, the epicenter of the which is less than a mile from Wayne Manor...
storyline. In response, the U.S government declared Gotham a "no man's land
No man's land
No man's land is a term for land that is unoccupied or is under dispute between parties that leave it unoccupied due to fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms...
," destroyed all bridges leading to Gotham and forbade people from entering or exiting.
The city was swiftly carved up by gangs and various supervillains Batman had battled over the years, primarily The Penguin. Jim Gordon
James Gordon (comics)
James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
and several members of the Gotham police department
Gotham City Police Department
The Gotham City Police Department is a fictional police department servicing Gotham City, as depicted in comic books published by DC Comics, in particular those tied into the Batman books.-History of GCPD:...
stayed behind to protect civilians. Oracle
Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino...
and Huntress
Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)
Huntress is a fictional character in the DC Universe. Based upon the Earth-Two character Helena Wayne, she is one of several DC characters to bear the Huntress name...
also ended up on the inside. Bruce Wayne (Batman) left the city to lobby the government to not cut Gotham off, but failed. Gordon and his men waited for his return, but by the time he returned more than three months later, they believed he had abandoned Gotham.
Huntress attempts to keep order, fashioning a Batgirl
Batgirl
Batgirl is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, frequently depicted as female counterparts to the superhero Batman...
costume. She soon discovers that criminals fear her more as Batgirl than they do Huntress and succeeds in holding territory of her own. When Batman returns, he allows her to continue to use the costume. However, when she fails to hold off Two-Face
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
and his army of men and loses Batman's territory, she abandons the costume.
Batman and James Gordon's officers work separately to reclaim Gotham, piece by piece, by beating and subduing the gang leaders and then marking the reclaimed territory with graffiti. Various subplots emerge through the battles. Poison Ivy took up residence in Robinson Park and Batman allowed her to remain there as long as she cared for the orphans and distributed food. Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
briefly visited the city to try and help restore some degree of order, but quickly realised that the city's current state required a greater effort than the 'quick-fix' he had been expecting and departed, realising that his type of help was inadequate for Gotham's present condition. A simultaneous story in JLA
JLA (comic book)
JLA was a monthly comic book published by DC Comics from January 1997 to April 2006 featuring the Justice League.-Publication history:The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books by the mid-1990s prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team on a single title...
revealed that the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
kept an eye on Gotham during this time by preventing various villains claiming the territory for themselves.
Gordon once allied with Two-Face, but Two-Face betrayed the alliance. Two-Face also hired David Cain to kill Gordon, but Cain is thwarted by his daughter Cassandra
Cassandra Cain
Cassandra Cain is a fictional character in the , one of several who has served as Batgirl, an important character in the Batman comic book franchise. Cassandra's backstory presents her as the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, she was deprived of speech and human contact during her...
. Cassandra later takes up the mantle as the third Batgirl to help clean No Man's Land up. Later, Two-Face kidnapped Gordon and put him on trial for breaking the alliance. Police officer Renee Montoya
Renee Montoya
Renee Montoya is a fictional comic book character published by DC Comics. The character was initially created for Batman: The Animated Series, and was preemptively introduced into mainstream comics before the airing of her animated debut in 1992....
reaches out to Two-Face's Harvey Dent persona, whose defense leads to Gordon's acquittal, Dent's questioning concluding that Two-Face had essentially blackmailed Gordon into the alliance and hence making any alliance between them void.
The turning point for No Man's Land came when Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
arrived with his helicopters to rebuild Gotham. However, Luthor's covert plan was to take the deeds and much of the property in Gotham, since the original deeds had been burned after sending Bane
Bane (comics)
Bane is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 , and was created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan. Bane has been one of Batman's more physically and intellectually powerful foes...
to Gotham to destroy the city's records, and many of the owners either had died in the earthquake or incapable of legal battles because of financial ruins. Lucius Fox
Lucius Fox
Lucius Fox is a fictional character appearing in Batman comic books by DC Comics. He was created by Len Wein and John Calnan, and first appeared in Batman #307 . As a supporting character, he acts as Bruce Wayne's business manager who supposedly unknowingly runs the business interests that supply...
discovers copies of the original documents and notifies Luthor. Luthor then attempts to kill Fox, but Batman intervenes and reveals that he is the one who anonymously tipped the Wayne Enterprises' CEO, tells Luthor that Gotham is not for sale, and warns him to leave.
The United States government reverses the No Man's Land order and allows Gotham to rejoin the United States. Gordon and his surviving police officers are promoted. In the final scenes of the comic, the Joker attacks Petit's compound. Petit is killed and the Huntress barely survives. The Joker later kidnaps all of Gotham's babies, but thankfully does not kill any of them. When Sarah Essen Gordon
Sarah Essen Gordon
Sarah Essen Gordon is a fictional character in the DC Universe, created by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli as a supporting character in the Batman mythos.-Fictional character biography:...
discovers the babies, the Joker shoots her in the head while she holds an infant. Batman later convinces a grief-stricken Gordon to not kill The Joker in order to prove that their city can still maintain its morale. When the Joker mockingly asks Gordon if he has a son (asking whether he has anybody else in his life he has not hurt yet), Gordon shoots Joker through one of his kneecaps instead and breaks down as Batman comforts him.
The story ends with the new year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
ringing in, as Batman prepares to spend another year as the watchful protector of Gotham, and Gordon says his last goodbyes to his wife, wishing her a happy new year.
Issues
The story ran through the following issues:- AzraelAzrael (comics)Azrael is the name of several fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. They are a group of assassins who were created by The Order of St. Dumas to "enforce god's will"...
#50-61 - BatmanBatman (comic book)Batman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27, published in May 1939. Batman proved to be so popular that a self-titled ongoing comic book series began publication in the spring of 1940...
#563-574 - Batman: Harley QuinnHarley QuinnHarley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
(graphic novel) - The Batman Chronicles #16-18
- Batman: Day of Judgment (also part of Day of JudgmentDay of Judgment (comics)Day of Judgment was a DC Comics limited series and crossover storyline during the autumn of 1999. The limited series was written by Geoff Johns, with art by Matthew Dow Smith....
) - Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #116-126
- Batman: No Man's Land #0-1
- Batman: No Man's Land Secret Files and OriginsSecret Files and OriginsSecret Files and Origins is a series of one-shot comic books and mini-series produced by DC Comics during the late 1990s and 2000s.-Publication history:...
#1 - Batman: Shadow of the BatBatman: Shadow of the BatBatman: Shadow of the Bat was a comic book series featuring Batman, published by DC Comics. The series ran for 96 issues, from 1992 to 2000. The stories took place in Batman's then-current continuity along with Detective Comics and Batman, in contrast to Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, which...
#83-94 - CatwomanCatwomanCatwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
#72-77 - Detective ComicsDetective ComicsDetective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
#730-741 - NightwingNightwingNightwing is a name that has been used by several fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe. It was conceived as a Kryptonian analogue to the character of Batman, with Nightwing's frequent partner Flamebird based on Robin...
#35-39 - RobinRobin (comics)Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
#67-73 - Young JusticeYoung JusticeYoung Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team first appeared in Young Justice: The Secret , before graduating to their ongoing monthly series...
in No Man's Land #1
Other comics took place in Gotham City during "No Man's Land", but were not cover bannered as part of the storyline:
- HitmanHitman (comics)Hitman is a fictional character, a superpowered hitman in the DC Comics Universe. The character was created by Garth Ennis and John McCrea and first appeared in The Demon Annual #2 and then received his own series by Ennis and McCrea lasting 61 issues.-Background:Hitman chronicles the exploits of...
#37-46 - JLAJLA (comic book)JLA was a monthly comic book published by DC Comics from January 1997 to April 2006 featuring the Justice League.-Publication history:The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books by the mid-1990s prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team on a single title...
#32
New Gotham
Two of the storylines immediately following "No Man's Land" were collected as trade paperbacks with the subtitles New Gotham 1 and New Gotham 2, respectively, playing up the fact that they were set in the rebuilt Gotham City following "No Man's Land". These were "Batman: Evolution" from Detective Comics #743-750 and "Batman: Officer Down", collecting the story from Batman #587, Robin #86, Birds of Prey #27, Catwoman #90, Nightwing #53, Detective Comics #754, and Gotham Knights #13.Lasting effects
"No Man's Land" introduced the character of Cassandra CainCassandra Cain
Cassandra Cain is a fictional character in the , one of several who has served as Batgirl, an important character in the Batman comic book franchise. Cassandra's backstory presents her as the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, she was deprived of speech and human contact during her...
, who would become the third Batgirl
Batgirl
Batgirl is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, frequently depicted as female counterparts to the superhero Batman...
. An ongoing quasi-relationship between Two-Face
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
and Renee Montoya
Renee Montoya
Renee Montoya is a fictional comic book character published by DC Comics. The character was initially created for Batman: The Animated Series, and was preemptively introduced into mainstream comics before the airing of her animated debut in 1992....
started as a result to this crossover and came to a head in the pages of Gotham Central
Gotham Central
Gotham Central is a police procedural comic book series that was published by DC Comics. It was written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, with pencils initially by Michael Lark....
s "Half a Life" storyline. "No Man's Land" also saw the death of Sarah Essen
Sarah Essen Gordon
Sarah Essen Gordon is a fictional character in the DC Universe, created by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli as a supporting character in the Batman mythos.-Fictional character biography:...
, the wife of Gordon, who is brutally murdered by The Joker in the arc's finale; an event that precipitated Gordon's temporary retirement from the force. The crisis also gave Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
enough of a foothold in public opinion to win the candidacy of the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 2000. The same arc also introduced Luthor's bodyguard Mercy Graves
Mercy Graves
Mercedes "Mercy" Graves is a fictional supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. She debuted on Superman: The Animated Series as the bodyguard/personal assistant of Superman's archenemy, Lex Luthor...
to the DC Universe, after she first appeared in Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
. Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
also made her first appearance in comics during "No Man's Land", in a one-shot titled Batman: Harley Quinn that also set forth the basis of the friendship between her and Poison Ivy. Batman himself actually changed costumes from the all-black Troika suit to a costume similar to the original, Year One Batsuit
Batsuit
The Batsuit is the costume of the fictional character Batman, a superhero appearing in DC Comics. Though the suit has been drawn many different ways by different artists, and the stories themselves have described Batman as modifying the details of his costume from time to time, it is most often...
during the event.
Behind the scenes, "No Man's Land" precipitated the exit of longtime writer and editor Denny O'Neil from the Batman family of books. In an interview, he stated that he retired three years before he was supposed to, due to the strenuous nature of editing. O'Neil was replaced by Bob Shreck.
Collected editions
Of the 80 issues under the No Man's Land banner, 40 were collected into trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
Batman
- Volume One (ISBN 1563895641)
- Batman: No Man's Land #1
- Batman #563-564
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83-84
- Detective Comics #730-731
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #116
- Volume Two (ISBN 1563895994)
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #117, #119
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #85-87
- Batman #565
- Detective Comics #732-733
- The Batman Chronicles #16
- Volume Three (ISBN 1563896346)
- Batman #566-569
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120-121
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #88
- Detective Comics #734-735
- Volume Four (ISBN 1563896982)
- Batman #571-572
- The Batman Chronicles #18
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #125
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #92-93
- Detective Comics #736, #738-739
- Volume Five (ISBN 1563897091)
- Batman: No Man's Land #0
- Batman #573-574
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #126
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat #94
- Detective Comics #740-741
Supporting cast
- Nightwing: A Darker Shade of Justice (ISBN 978-1563897030)
- Nightwing #30-39, Nightwing Secret Files & Origins #1
The novel & Audiobook
In 2000, DC Comics published a novelization of "No Man's Land" written by Greg RuckaGreg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
. The story features many of the same characters as the comic book arc. It also describes other members of the GCPD. The book omits the characters of Azrael and Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, who were present throughout in the comics.
There is also a shorter junior novel written by Alan Grant.
GraphicAudio is producing an audiobook of the novelization of Batman No Man Land. The audiobook spans two volumes and features a full cast, music and sound effects. The first part will be released in October and the second in November 2011