What do you think?
Rate this book
Batman: Aftershock
Batman: Aftershock 16 issue story arc.
- Batman #555-559
- Detective Comics #722, #724-726
- Shadow Of The Bat #75-79
- Robin #54
- Batman Chronicles #14
- Batman #555-559
- Detective Comics #722, #724-726
- Shadow Of The Bat #75-79
- Robin #54
- Batman Chronicles #14
450 pages
Published January 1, 1998
50 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Dixon
3,431 books1,034 followersCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.
In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.
His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.
He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .
While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.
In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.
On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 18, 2025
Algunas historias son brutalmente humanistas, otras brutalmente desoladoras, y algunas simplemente no podría estar al nivel.
Me gustaron varias, y a la vez es interesante ver por un ratito a varios villanos que no se pensaría que anden por allí. Me sigue pareciendo extremadamente cortante que ni un solo villano haya muerto, como por arte de magia. Pero, bueno.
Sí que mueren personajes, quizá sin rostro ni nombre pero las historias son tanto crudas como bien formadas.
Le sigo dando calificaciones altas a esta saga de Tierra de Nadie, porque demuestran que no todo son explosiones en el espacio y marcianos de colores lanzando rayos de las manos.
Me gustaron varias, y a la vez es interesante ver por un ratito a varios villanos que no se pensaría que anden por allí. Me sigue pareciendo extremadamente cortante que ni un solo villano haya muerto, como por arte de magia. Pero, bueno.
Sí que mueren personajes, quizá sin rostro ni nombre pero las historias son tanto crudas como bien formadas.
Le sigo dando calificaciones altas a esta saga de Tierra de Nadie, porque demuestran que no todo son explosiones en el espacio y marcianos de colores lanzando rayos de las manos.
March 10, 2019
It Gets boring really, REALLY quickly, and the thiny plot threads from Cataclysm seem to have vanished into thin air. On a side note, Clayface and Mr. Freeze act totally out of character, unless you consider the second season of BTAS and Batman and Robin canonical (spoiler: they're not). Avoid wasting your time with this filler garbage.
October 9, 2017
Got some real mixed feelings here.
There's some good and some less than good. Plenty of meh and plenty of eh as well.
Firstly, in a few of the earliest issues we're presented with something of an exposed Batman. He weeps for the city he's worked so hard to defend/build up. He weeps for his failures as a hero and a team leader. And he weeps for his pyhrric victories which are as endless as the serials of Batman.
On one hand, it's really cool to see Batman presented as a vulnerable human being. This aggrandizes the verisimilitude of his character and allows us a rare chance to sympathize, and hopefully empathize, with such an otherwise cold character. And therein lies the failure of this presentation.
Batman has always been the firmly stoic character that leads his fellow capes to victory over the forces of evil. His iron detirmination and unflinching resolve is a crucial component of his character and an omnipresent aspect of his image. Bruce Wayne is The Batman afterall.
While it's nice to get a real depth of character and to see some real emotions. Its somewhat rattling visually and emotionally to see this. I'm sure some will like it. And I'm sure plenty of purists won't. Personally, I'm still quite ambivalent myself on this subject myself.
Next, the use of violence and death deserves some attention. Sure, we're well past the Silver/Bronze age of comics here (Aftershocks and it's predecessor Catacylsm are dated to the late 90's – '98 to be precise) and comics have evolved into a much more gritty/realitic era. Which is great because the stories feel more accessible and have moved away from the simplistic storytelling/morality tales of the bygone Golden Era. Por ejemplo, the Joker is no longer a clownish buffoon. No longer spritzing water from a trick faux-flower or firing a fake bang gun – he's evolved into a cold-blooded, psychotic psychopath intent on some real malevolence.
However, when this new, grittier approach to realism is juxtaposed with still older archetypes – the characters, and their historical foundations, become wonky at best. The usual suspects/residents of BlackGate and Arkham Asylum are still restricted to these older archetypes and when jammed into a more violent era – it just seems weird. For example – in Issue #14 early on a Cop is shot right in the stomach, by an evil henchment, and we see his corpse laid on the ground – replete with a bloody exit wound. Contrast this with the later depiction of the good ol' Mad Hatter continuing his ancient buffoonery for habadashery. This inconsistency is mind-boggling at best and a bad fit at worst.
What also doesn't quite fit into this era are the physical depicitions of characters as well. Throughout this series, as an exemplar, beginning in the Cataclysm Arc Batman's cape is depicted with wavy, angular lines that are seemingly influenced by Tim Burton's style, rather than a more realistic presentation. In an arc dealing with some relavity nasty material for a typical Cape series – murder, child neglect/abandonment, looting, depravity, and even cannibalism (see issue #12) with an eye for grittiness – the art more often than not doesn't quite match the story line enough.
Another thing which doesn't quite seem to match are some meaningless characters and even more meaningless narrative developments. These include the Ratman, Vesper Fairchild, and Ballistic just to name a few. These characters are shoehorned into the story for no other reason than to drive sales for the Batman devoted. Sure, for the devoted this is cool but, for the rest of us, these classic characters merely show up in an issue or two at best, say some words, do some actions and thats about it.
And it'sthis paper thin approach to character development/mindless character placement that is almost as irritating and disapointing as is a lot of the action as well. While Batman and his allies end up fighting the typical Hoods half the time – the other half of the time they are merely saving random citizens from their earthquake influenced doom. These plots are boring at best and snoozeworthy at worst. Is there anything exciting about Batman digging a pleb out from under the rubble for the umpteenth time yet again? Nope.
May 22, 2019
I'd say this 16 issues behemoth was a 2.5 out of 5 star book .
Featuring the aftermath of the earth quake that has left Gotham at the brink of extinction and Batman feeling helpless , as this enemy is not something he can punch or deduct into submission . This book compiles the various stories that take place during and immediately after the earthquake . Displaying the grit and the carnal nature of human beings in their efforts to survive . And of course shown are the efforts put in by Bruce Wayne and Batman in restoring the city.
This books format works both for and against it , as the format gives us one shots that can be compiled and admired for the various stories told in them , however most story feel generic or don't touch any emotional strings ergo making it a dull book at many times .
As I said , this was an average read . I had not read this classic during it's release and now that I have , I must admit , this is not a "must-read" and one can easily skip it to jump into the no-man's land story line
Featuring the aftermath of the earth quake that has left Gotham at the brink of extinction and Batman feeling helpless , as this enemy is not something he can punch or deduct into submission . This book compiles the various stories that take place during and immediately after the earthquake . Displaying the grit and the carnal nature of human beings in their efforts to survive . And of course shown are the efforts put in by Bruce Wayne and Batman in restoring the city.
This books format works both for and against it , as the format gives us one shots that can be compiled and admired for the various stories told in them , however most story feel generic or don't touch any emotional strings ergo making it a dull book at many times .
As I said , this was an average read . I had not read this classic during it's release and now that I have , I must admit , this is not a "must-read" and one can easily skip it to jump into the no-man's land story line
May 12, 2025
The first issue of this storyline was terrible, but the rest of it is great.
This follows the aftermath of the huge earthquake in Batman: Cataclysm. There were some incredibly dark panels and side stories in here, including a child falling into a bottomless cavern, and my personal favourite: A Long Slow Death, which is one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever read and is something wasn’t expecting out of a Batman comic.
4.25 stars.
This follows the aftermath of the huge earthquake in Batman: Cataclysm. There were some incredibly dark panels and side stories in here, including a child falling into a bottomless cavern, and my personal favourite: A Long Slow Death, which is one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever read and is something wasn’t expecting out of a Batman comic.
4.25 stars.
April 2, 2022
Arco posterior a cataclismo. Después del terremoto Gotham yace en ruinas y Batman se esfierza al limite para salvar a todos los supervivientes posibles mientras algunos criminales aprovechan el momento. Es uk comic bastante profundo y aunque la trama no sea gran cosa, engancha ese enfoque novedoso de ver a Batman luchando contra las desgracias que pueda provocar la madre naturaleza.
October 30, 2023
Continuing where the story of Cataclysm carried us, Aftershock is very much a mixed bag.
As it was with the previous collection of issues, Dixon's work is far and away the best on offer.
And while none of it is overtly bad, most if it ranges between "so what?" and "hmm...OK." in quality.
As it was with the previous collection of issues, Dixon's work is far and away the best on offer.
And while none of it is overtly bad, most if it ranges between "so what?" and "hmm...OK." in quality.
April 6, 2023
This is the link between the actual days of the earthquake and the events in the no-mans-land.
December 13, 2014
Первые недели после готэмского катаклизма. Еще не все выжившие извлечены из под обломков (некоторые замурованы в подвале, где меланхолично доедают своих близких), но город уже стоит перед лицом новых серьезных невзгод: голод, болезни, мародёры. “Национальная гвардия” блокировала все выезды из Готэма и патрулирует пригородные районы. Городская полиция, ряды которой заметно поредели (в том числе, по причине дезертирства) из последних сил пытается навести порядок, но с каждым днем всё больше теряет веру в успех.
Город умирает, констатирует Брюс Уэйн, и, возможно, мы не должны этому мешать. Бесконечная, пусть и немногословная рефлексия Темного Рыцаря, которую он регулярно выливает на свою команду, вымораживает парней. Тим, Дик, вы можете изменить свою судьбу, сообщает между делом Брюс, вы еще способны жить вне маскарада, жить ради чего-то иного.
А ты? А я уже нашел свое место в этом мире.
Бэтмэн спасает людей в метро, где встречает сбежавшего из Блэкгейта Крысолова). Помогает Баллистику найти среди обломков принадлежащий спецслужбам чемодан с наркотой (и уничтожить его). Стравливает своих врагов - Мистера Фриза и Клэйфейса (второй только что вернулся из кварцовых пещер со свежеприобретенным пьезоэффектом). Мешает Шляпнику и Наркозису погрузить весь город в наркотический сон. В здании Готэмского университета, где хранится единственный образец вакцины от холеры, Бэтмэну приходится проверить на собственной шкуре теорию Дарвина и пройти по доске с завязанными глазами.
Но главное испытание ждёт его, как обычно, в лечебнице Аркхэма. Серийный убийца похитил девочку, закопал её живьем, но потом признался об этом человеку в соседней камере - то есть Джокеру, который очень быстро довел несчастного психопата до самоубийства. После продолжительного допроса с применением грубой силы Джокер называет Бэтмэну место, где спрятан ребенок, после чего герою удается спасти девочку за считанные минуты до того, как в её рукотворной могиле кончится кислород.
Почему ты признался, спросит Бэтмэн, верн��вшись в лечебницу, ради чего ты это сделал. Прежде каждый раз в подобной ситуации ты был уверен, что заложник уже погиб, ответит ему Джокер. Был уверен, но хладнокровно и без эмоций предпринимал все возможное, чтобы его спасти. Теперь же...
Брюс Уэйн постепенно ломается вместе с Готэмом, но его команда оказывается куда более стрессоустойчивой. Альфред в одиночку защищает поместье от лутеров, Робин проходит все заставы, чтобы принести Стефани костюм Спойлер. Даже когда этот костюм оказывается похищен её сбежавшим из тюрьмы отцом.
Бесконечно пионерят на улицах Грейсон и Хелена Бертинелли.
Самый необычный (скорее, неожиданный) фрагмент из всех 16 выпусков “Aftershock” - прозаический (!) рассказ Грега Руки. Его первая работа для DC Comics. В этом рассказе Рене Монтоя и её брат Бенни пьют пиво среди руин Готэма. Рене рассказывает про то, как однажды спасла Харви Дента и тот подарил ей свою легендарную монету. Бенни - о службе в Афганистане и о том, как эта служба сделала из него убийцу
Город умирает, констатирует Брюс Уэйн, и, возможно, мы не должны этому мешать. Бесконечная, пусть и немногословная рефлексия Темного Рыцаря, которую он регулярно выливает на свою команду, вымораживает парней. Тим, Дик, вы можете изменить свою судьбу, сообщает между делом Брюс, вы еще способны жить вне маскарада, жить ради чего-то иного.
А ты? А я уже нашел свое место в этом мире.
Бэтмэн спасает людей в метро, где встречает сбежавшего из Блэкгейта Крысолова). Помогает Баллистику найти среди обломков принадлежащий спецслужбам чемодан с наркотой (и уничтожить его). Стравливает своих врагов - Мистера Фриза и Клэйфейса (второй только что вернулся из кварцовых пещер со свежеприобретенным пьезоэффектом). Мешает Шляпнику и Наркозису погрузить весь город в наркотический сон. В здании Готэмского университета, где хранится единственный образец вакцины от холеры, Бэтмэну приходится проверить на собственной шкуре теорию Дарвина и пройти по доске с завязанными глазами.
Но главное испытание ждёт его, как обычно, в лечебнице Аркхэма. Серийный убийца похитил девочку, закопал её живьем, но потом признался об этом человеку в соседней камере - то есть Джокеру, который очень быстро довел несчастного психопата до самоубийства. После продолжительного допроса с применением грубой силы Джокер называет Бэтмэну место, где спрятан ребенок, после чего герою удается спасти девочку за считанные минуты до того, как в её рукотворной могиле кончится кислород.
Почему ты признался, спросит Бэтмэн, верн��вшись в лечебницу, ради чего ты это сделал. Прежде каждый раз в подобной ситуации ты был уверен, что заложник уже погиб, ответит ему Джокер. Был уверен, но хладнокровно и без эмоций предпринимал все возможное, чтобы его спасти. Теперь же...
Брюс Уэйн постепенно ломается вместе с Готэмом, но его команда оказывается куда более стрессоустойчивой. Альфред в одиночку защищает поместье от лутеров, Робин проходит все заставы, чтобы принести Стефани костюм Спойлер. Даже когда этот костюм оказывается похищен её сбежавшим из тюрьмы отцом.
Бесконечно пионерят на улицах Грейсон и Хелена Бертинелли.
Самый необычный (скорее, неожиданный) фрагмент из всех 16 выпусков “Aftershock” - прозаический (!) рассказ Грега Руки. Его первая работа для DC Comics. В этом рассказе Рене Монтоя и её брат Бенни пьют пиво среди руин Готэма. Рене рассказывает про то, как однажды спасла Харви Дента и тот подарил ей свою легендарную монету. Бенни - о службе в Афганистане и о том, как эта служба сделала из него убийцу
January 31, 2013
This cycle of stories suffers from the same lack of uniformity of quality from issue to issue as its predecessor Cataclysm, but has some very nice one-shot-style stories of the aftermath of the Gotham earthquake.
The city-wide disaster is the thread that ties most of this together (and a subplot with the Mad Hatter). Otherwise, it’s a pile of dramatic vignettes about the city and one very well-written, but rather strangely placed (and seemingly incontiguous) story in which Batman interrogates the Joker at Arkham about a missing girl.
Some people ask whether one needs to read Cataclysm or any of the other preludes to No Man's Land. Often I see the response as "no", but I'm glad I did not skip these as they were quite entertaining and definitely set the stage of what's coming.
The city-wide disaster is the thread that ties most of this together (and a subplot with the Mad Hatter). Otherwise, it’s a pile of dramatic vignettes about the city and one very well-written, but rather strangely placed (and seemingly incontiguous) story in which Batman interrogates the Joker at Arkham about a missing girl.
Some people ask whether one needs to read Cataclysm or any of the other preludes to No Man's Land. Often I see the response as "no", but I'm glad I did not skip these as they were quite entertaining and definitely set the stage of what's coming.
May 10, 2014
A mixed bag. Some good issues, most mediocre.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews