Batman: New Gotham, Volume One

Batman: New Gotham (new edition) #1

by Greg Rucka, Shawn Martinbrough (Illustrator), Phil Hester (Illustrator)

It's a new dawn for Gotham City after the events of the epic crossover storyline, NO MAN'S LAND. Battles were won and lost, allegiances and friendships were tested, and the city itself was left on the brink of implosion.

Now, officially back under the sanction of the U.S. Government, Gotham is dangerously close to erupting into civil war as two factions of Gothamites vie for control of the home of the Dark Knight. The OGs--those who stayed in Gotham during the cataclysmic events of NO MAN'S LAND--and the DeeZees--residents of the the city who left during the hard times and have now returned--are at each others's throats and it's up to Batman, Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl to keep the conflict from coming to a bloody head.

On top of this civil unrest, Batman's longtime nemesis Ra's al Ghul has returned to Gotham with a deadly plan that will not only devastate the city, but also the entire world! Only the strong will survive in this collection written by comics superstar Greg Rucka (GOTHAM CENTRAL, Lazarus).

Collects DETECTIVE COMICS #742-753.

Genres: Comics, Batman, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Superheroes, Crime

336 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2017

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Takes place immediately after the end of No Man's Land. Gotham has been rebuilt. Tensions are mounting between those who stayed during NML and those who left. There's also a power vacuum in the underworld of the city as people flock back to Gotham. You can see the origins of Gotham Central here. Whisper A'Daire and Sasha Bordeaux are also introduced who feature prominently in Batwoman and Checkmate respectively a few years later.

The Good: Anything Greg Rucka does is going to be at least decent. But the stories here are kinda of rudimentary.

The Bad: Batman is almost a supporting character in the book, working with the Major Crimes Unit on various cases.

The Ugly: Each story is colored using only two colors. For instance the first story used only orange and grey, another red and green, etc. It was distracting and often garish colors. I found it very offputting.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was so GOOD!

It takes place after the no mans land event and has multiple stories like a new woman named Whisper A'Daire has sot of pit the 5 gangs (new ones) against each other and wlel under her control and then we find who she really is and who she is working for and as Batman solves it, he has to fight against her henchman Abott and then the other gangs and stop them from comitting serious crime and I love it!

Then there is the story of how some buildings were going down and a war happens between OG (those who lives in Gotham during NML) and the Deserters (the one who left during NML and came back after it) and it leads to a fun Detective case for Batman and how he solves it is the big story here and its sort of well done here!

Plus the Poison Ivy story and like how she holds some kids and the police want to rescue them and well make her abandon the park and we see a social message here about protecting the plants and also that Ivy is more human than we think and well how Batman factors into is interesting and it makes for a fun 3 part story.

Plus the big thing with Ra's AL Ghul is touched here and Talia and Whisper too and the big plans and again some messages here and setting some plots for future volumes I am guessing and yeah I loved this one as well.

Overall its a fast read and yep loved this thats why, Rucka is showing the state of Gotham after NML and I love the fallout after such a big event and you can see the tension and what not and how Batman reacts to it is interesting, even what Bruce does is shown here and the dichotomy between the two but the best part is the art and yeah it seems pretty cartoony or monotone but thats the great part about it and it makes for such a good read omg I love it thats why!

The story with Renee was cute too but the last one with Harvey being "Copernicus Dent" was so weird like doing a comic inside a comic and kind of destroys the flow of the entire series so idk that one was weird but overall still a solid read and I am excited to check out future volumes!

[Molly™☺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although volume one isn't one long narrative, but a collection of stories centred around Gotham after the events of No Man's Land, it still seems to retain some sense of flow as a creative piece. In tone, it shares similarities with Gotham Central ( a project that Rucka worked on ) with its attempt at grounded and gritty, but doesn't have quite the same weight as that series is able to provide. The main difference between them is that it's not as consistent in story quality, nor with how the art contributes to the narrative and atmosphere. There is a stylistic choice of washed out and minimalistic colours when it comes to the visuals, and it works better for some stories than others. However, whilst it's a mixed bag, the worst it has to offer is still good (except for the final story which is very skippable anyway due to the tonal and art shift). Scraping four stars by the skin of its teeth, Rucka mixes the excellent with the good, ultimately creating a great read, especially if you're brushed up on the events of No Man's Land prior.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greg Rucka writes Batman, and though the result is uneven, there's a lot in here worth reading.

The Honored Dead (742). A nice spotlight on Gordon in the wake of his wife's death. This feels very much like prelude to Gotham Central, albeit with too much Batman [4/5].

Evolution (743-746). R'as Al Ghul makes a new attempt upon a new city. This has a good focus on Gotham's gangs (not that we haven't seen that plotline too many times) and a kind of weird twist on the Demon. I don't exactly like the result [3/5].

Happy Birthday Two You (747). A terrific focus on Renee feels like another Gotham Central prelude. This one really reveals who she is and also has nice connections to Batman and the "villain" of the piece. [5/5]

Urban Renewal (748-749). The No Man's Land connections that began in the previous issue come to full fruition here as we get some great development of a Gotham split in two between those who left and those who stayed. The joy of this arc is that it's just a good mystery, really living up to the comic's name [4+/5].

Dependence (750). This return to the R'as al Ghul plot is better than "Evolution", in part because it doesn't focus as much on all the silly animal (wo)men. There's some nice attention to Talia and her relationships with Bruce and her father. But Rucka still can't tell a pure Batman tale that's as intriguing as his Gotham Central-like tales [3+/5].

A Walk in the Park (751-752). This story of Batman's interaction with Poison ivy is amazing for its depth, then we also get the introduction of Sasha Bordeux. Definitely, Rucka's best to date (and more generally, his writing at its height). So apparently, Rucka can tell a good pure Batman story afterall ... [5/5].

The Adventures of Copernicus Dent (753). The idea of a therapy comic by Harvey Dent is great, but the execution is repetitive and uninsightful [2/5].

The artwork in this volume is stunningly original, in large part due to its monochromatic nature, with spot colors for emphasis. Very nice.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

So my superpower is reading things out of order and sometimes skipping important backstories. In this case I skipped No Man's Land and didn't realize how important that would be to follow the storyline in New Gotham. I'm also more partial to graphic novels that follow one storyline instead of multiple shorter stories, and writing styles closer to Alan Moore. This isn't that but was still decent, the final story being my favorite with its 50s campy old school Batman vibes.

[Simon Farrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman written by Greg Rucka, no more needs to be said.

[Donovan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Post-No Man’s Land, Gotham is torn between working class OGs and wealthy Deezees (deserters) while a Ra’s Al Ghul disciple begins turning people into immortal monsters and inciting a mob war. It’s part B-version Long Halloween and Ra’s tale, with Eduardo Risso-esque artwork, it’s solidly entertaining but you’re left wanting more.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

It doesn't matter that they were criminals in their own right. There is no crime like murder. It is theft of the highest order. It is unforgivable. (Batman, Evolution III: Law of the Land)

Ug, I've got to get my hands on No Man's Land. But even without having read No Man's Land, this was a good read.
I like Rucka's Batman. He's understanding and has emotional depth (even if he doesn't act on it). Of course, I love Gordon. His grief makes him reckless and vulnerable, and for some reason that brings out the best writing in comics (but maybe that's just writing in general...).
And even though I haven't read No Man's Land yet, I liked seeing Batman et al. try and put Gotham back together again after the event. I found the prejudices against the people that left Gotham during No Man's Land so interesting! (Especially against Bruce Wayne, who stayed in Gotham as Batman...Ironic, lol.)

I didn't love the Whisper A'Daire story-line. Magic/Ra's al Ghul isn't my fav of the Batman plotlines, but it was OK since we get Sasha's OG story here as Bruce's bodyguard at the end.

Overall, I like the art and two-color pages (blues and oranges or reds and blacks). And there were some fantastic Batman lines in this book that I have to call out!
Batman, mid fight with a magic elixir wolf-man: "Snake... ...Wolf... ...I don't care... ...This is a circus... ...And if you know anything about me... ...You know I don't like clowns." (Batman smashes wolf-man's face into a window, knocking him out.)

And the brilliant: "Guns... ...Make me... ...Angry."


I didn't love the last two stories in this book: A Walk in the Park about Ivy and her take over of a Gotham park with child survivors of No Man's Land, and The Adventures of Copernicus Dent, which is Harvey Dent's own Art therapy/anti-Batman comic-book story.
Excluding those, this book is a solid 4!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5? “New Gotham” occurs after the “No Man’s Land” event. I haven’t read the book(s?) in this event, but from what I’ve read, it was a year long period in which Gotham was cut off from the nation and it became a lawless city. Now, Gotham is back under federal control, but “No Man’s Land” still hangs over the city.

This is not one continuous narrative, but a series of short stories. We get one about Jim Gordon’s grief after losing his wife; one where Ras al-Ghul and his acolyte, Whisper, take over the gangs of Gotham; a short one about Montoya getting flowers from Dent; one about domestic terror; another about the Mayor trying to evict Poison Ivy from the park; and then an odd one at the end which is essentially a comic book written by Two-Face.

I felt like the stories were a mixed bag. Some worked well, some didn’t (particularly, I didn’t care for the two featuring Two-Face). It’s not surprising that there are some similarities with “Gotham Central” (Rucka was involved in that series too), which I just finished reading. I enjoyed being back with Bulloch, Montoya, and Allen.

The art was minimalist and almost reminded me of Batman the Animated series. Each story arc has a particular color and each panel is seen through that lens (for example, all the Whisper panels have a red tint). I’m not sure if I am a fan of this style. I tend to prefer the hyper-realistic/grotty style.

[Daria · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all I'd like to mention that I loved the use of colour in this one. Sometimes less is more and using only 2 colours to tell a story always functions in an amazing manner.
The moments between Batman and Gordon were amazing, I'd missed their duo so much. Both of them are men that have lost so much and only really have the other to lean on. The self destruction is real for both of them and neither now how to help the other. Or at least, Gordon can only suspect it in Batman (you can see it in their dialogue from time to time), while Bruce doesn't really ever know how to show that he cares. Renee's birthday issue also made me very emotional, from her talk with Gordon, to Bruce to Harvey to Batman. She deserves so much better. The Ra's al Ghul issues weren't my favourites but the gang bits really reminded me of The Long Halloween Saga which I'll never really get over, so it was nice to experience. The Poison Ivy issue was lovely and a great ending to the few issues we got about her during No Man's Land which were some of my favourites. Seeing the conflicts between the gothamites after no man's land was also great, and I wonder how long the mark of no man's land will keep being obvious on Gotham.

[Falcon Blackwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great set of stories by Greg Rucka, nicely contained and understated. It was good to open with some of the detail about Jim Gordon's bereavement and how it affects his approach to his work. I liked that we were introduced to the squad room and immediately I felt at home- but then I have just finished "Gotham Central v1"! I loved that there was another look at Renee Montoya in depth and again that felt rich and good after reading GC. I liked all the stories in the book- I'm not a Batman expert, but to me everything felt right. The poison Ivy story was a refreshing change, another side of her. Good to see Rucka exploring the character.
The last story, I guess, was meant to be a fun thing, but I thought it was a pile of crap. It was an insult after the excellence of what had gone previously. However, up to this point I was super-happy with the book.
The artwork- well, I know what Shawn Martinbrough was aiming for and I feel he almost pulled it off. Unfortunately while there is a sense of great style to the artwork, some of the panels look slightly amateurish, something that the duotone colour ways don't help with. Nevertheless, the result, even at its worst, is stylish and is a great, if flawed attempt at something very special. Again, my comments on the last story apply here, the artwork was pretty bad. But- even allowing for that, I have given this book four stars, as I enjoyed it so much.

[Gabriel Llagostera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta etapa viene enseguida del final de No Man's Land, por eso explora la reconstrucción social y psicológica de los ciudadanos de Gotham. En ese sentido, todas las historias tienen ese trasfondo más allá del caso que se investigue.

Rucka es un crack con las tramas policiales y por eso el protagonismo de Batman se pone a un lado en favor del departamento de policía, que tiene el peso dramático de las historias.

Tal vez por eso el primer arco que involucra a Ra's sea el más flojo, porque se despega del tono de las restantes. Capaz Rucka quiso empezar fuerte y apostó a un villano importante de Batman; como sea, una vez pasada esa, el resto es muy bueno.

Destaco también el aspecto gráfico, no solo en los dibujos sino en los colores monocromáticos que se usan, con tonos apagados que ayudan a esa atmósfera noir.

Sobre el final se presenta a la guardaespaldas que contrata Lucius Fox para Bruce, y que será clave en el segundo tomo, así que el interés ya está generado.

[Jefferson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rucka's writing style is well suited to Batman, and the art is simple but very expressive.

[Tia ♡ ⋆｡˚ (Tom Wellings version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greg Rucka can really write!

The aftermaths of massive crossovers are almost never satisfying. The huge, world-shaping events have to give way to smaller stories that somehow feel like a continuation of the Big Crazy Shit that was going on in the crossover, and it always feels like it takes comics a while to recover from Event Syndrome.

That's graciously not the case here. In these books, Rucka picks up the Detective Comics reins immediately following the events of "No Man's Land," an event that kind of petered out in the first place. But rather than trying to ratchet up the stakes or inject a bunch of false melodrama, Rucka leans into what made "No Man's Land" work when it did: the human element.

Yes, there's a pretty wild story about Ra's Al Ghul trying to spread a drug that turns people into semi-immortal animal/human hybrids. But honestly, it's more of a B-story, a backdrop to the stories of a city still suffering from the cataclysmic events of the past few years and trying to redefine itself. These stories are told effectively through Normals like Commissioner Gordon and Renee Montoya, who have to deal with the fallout in very personal, non-superhuman ways. Yes, Batman's still around beating up goons, but the best storytelling Rucka does here skips around the Bat in favor of the supporting cast, and it's honestly a breath of fresh air.

That's not to say Rucka doesn't write Batman himself well. This book has some of the best playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne/obsessive crime nutcase Batman dichotomy I've read in a while, with Rucka making Bruce seem particularly goofy, entitled and borderline stupid. It's a fun dynamic to swap in and out of, and one I don't think writers take advantage of enough.

While the storytelling in this is good, grounded, character-driven stuff, the artwork is a little all over the place. The color palette is probably the best part, as each story arc of the series is represented by slightly different hues of green or red over a consistently noir-y blue, which gives the whole thing a nice sense of intrigue. But the pencils themselves are often a little too cartoony for the stories being told, and the writing would definitely be served better by an artist more realistic like Michael Lark (or maybe I'm just partial to Daredevil and Gotham Central).

Regardless, even if you haven't read "No Man's Land" (and I barely recommend doing so, as it's a slog), this is solid storytelling, and a great prelude to Rucka's further work in Bat-iverse.

[Ming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this. I'm honestly quite tired of big "Bat-events", and much prefer smaller stories that revolve around similar themes. Greg Rucka's stories focus on the GCPD more (and I loved that series to bits), so this book made me happy. And the colouring... the colouring was spectacular, utilizing just one or two shades for each story arc. Absolutely blew me away with how it lent the tales an attitude of its own. I wish this was available in an Absolute Edition or at least a hardcover.

[Hugo Emanuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to prefer when the Detective Comics title focuses on noir-like and street level based plots and stories. Of course, that's a personal preference, as its yet just another Batman title, so anything goes, and action stories tends to be the norm.

But thankfully some writers have attempted to underline the detective aspect of the character in their runs - Azzarello in Broken City, Scott Snyder in Black Mirror, James Robinson in Face to Face, for example.

Greg Rucka's run, that precedes all the ones I mentioned, aims to do the same, and suceeds admirably.

This volume collects the first half of Rucka's TEC run, which follows the No Man's Land event. His run has a very noirish feel, with its gritty observational internal monologues, depiciton of police procedural, how it characterizes Batman and his tactics and how he engages with the GCPD and the criminal element.
That's not to say that there isn't the occasional super-powered villain - Posion Ivy, a snake-woman and a wolfman all feature in these issues-, but even those have a noirish and more grounded approach than most Batman stories.

The pencilling and inking is pretty good. It makes great use of shadows, and the panels do a great job of relaying that noir feel and more human approach to these characters.

The colouring though, was a bit dissapointing. Each story has a three colour scheme colouring, usually in keeping with he theme of the story (for example, a story that revolves around coffee is all coloured in black, brown and white; a poison Ivy story is all in green, brown and white).
While its a nice concept, the execution sometimes gives the panel a monotone and dull look. It worked allright in the first few stories, but somewhat wears its welcome later on due to its overuse.
But it doesn't compromise the fantastic writing in these issues.

A great read. Onwards to Vol. 2

[Nate]

Greg Rucka’s Detective Comics run picks up right where No Man’s Land left off. Gotham is being rebuilt, Gordon is mourning his wife, and gangs are taking advantage of the urban renewal by swooping in and claiming territory. Accordingly, this book is very GCPD-centric. It feels like a prelude to Gotham Central more than anything else, with characters in that series debuting here and another Renee Montoya/Two-Face story. Batman has a major role, though, and it’s the stories that focus on his traditional villains that fare the worst. The Ra’s Al Ghul plot doesn’t do much for me; it comes across as a standard Ra’s outing of him trying to cleanse humanity and Batman predictably stopping him. Ditto the Poison Ivy two-parter, which has some pathos but little memorability. The single issue stories are where Rucka shines: the aforementioned Renee story, Gordon’s return to the force, and the hilarious issue about Two-Face’s comic book. Those are definitely worth reading.

A word on the coloring: Wildstorm FX uses a strange limited color palette with only two or three colors per issue. Are they going for a noir look? I’m not really sure. There are times when I find it effective and others when it’s distracting and lazy. Paired with the cartoony art styles of Shawn Martinbrough and Phil Hester, the coloring doesn’t always work.

[JD Comics · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes place after No Man's Land (NML). Gotham City is trying to rebuild itself as residents who fled the city during NML come flocking back. Consequently, the gangs have returned as well and established their own turfs. A new character, Whisper A'Daire, is introduced to sow discord among the gangs. The main story was promising at first but it turned all supernatural, something that I’m not fond of.

That’s not to say that this book doesn’t have its moments as it had a lot of things going for it, namely:
1) it showed how Gordon was dealing with the aftermath of NML;
2) it had a good Montoya and Two-Face story. Really like the dynamic that these two developed during NML;
3) it introduced a new member of the GCPD, Crispus Allen, who seems very promising and brings something different to the table;
4) it introduced Bruce’s new bodyguard, Sasha Bordeaux. It would be really interesting to see how Bruce can act as Batman when someone is tailing him all the time; and
5) it showed the burgeoning conflict between the OGs (Original Gothamites)—the people who stayed during NML—and the DeeZees—the residents of Gotham who fled during NML, one of which is the current mayor.

Hopefully, DC developed these new characters and took advantage of the conflict between the OGs and the DeeZees. These are very good building blocks for future Batman stories.

[Darik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greg Rucka may be one of my favorite Batman writers, but God DAMN, does he have a serious problem with filling his books with copaganda...

Regardless, this collection is one of my favorite creative and stylistic resets for the Dark Knight in recent memory. Set immediately after the end of the massive "No Man's Land" storyline, New Gotham collects Greg Rucka and Shaun Martinbrough's run on Detective Comics-- which spends much of its runtime establishing the new infrastructure and political dynamics of the rebuilt Gotham City.

Martinbrough's blocky art style coupled with the stark two-tone color work was apparently pretty off-putting to some readers, but I find the style evocative of a black-and-white movie: all stark shadows and high contrast, perfect for a creature of the night. Rucka's scripting is, as always, tight and focused; ultimately, this is a collection of individual, disconnected storylines with very little in terms of a throughline... but at the very least, the quality is consistently great.

If you want a collection of rock-solid Batman stories with a civic-minded bent, look no further!

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

No Man's Land is no more as Gotham begins to rebuild with a fury. Still vulnerable, the city is quickly sliced up by five major crime syndicates. Batman and Jim Gordon must deal with gang crime instead of costumed villains for a change, but unbeknownst to them Ra's al Ghul has sent one of his minions, Whisper, to get involved behind Batman's back. And eventually, someone has to tell Poison Ivy that she can't keep the park any longer.
Admittedly, this was a pretty big letdown after the large scope, audacious No Man's Land story line. Partially because the artwork was so subpar. Maybe it was intentional as a way to say Gotham is starting from the beginning, but the pencils looked like artwork of earlier decades - 60s? 50s? 40s? - who knows, and the colors are mainly black and white with 2 other colors picked per issue (the first one the only colors were shades of red or orange). The story lost a lot of its oopmh as well, and this was definitely not amongst the best tales in the Batman pantheon.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t read No Man’s Land, and this is definitely a follow up to that in a way that’s actually made me less interested in reading that series. This is broken into a few distinct stories, and some are clearly better than others which serve mostly as filled. The stuff involving Whisper, a servant of Ra’s, are fine? The art in these is also very...minimalist? I struggled to follow the action in places but it was often striking. The other story that stood out had to do with a two-chapter crime caper in which some of the people stuck in Gotham during No Man’s Land might be destroying and attacking those from outside (it feels like a Scooby Doo ending). I’ll read the next book, but this wasn’t maybe the best intro to Greg Rucka’s work (or re-introduction, meaning he hasn’t made much of an impression in either case).

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greg Rucka breathes new life into Gotham after No Man's Land and its very good. He introduces readers to Whisper A'Daire, Abbott, and Sasha Bourdeaux, the latter going on to be a huge part of Batman's world. He tells a great Ra's Al Ghul tale and starts building what will become his seminal Gotham Central series. All that being said his work is over shadowed by the artwork. Creative coloring and incredible pencils, mostly by Shawn Martinbrough change the game for Batman art and usher in a new era. The book wasn't perfect but it was a refreshing change and modernized the Bat. Overall, very good book!

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are my kind of Batman stories - tightly plotted, detective-focused tales, simply and powerfully illustrated. I don't need the hulking Batman pounding his way through Bane - I prefer the Batman who investigates a new drug that Ra's al-Ghul is trying to insert into the Gotham market. The numerous stories in this volume are all loosely tied to the aftermath of the No Man's Land event, but my having not read that storyline didn't detract from the stories at all. This is an easy to pick up and enjoy volume with little to no prior Batman knowledge necessary.

[Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking up the action after No Man's Land, New Gotham Volume One is a collected edition of a number of Detective Comics issues, in which Gotham is slowly rebuilt.
Written by Greg Rucka, a variety of artists were involved in the project, which while fine for individual comics can make for a somewhat disjointed experience in a single volume.
And that really is the only quibble here.
The story ad action rip along at a cracking pace, and we have some fantastic dalliances with some old friends while new ones are also introduced.
Now if only they could make films as good as the books....

[RND · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly the best Bat-era was this period when Dennis O'Neil was editing and the Batbooks were being written by the likes of Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, and Kelley Puckett. This Rucka volume showed what a handle he immediately had on the character, and established quickly how he was the best writer to handle Ra's since O'Neil himself. Some longer arcs mixed with some truly great one-offs (like stopping Gordon from killing himself, Montoya's birthday, etc.).

[Henry Blackwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the colours in this trade. The three colour scheme was terrific at times, made for some beautiful visuals at times.

The stories were solid for the most part but there were some real stinkers in here too. Like the last issue in this trade for instance... it was awful even if the idea of it wasn’t.

But yeah, really high quality follow up from No Man’s Land. Definitely worth a read if you liked that run. (Which i did)

[Zaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was refreshing to read a good story after all the No man land average mess. I enjoyed the different parts, even if everything wasn't clear, and especially the issues with Poison Ivy. The focus on Wayne and Gordon was good and it was funny to see Bruce juggling between Batman and the playboy. I really liked the work done on the colors, it gave an unusual touch to the comic book and added an interesting atmosphere.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like your Batman as a proper detective, sleuthing out clues to solve mysteries, this volume should work for you. The art is a little off for me, particularly the way female faces are often drawn, but the story makes up for it. My favorite is the Poison Ivy story where everything gets resolved without violence. This felt like a back-to-basics collection of stories that felt proper for Batman.

[Gloria Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ended up reading almost this whole volume and was really pleasantly surprised. Never mindblowing but this gives us a collection of stories that feel a little more laid back after the huge event of No Man's Land accompanied by some really distinct art and coloring throughout the whole series and ends up with something that doesn't have ambitions beyond being some solid Batman stories with an eye towards the heart of these characters and that's enough to make this worth recommending.