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Batman: No Man's Land Omnibus
Batman: No Man's Land Omnibus Vol. 1
The monumental crossover event that changed Gotham City and the Dark Knight forever collected in one volume for the first time.
After suffering a cataclysmic earthquake, the U.S. government has deemed Gotham City uninhabitable and ordered all citizens to leave. It is now months later and those that have refused to vacate 'No Man's Land' live amidst a citywide turf war in which the strongest prey on the weak. Batman and his allies including the enigmatic new Batgirl, Nightwing, Oracle and Robin must fight to save Gotham during its darkest hour and return Justice to the destroyed city.
Includes Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #116-121, Azrael: Agent of the Bat #51-57, Batman #563-568, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83-88, Detective Comics #730-735, Catwoman #72-74, Robin #67, The Batman Chronicles #16-17, Nightwing #35-37, Batman: No Man's Land (Collector's) #1, Batman: No Man's Land Gallery #1, and Young Justice In No Man's Land #1
After suffering a cataclysmic earthquake, the U.S. government has deemed Gotham City uninhabitable and ordered all citizens to leave. It is now months later and those that have refused to vacate 'No Man's Land' live amidst a citywide turf war in which the strongest prey on the weak. Batman and his allies including the enigmatic new Batgirl, Nightwing, Oracle and Robin must fight to save Gotham during its darkest hour and return Justice to the destroyed city.
Includes Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #116-121, Azrael: Agent of the Bat #51-57, Batman #563-568, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83-88, Detective Comics #730-735, Catwoman #72-74, Robin #67, The Batman Chronicles #16-17, Nightwing #35-37, Batman: No Man's Land (Collector's) #1, Batman: No Man's Land Gallery #1, and Young Justice In No Man's Land #1
1140 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1999
15 people are currently reading
261 people want to read
About the author
Dennis O'Neil
1,752 books276 followers
Dennis "Denny" O'Neil
was a comic book writer and editor best known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retirement.
His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. From 2013 unti his death, he sat on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee.
His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. From 2013 unti his death, he sat on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 2, 2022
(Zero spoiler review)
When a Batman event... scratch that. When what is possibly the greatest Batman/Gotham event on paper manages to fumble the ball over and over, taking what was an absolute sure fire hit into a middling, rollercoaster of quality, then you know that the comics event rulebook needs to be torn up, burnt and scattered to the wind.
As I said, this was a great idea. An outstanding one in fact. But because 'comics have to comic' with pointless, pathetic tie ins, and a seemingly in-exhaustive laundry list of writers and artists all get a turn writing or drawing this event, as if Batman (who should be the pinnacle of DC quality) is now the town bike and anyone can have a ride, regardless of quality or merit. They took an easy slam dunk, tripped over their own ineffectiveness and avarice, and stumbled awkwardly into an increasingly apathetic crowd. How could you screw this up? Oh yeah... comics event. My bad.
Now in fairness, there is some good stuff here, and because its Batman, the average is always made a little bit better, and at the same time, the disappointment hurts a little bit more at the same time. The few decent writers turn in some decent writing. The few decent artists turn in some decent art, apart from Jim Balent on the Catwoman tie in, who singlehandedly is bringing sexy back to comics. Or at least he was two decades ago. God help us all now.
I will never understand who was calling the shots here, who kept putting overly stylised, cartoonish artists on a Batman book, about the dystopian destruction of Gotham. Cause nothing says the darkest days of Gotham like kiddy-ish cartoons and bright colours. Fuck off with that garbage! The revolving door of writers didn't help matters either, with the lacking a consistent narrative feel and direction. Instead, you feel like you're being pulled in a dozen directions at once, and most of them are inane and unnecessary, and not executed very well. What we got, was pretty average, and what we didn't get, could have been awesome. This should have been the story of one or two very talented, very committed writers. Instead, it was the equivalent of letting a five year old bake a cake when given the ingredients but allowed to determine their own quantities. This should have been brilliant, and if you skip about half of it, it's pretty good. But pretty good isn't good enough, and again, that's if you know which half of it to avoid. Though it is usually pretty obvious a few pages in. I gave up halfway through and began skipping the issues that made my brain hurt and my eyes sad.
So is it still worth reading? I mean, yeah... kind of, I guess? It's not offensively bad for the most part, and the opening third is pretty damn good. Just bring a big pair of gum boots, cause you'll definitely be wading through some shit to get to solid ground. 3/5
OmniBen.
When a Batman event... scratch that. When what is possibly the greatest Batman/Gotham event on paper manages to fumble the ball over and over, taking what was an absolute sure fire hit into a middling, rollercoaster of quality, then you know that the comics event rulebook needs to be torn up, burnt and scattered to the wind.
As I said, this was a great idea. An outstanding one in fact. But because 'comics have to comic' with pointless, pathetic tie ins, and a seemingly in-exhaustive laundry list of writers and artists all get a turn writing or drawing this event, as if Batman (who should be the pinnacle of DC quality) is now the town bike and anyone can have a ride, regardless of quality or merit. They took an easy slam dunk, tripped over their own ineffectiveness and avarice, and stumbled awkwardly into an increasingly apathetic crowd. How could you screw this up? Oh yeah... comics event. My bad.
Now in fairness, there is some good stuff here, and because its Batman, the average is always made a little bit better, and at the same time, the disappointment hurts a little bit more at the same time. The few decent writers turn in some decent writing. The few decent artists turn in some decent art, apart from Jim Balent on the Catwoman tie in, who singlehandedly is bringing sexy back to comics. Or at least he was two decades ago. God help us all now.
I will never understand who was calling the shots here, who kept putting overly stylised, cartoonish artists on a Batman book, about the dystopian destruction of Gotham. Cause nothing says the darkest days of Gotham like kiddy-ish cartoons and bright colours. Fuck off with that garbage! The revolving door of writers didn't help matters either, with the lacking a consistent narrative feel and direction. Instead, you feel like you're being pulled in a dozen directions at once, and most of them are inane and unnecessary, and not executed very well. What we got, was pretty average, and what we didn't get, could have been awesome. This should have been the story of one or two very talented, very committed writers. Instead, it was the equivalent of letting a five year old bake a cake when given the ingredients but allowed to determine their own quantities. This should have been brilliant, and if you skip about half of it, it's pretty good. But pretty good isn't good enough, and again, that's if you know which half of it to avoid. Though it is usually pretty obvious a few pages in. I gave up halfway through and began skipping the issues that made my brain hurt and my eyes sad.
So is it still worth reading? I mean, yeah... kind of, I guess? It's not offensively bad for the most part, and the opening third is pretty damn good. Just bring a big pair of gum boots, cause you'll definitely be wading through some shit to get to solid ground. 3/5
OmniBen.
September 30, 2025
A really well mapped Omnibus, that starts with a shocking new status quo, where each story feels like a puzzle that fills in the gaps. Not all stories are good though.
This book is coming of the heels of Batman: Road to No Man's Land Omnibus, which is very much mandatory (and also great) reading. This volume immediately starts with a small time skip and shows a new Gotham. Batman is missing, there's a new Batgirl and the villains have a designated territory each. The very first issue in here does an excellent world building.
Unlike Batman: Road to No Man's Land Omnibus, the storylines in here are not necessarily sequential, as there's many hotspots throughout the city and lots of members of the Bat family. It feels more disjointed, but it makes the city feel alive.
This also means, that the stories in here vary. Unfortunately Chuck Dixon is not writing the Batman stories anymore, but there's Greg Rucka who fills in the gap. His stories are also stellar and enjoyable. On the other end, there's an awful story about Scarecrow in a church in here.
There are incredible moments in here, like the formation of the Bat Family and the passing of the mantle of the new Batgirl (I'd love an omnibus of her Solo run). There's also some stories that just feel like filler, where nothing meaningful happens. The absence of Batman in the beginning is never properly explained, maybe that will happen in Vol. 2. As such, this omnibus has incredible high points, but a few stories that are quite boring sprinkled throughout. The good outweighs the bad though.
I've also noticed that some stories credit a 'computer colorist' rather than a 'colorist'. In fact, some of these stories have artwork that I could see published today, rather than in the 90s. Maybe that era just before the Millennium marks a shift in a lot of techniques in comicbooks, but I'm no expert. It makes the book look quite modern though, which I like.
In summary, this book is a lot of fun, but the previous volume is mandatory. Onwards to Batman: No Man's Land Omnibus Vol. 2 next!
This book is coming of the heels of Batman: Road to No Man's Land Omnibus, which is very much mandatory (and also great) reading. This volume immediately starts with a small time skip and shows a new Gotham. Batman is missing, there's a new Batgirl and the villains have a designated territory each. The very first issue in here does an excellent world building.
Unlike Batman: Road to No Man's Land Omnibus, the storylines in here are not necessarily sequential, as there's many hotspots throughout the city and lots of members of the Bat family. It feels more disjointed, but it makes the city feel alive.
This also means, that the stories in here vary. Unfortunately Chuck Dixon is not writing the Batman stories anymore, but there's Greg Rucka who fills in the gap. His stories are also stellar and enjoyable. On the other end, there's an awful story about Scarecrow in a church in here.
There are incredible moments in here, like the formation of the Bat Family and the passing of the mantle of the new Batgirl (I'd love an omnibus of her Solo run). There's also some stories that just feel like filler, where nothing meaningful happens. The absence of Batman in the beginning is never properly explained, maybe that will happen in Vol. 2. As such, this omnibus has incredible high points, but a few stories that are quite boring sprinkled throughout. The good outweighs the bad though.
I've also noticed that some stories credit a 'computer colorist' rather than a 'colorist'. In fact, some of these stories have artwork that I could see published today, rather than in the 90s. Maybe that era just before the Millennium marks a shift in a lot of techniques in comicbooks, but I'm no expert. It makes the book look quite modern though, which I like.
In summary, this book is a lot of fun, but the previous volume is mandatory. Onwards to Batman: No Man's Land Omnibus Vol. 2 next!
September 7, 2024
3.75 stars. I enjoyed most of this omnibus, though the story is a little all over the place, which goes right along with the chaotic state of Gotham at the time. This one starts out with Batman missing and a new female Batman showing up. There are different gangs and territories throughout Gotham and many different villains are heading up various areas. Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Penguin, Clayface, Mr. Freeze, Scarface, Black Mask, the Joker, and Harley Quinn are all featured in some capacity throughout Gotham City in this one. The Azrael story is what I care least about, but it was still a decent story with Azrael beating Scratch in front of his followers.With Gotham at almost a total loss, there is actual death and killings in abundance and Batman is forced to accept this as he navigates this new way of life. Often times, he will work with his villains just to restore a bit of normalcy and give people somewhat of a chance to survive. He also begins to formulate a plan to bring Gotham back by working with Huntress, Catwoman, Nightwing, Oracle, Robin, and Cain’s daughter. There are a variety of artists and writers throughout this omnibus that bring their own stylizations throughout the story and it works to show how disheveled Gotham city has become. The Catwoman story with her working with Batman to steal for him was an interesting one and I’m looking forward to seeing how this story eventually wraps up. This situation, while interesting, has gotten to be a little more than overplayed at this point. I’m ready to see Gotham built back, opened up, and recovering.
September 29, 2022
This is a rarity in comics: a 90’s tale that actually holds up! That said I can’t give it a perfect rating despite my bias as one of my all time favorite tales/eras in the Batman mythos for the reason you can’t give a perfect score to most anthologies.
For starters, this is an awesome season finale/premiere for a transitional point in Batman comics. The 90’s was for Batman the best decade any comic book character has ever had. We’re still dealing with the fallout of the near religious love that was generated for him back then. And it was a time where everything that was making comics struggle was all but tailor made for Bats. So with NML, they gave a lot of creators a swan song while showcasing (re: testing out) some of the writers that took over the books in the early 2000’s.
But with such a variety of writers and artists, some stories are better than others.
The highest high and the lowest low are easy to work out. Devin Grayson’s Scarecrow 4-parter is to this day my all time favorite Scarecrow story as it’s the only one that shows how dangerous he can be without his chemical concoction. Whereas as Larry Hama’s one issue (Thank the New Gods!) Mr. Freeze story makes it obvious why he was fired from the title less than a year in his run in favor of Ed Brubaker.
The writer who provided the most consistently high quality stories was Greg Rucka who set up the Renee Montoya/Two-Face relationship that came to a head in his Gotham Central run and seemed to get the changed status quo in Gotham better than any other writer. It’s almost like this is a practice run for his later work, Lazarus, which you should absolutely check out if you haven’t already.
Most of the other stories blur and with the exception of Kelly Puckett and Damion Scott’s introduction of Cassandra Cain. But that’s not to say the stories are still bad. At worst, the rest of the stories are like a good fill in episode of a TV show. But all of them understood the assignment and showed GC as a war zone where desperation and survival are the norm. Where everyone has to compromise just to make it through the day. And some characters go into surprising directions thanks to their new reality. Poison Ivy is a particular standout in that regard.
All in all, a great first half to a great tale and an absolute must-have for any Batman fan!
For starters, this is an awesome season finale/premiere for a transitional point in Batman comics. The 90’s was for Batman the best decade any comic book character has ever had. We’re still dealing with the fallout of the near religious love that was generated for him back then. And it was a time where everything that was making comics struggle was all but tailor made for Bats. So with NML, they gave a lot of creators a swan song while showcasing (re: testing out) some of the writers that took over the books in the early 2000’s.
But with such a variety of writers and artists, some stories are better than others.
The highest high and the lowest low are easy to work out. Devin Grayson’s Scarecrow 4-parter is to this day my all time favorite Scarecrow story as it’s the only one that shows how dangerous he can be without his chemical concoction. Whereas as Larry Hama’s one issue (Thank the New Gods!) Mr. Freeze story makes it obvious why he was fired from the title less than a year in his run in favor of Ed Brubaker.
The writer who provided the most consistently high quality stories was Greg Rucka who set up the Renee Montoya/Two-Face relationship that came to a head in his Gotham Central run and seemed to get the changed status quo in Gotham better than any other writer. It’s almost like this is a practice run for his later work, Lazarus, which you should absolutely check out if you haven’t already.
Most of the other stories blur and with the exception of Kelly Puckett and Damion Scott’s introduction of Cassandra Cain. But that’s not to say the stories are still bad. At worst, the rest of the stories are like a good fill in episode of a TV show. But all of them understood the assignment and showed GC as a war zone where desperation and survival are the norm. Where everyone has to compromise just to make it through the day. And some characters go into surprising directions thanks to their new reality. Poison Ivy is a particular standout in that regard.
All in all, a great first half to a great tale and an absolute must-have for any Batman fan!
May 31, 2024
4 stars. This was a fun read and a nice continuation from Cataclysm, and I absolutely love the premise of this. The main problem with this collection is that the highs are high, and the lows are low. Notably, the art is all over the map. Some artists really fit the grim, dark style this story should convey, while others use the most cartoonish art I have seen. Normally subpar art does not detract from a story for me, but it absolutely did here because it was so out of place and so inconsistent.
This collection is great in that there are very memorable moments, the overarching plot is captivating, and it features a wide range of bat-family members. This omnibus features the debut of Cassandra Cain, which is awesome, and I am excited to see more of her. For a while before she was formally introduced, we saw a batgirl in her costume, but that was revealed to be the Huntress, who then got yelled at by Batman again and thus he let Cassandra become the new Batgirl. With the "Mark of Cain" story arc, we are introduced to Cassandra and also learn that Bruce was trained by David Cain back in the day. Another notable moment is this omnibus features the comic debut of Harley Quinn. It was cool to see that and get the backstory on her origin.
The broader plot is that Gotham is in ruins following Cataclysm, and now the government has officially cut it off from the rest of the country, just leaving it to rot. They set traps everywhere and monitor all the time to prevent people from getting in or out of Gotham. The people of Gotham are all struggling to get by. A ton of gangs are forming and capturing certain parts of the city as their territory. They are usually led by some well-known villain such as Two-Face, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, and others. Gordon is leading the GCPD to take back the city. I really enjoy the GCPD sections because it is this conflict of acting like cops vs soldiers. There are no rules in No Man's Land, so they resort to more extreme measures oftentimes. For the early part of the story Batman was nowhere to be seen and Gordon figured he had abandoned Gotham. Batman eventually returns and does not want to lurk in the shadows like he used to; rather, he wants to be seen so that people know he is protecting them. I'm not sure it was ever explained why he was missing for the first part for a while. Gordon is on bad terms with Batman still even when he seems him back in action.
There are all sorts of crossovers and the extended bat-family gets featured quite a bit, which is fun. Huntress continues to stand out to me and be a highlight. Some people fear her and think her methods are too violent, and she has conflict with Batman. Others know she is doing the right thing. She has a good extended story arc with Scarecrow. Azrael is also featured and at first his parts were dragging, as they did in Road to No Man's Land, but I eventually came around a bit on his stories. Barbara is also in here quite a bit and is great. Others show up at times such as Superman, Young Justice, Tim, and Nightwing.
A lot of villains get good time to shine. In some capacity Joker, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Poison Ivy, Black Mask, Penguin, Ventriloquist, Scarecrow, and others are featured. Two-Face continues to be one of the most compelling villains for me. It is nice to see these villains come and go and I like that there often is not resolution with them because there is no way to truly lock them up in No Man's Land.
Overall, this is a very fun read. This is such an incredible concept for a plot and I like how long it is played out and how much it is explored. An extended cast of heroes and villains are explored and many shine. However, some stories are not nearly as strong as others, and the different art styles are distractingly different, with some of them not being good at all.
This collection is great in that there are very memorable moments, the overarching plot is captivating, and it features a wide range of bat-family members. This omnibus features the debut of Cassandra Cain, which is awesome, and I am excited to see more of her. For a while before she was formally introduced, we saw a batgirl in her costume, but that was revealed to be the Huntress, who then got yelled at by Batman again and thus he let Cassandra become the new Batgirl. With the "Mark of Cain" story arc, we are introduced to Cassandra and also learn that Bruce was trained by David Cain back in the day. Another notable moment is this omnibus features the comic debut of Harley Quinn. It was cool to see that and get the backstory on her origin.
The broader plot is that Gotham is in ruins following Cataclysm, and now the government has officially cut it off from the rest of the country, just leaving it to rot. They set traps everywhere and monitor all the time to prevent people from getting in or out of Gotham. The people of Gotham are all struggling to get by. A ton of gangs are forming and capturing certain parts of the city as their territory. They are usually led by some well-known villain such as Two-Face, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, and others. Gordon is leading the GCPD to take back the city. I really enjoy the GCPD sections because it is this conflict of acting like cops vs soldiers. There are no rules in No Man's Land, so they resort to more extreme measures oftentimes. For the early part of the story Batman was nowhere to be seen and Gordon figured he had abandoned Gotham. Batman eventually returns and does not want to lurk in the shadows like he used to; rather, he wants to be seen so that people know he is protecting them. I'm not sure it was ever explained why he was missing for the first part for a while. Gordon is on bad terms with Batman still even when he seems him back in action.
There are all sorts of crossovers and the extended bat-family gets featured quite a bit, which is fun. Huntress continues to stand out to me and be a highlight. Some people fear her and think her methods are too violent, and she has conflict with Batman. Others know she is doing the right thing. She has a good extended story arc with Scarecrow. Azrael is also featured and at first his parts were dragging, as they did in Road to No Man's Land, but I eventually came around a bit on his stories. Barbara is also in here quite a bit and is great. Others show up at times such as Superman, Young Justice, Tim, and Nightwing.
A lot of villains get good time to shine. In some capacity Joker, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Poison Ivy, Black Mask, Penguin, Ventriloquist, Scarecrow, and others are featured. Two-Face continues to be one of the most compelling villains for me. It is nice to see these villains come and go and I like that there often is not resolution with them because there is no way to truly lock them up in No Man's Land.
Overall, this is a very fun read. This is such an incredible concept for a plot and I like how long it is played out and how much it is explored. An extended cast of heroes and villains are explored and many shine. However, some stories are not nearly as strong as others, and the different art styles are distractingly different, with some of them not being good at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2023
Overall series (NML omnibus 1&2) - Gotham lies in near total destruction after the events of Cataclysm, abandoned by the federal government the city has become a lawless urban wasteland dominated by warring factions veing for control of the city.
This concept is best executed when focusing on the GCPD who find themselves fractured and struggling to define whether their role should be more akin to militia than police. The internal tension and interpersonal character drama in this subplot provide the lions share of the dramatic heft for the series and was my favorite aspect of the series. Having read Gotham Central earlier in the year I also appreciated seeing the Montoya / Two-Face kidnapping storyline and thought the "Jurisprudence" story made me appreciate their interaction in GC more.
One of the greatest strengths of NML is the sheer variety in storytelling resulting from its vast pool of creative talent. Sadly this is also probably the series' largest flaw. For every well written story by Gale, Rucka, or Dixon there are an equal number of clunky or cheesy narratives by Ostrander or O'Neal and the occasional stinker by Rucka or Dixon. Almost every Azrael, Catwoman, or Harley Quinn issue was a slog especially the earlier eye rolling Azreal content or the overly sultry pun-laden Catwoman issues near the end of the second omnibus. The variety of titles and storytellers also leads to some unsatisfying omnibus mapping where sequences are regularly reiterated and sometimes scenes and panel layouts are straight copied from one title to another.
While the art is generally more consistent I find it is also a bit hit or miss for me. There is some excellent work from artists like Sienkiewicz, Burchett, Jurgens, D'Israeli, Land, and Carielo whose distinct styles lend their storylines a lot of atmosphere but these experiences are slightly detracted from when followed by issues featuring the absurd proportions and skin tight costuming of artists like Deodato or Balent (who admittedly also have some art I like).
As a whole the series is an entertaining romp with a creative premise but is also quite uneven. 7.5/10
This concept is best executed when focusing on the GCPD who find themselves fractured and struggling to define whether their role should be more akin to militia than police. The internal tension and interpersonal character drama in this subplot provide the lions share of the dramatic heft for the series and was my favorite aspect of the series. Having read Gotham Central earlier in the year I also appreciated seeing the Montoya / Two-Face kidnapping storyline and thought the "Jurisprudence" story made me appreciate their interaction in GC more.
One of the greatest strengths of NML is the sheer variety in storytelling resulting from its vast pool of creative talent. Sadly this is also probably the series' largest flaw. For every well written story by Gale, Rucka, or Dixon there are an equal number of clunky or cheesy narratives by Ostrander or O'Neal and the occasional stinker by Rucka or Dixon. Almost every Azrael, Catwoman, or Harley Quinn issue was a slog especially the earlier eye rolling Azreal content or the overly sultry pun-laden Catwoman issues near the end of the second omnibus. The variety of titles and storytellers also leads to some unsatisfying omnibus mapping where sequences are regularly reiterated and sometimes scenes and panel layouts are straight copied from one title to another.
While the art is generally more consistent I find it is also a bit hit or miss for me. There is some excellent work from artists like Sienkiewicz, Burchett, Jurgens, D'Israeli, Land, and Carielo whose distinct styles lend their storylines a lot of atmosphere but these experiences are slightly detracted from when followed by issues featuring the absurd proportions and skin tight costuming of artists like Deodato or Balent (who admittedly also have some art I like).
As a whole the series is an entertaining romp with a creative premise but is also quite uneven. 7.5/10
February 15, 2025
The massive “No Man’s Land” saga isn’t a single story. It’s a change in status quo. I think of it this way: The entire “Road to No Man’s Land” saga (“Cataclysm,” “Aftershock,” and “Road to No Man’s Land”) was a full season of a TV show that was setting this storyline up. Now, we’re in a new season, and it’s divided into episodic arcs. And, it’s one hell of a season.
The storyline hits the ground running with the now-abandoned and quarantined Gotham City divided across factions like a war zone. The first issue, narrated largely by Oracle, sets a post-apocalyptic tone that is really powerful and engrossing. From there, as we go through different stories, we still sense a larger arc at play, which is fantastic.
We get some really incredible stories in this. There’s a 4-issue story with Scarecrow that is extraordinary, a Scarecrow story done right in a larger Batman epic done right. There are other stories with Penguin, Two-Face, also done right. There is a mysterious new Batgirl who has appeared on the scene. There are perhaps not enough stories with Jim Gordon now leading effectively an army of GCPD (with Bullock and Montoya) and the tensions that develop within that. We see the first ever in-continuity appearance of Harley Quinn via her eponymous one-shot story written by her creator Paul Dini with one of the greatest Alex Ross covers of all time. The Greg Rucka stories are some of the best.
Throughout this omnibus, we get to experience a variety of different writers and artists, and even in their differences, there’s still a coherence to the overall story. The Batman writers’ room had learned their lesson from “Knightfall” and have a much more cogent story arc.
It’s not perfect, even by comic standards. For example, until the last 1/3 or so of this omnibus, almost all of the Azrael stories are skippable (though they’re pretty quick reads). I did wish for a larger variety of Batman’s rogues; Penguin and Two-Face occupy a lot of the story and grow tiresome after a while, though we do get a decent cross-section of his rogues.
But, the scope and ambition of this storyline are on a grand scale and the delivery is good enough that I thoroughly enjoyed this and give it 5 stars. Really eager to read the conclusion in the 2nd volume of this omnibus.
The storyline hits the ground running with the now-abandoned and quarantined Gotham City divided across factions like a war zone. The first issue, narrated largely by Oracle, sets a post-apocalyptic tone that is really powerful and engrossing. From there, as we go through different stories, we still sense a larger arc at play, which is fantastic.
We get some really incredible stories in this. There’s a 4-issue story with Scarecrow that is extraordinary, a Scarecrow story done right in a larger Batman epic done right. There are other stories with Penguin, Two-Face, also done right. There is a mysterious new Batgirl who has appeared on the scene. There are perhaps not enough stories with Jim Gordon now leading effectively an army of GCPD (with Bullock and Montoya) and the tensions that develop within that. We see the first ever in-continuity appearance of Harley Quinn via her eponymous one-shot story written by her creator Paul Dini with one of the greatest Alex Ross covers of all time. The Greg Rucka stories are some of the best.
Throughout this omnibus, we get to experience a variety of different writers and artists, and even in their differences, there’s still a coherence to the overall story. The Batman writers’ room had learned their lesson from “Knightfall” and have a much more cogent story arc.
It’s not perfect, even by comic standards. For example, until the last 1/3 or so of this omnibus, almost all of the Azrael stories are skippable (though they’re pretty quick reads). I did wish for a larger variety of Batman’s rogues; Penguin and Two-Face occupy a lot of the story and grow tiresome after a while, though we do get a decent cross-section of his rogues.
But, the scope and ambition of this storyline are on a grand scale and the delivery is good enough that I thoroughly enjoyed this and give it 5 stars. Really eager to read the conclusion in the 2nd volume of this omnibus.
November 13, 2022
Let's not talk about how this took me over 7 months to finish... The Azrael issues always slowed me down and I had to take breaks sometimes to read "inbetween" issues of runs in this book that aren't collected in this omnibus. For every single issue I read of this I read five issues of something else. Reading through the 90s/00s through every Batman and Gotham related book published at the time.... takes time!
All in all No Man's Land continues to be a timeless classic in the Batman mythos despite its intimidating length. It has the best Batfamily lineup, heartwarming one-shot stories of the people of Gotham enduring through horrific times and (most importantly) the introduction of Cassandra Cain.
Special shoutout to Helena Bertinelli for always making reading easy when she showed up in an issue. Bruce can go sit on a cactus for how he treats her through the entirety of this book.
Onto volume two!
All in all No Man's Land continues to be a timeless classic in the Batman mythos despite its intimidating length. It has the best Batfamily lineup, heartwarming one-shot stories of the people of Gotham enduring through horrific times and (most importantly) the introduction of Cassandra Cain.
Special shoutout to Helena Bertinelli for always making reading easy when she showed up in an issue. Bruce can go sit on a cactus for how he treats her through the entirety of this book.
Onto volume two!
October 11, 2025
I am finding with Batman Omnibuses there is just too much unnecessary materials in them. This is another example of an omnibus with stories that just were not important to the narrative at all. I was excited to read No Man's Land. It sounds like an exciting story: a massive earthquake has caused chaos and destruction in Gotham City. Instead, you get dull moments and wondering what this has to do with the story. There were good moments in this omnibus, but I wish they had just cut out some of the unnecessary fluff to maintain a better narrative. As stated by Omnibus Ben, who said it best, the different writers did not help.
I am glad I read it because there were interesting moments, but there were too many moments of me skipping waiting for something interesting to happen.
I am glad I read it because there were interesting moments, but there were too many moments of me skipping waiting for something interesting to happen.
February 15, 2024
One of the cooler Batman arcs. Gotham City is hit with a powerful earthquake that decimates the city and the US govt. decides to annex Gotham City from the country, leaving it No Man's Land. The story shows how Batman must relearn Gotham City and its people in this new lo-tech world. As with all Batman stories all of the major villains occupy parts of Gotham as well as the police. New tactics, ways of working together and the long game which has yet to be revealed. I really dig the Omnibus's collecting all of the issues that would be hard to collect individually and to see the story evolve at my reading pace, as well each artist's interpretation of the Batman.
August 7, 2023
You are now leaving the United States and entering No Man's Land.
Batman No Man's Land vol 1 is a very mixed event book for me, this got brilliant writers and artists like Greg Rucka, Alex Maleev, Paul Dini and more but this also got some terrible tie in issues later one. Its still cool to revisit this huge bat event and it does have some cool stuff, but i think i like the Road to No Man's Land more.
2.5 stars.
Batman No Man's Land vol 1 is a very mixed event book for me, this got brilliant writers and artists like Greg Rucka, Alex Maleev, Paul Dini and more but this also got some terrible tie in issues later one. Its still cool to revisit this huge bat event and it does have some cool stuff, but i think i like the Road to No Man's Land more.
2.5 stars.
March 12, 2024
I enjoyed the individual stories a lot more than Road to No Man's Land. I did feel like now that we are in No Man's Land, understanding the world, and how the new status quo is going to go - I found myself really enjoying the stories. The overarching story did feel a little lost on me, but that is because so many different authors are involved. It felt like episodes in a larger season, and that helped me stay grounded in what I was reading.
April 18, 2025
Reading No Man's Land, I had hoped that this huge event Batman stories would be as thrilling to read as it is exciting. Sadly, it is disjointed and hard to follow on what is truly going on, most of the time the stories are all over the place. There are times I wanted to give up, that is why it took me a long time to finish while I focus on other things. Good read? Pretty average.
September 11, 2022
Good at times, mediocre at other times. Really enjoyed the tale about the old man that didn’t leave. Drags on a bit with unnecessary fillers. Good for any Batman collection, wondering how this ends with volume 2.
May 18, 2023
Third time reading the no man land saga. First time in the omnibus format. This qorld building is unique. Unique in the sense that it actually works. You get to follow The while batfamily and their interpretation of the post cataclysm event and learn the new language of Gotham.
November 4, 2023
La idea de que Gotham es capaz de aguantar cualquier cosa que le echen encima y seguir adelante me gusta pero el dibujo y el guión son demasiado irregulares para mi gusto. Y es demasiaaaado largo todo esto
September 3, 2024
NML Vol 1 was a great read. The event really picked up for me at the 2nd half of this omnibus. Batman coming to the realization that he can't do this alone when he summons the bat family to help him restore Gotham back to normal after the earthquake turned Gotham into No Man's Land.
September 19, 2024
There's a lot that works, but also quite a bit that doesn't.
I have opinions about the way Helena constantly gets shit on. I was really looking forward to the introduction of Cassandra, but it was super rushed.
I have opinions about the way Helena constantly gets shit on. I was really looking forward to the introduction of Cassandra, but it was super rushed.
November 24, 2025
When I think of 1990’s comic books and how they created events this is the peak of that. A year long event that is gripping at every point, even though this omnibus is mainly the start and middle of the story arc. it still delivers high quality and well connected storylines throughout.
April 17, 2022
I loved this book! Road to NML Omni was just ok for me, but this one was spot on. Can’t wait for Vol 2 (as I’ve never read any of this material).
February 25, 2024
I was a little disappointed I admit. Lots of people acted OOC but there’s no bigger offender than Jim Gordon. Although it is a unique time for everyone so maybe I’m being too harsh
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2024
A great first part of such a pinnacle Batman saga. Really enjoyed the humane civilian aspects. The Ivy story was quite a stand out to me.
November 27, 2024
Road to no Mans land has more of a continuous flow, this omni seemed more like random stories
April 9, 2023
[1.7]
The premise is brilliant, and a few early stories promising. Overall it’s a mess though. What a totally missed opportunity. Jumps from uninteresting character to uninteresting character with no substance at all in either the stories or characters. I skipped the Jean Paul story almost in its entirety, and after about half way through the omnibus I stopped reading and just turned the pages over til the end.
The premise is brilliant, and a few early stories promising. Overall it’s a mess though. What a totally missed opportunity. Jumps from uninteresting character to uninteresting character with no substance at all in either the stories or characters. I skipped the Jean Paul story almost in its entirety, and after about half way through the omnibus I stopped reading and just turned the pages over til the end.
July 10, 2025
In my opinion, too many different storylines going on at once. Some were decent, most were not that exciting. It did get better near middle when Batman was more heavily featured. (Hate waiting for the dark night for almost half the freakin’ book… that’s what I’m here for!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2025
One of the Greatest Batman Stories of all time and I somehow never gets old!!!
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