100 Days of Batman, Day 66

Ugh if it were not the only Batman comic book I currently have that I have not read I would have stopped reading half way through Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again Book Two, if not sooner. If I had any idea as to what was going on I would write you a synopsis. I have no clue. It is the biggest book of nonsense I think I have ever read. I cant be the only one who does not like this book, can I? Maybe I am. The absolute wort part was the end when Batman reveals himself to the world as Bruce Wayne. Mostly because of the awful writing and line Frank Miller wrote which I will not bother disturbing your eyes with. Besides that the entire sex scene with Superman and Wonder Woman was atrocious and out of place. I could go on with so much more about what I hated with absolutely nothing good to say, but I do not want to. Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again Book Two by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley is A GIANT WASTE OF TIME. Now, I only have book three remaining and likely will not have time to pick up another book until Sunday so I will likely finish it tomorrow. Maybe it will surprise me but I seriously doubt it.

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 65

So I finished up with Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again Book 1 by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. It is boring with terrible art and a lame story. This is disappointing and also the first story line I am actually seriously considering not finishing. It is even difficult to write about. I want to look at it and write a fair opinion on it especially since it is a comic that is loved by many people. I can not for the life of me understand why. Anyways the reason I do not like it is because I just do not ever see it happening. All of the heroes essentially are slaves to the government. Batman of course is the only one able to do anything about it. It is just a lame story and straight up A WASTE OF TIME. I will try and push on to see if it improves but I recommend you skip this one and just read Batman: The Dark Knight Returns which is a far superior book, minus the art.

Well I think the majority of my readers have begun to lose interest. In the last few days the average views a day have dropped from 20-25 down to 2-4. Which lets be honest, sucks plain and simple. If no one is reading why should I bother to continue to write? Whatever I suppose I am doing this blog for my own improvement in my writing. That is not to say having a small group of people reading was not a great motivator to continue on. Hopefully the views will start to go back up, if not 100 Days of Comics will likely end with the first installment featuring Batman.

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 64

All right so its well after mid-night and I am tired and am still fighting a cold so writing this blog is the absolute last thing that I want to be doing. Yet I must remain consistent and press on. So I started reading Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. Frankly I have no idea what this book is about besides the fact it is the continuation of the much beloved Batman: The Dark Knight Returns which is a fantastic fun read.

I must admit do to how late is was when I began reading this story I only made it about half way through its first of three chapters. First things first, the art is awful, the same was true with Dark Knight Returns and I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who could convince me other wise. Now you should take the fact I find the story to be meh at best with a grain of salt. Especially since I really am not in the mood to be reading. As of right now I am saying that The Dark Knight Strikes Again is A WASTE OF TIME. I think this could easily change once I have a chance to finish the first chapter and am not so tired. It is hard to enjoy something when you just have zero interest in it at the time. Tomorrow I should be in a better frame of mind to read and write so my thoughts may change, but as of right now meh.

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 63

Continuing on with catching up on the current run of Batman, before DC spoils the story on their social media for me like they did with the  Detective Comics title. Batman: I am Gotham Part Four by Tom King and art by David Finch picks up immediately where part 3 ended. Hugo Strange is back in Gotham and has somehow managed to take control of the emotions of Gotham and Gotham Girl. Now Batman has two very powerful issues to handle, three if you include the return of Hugo Strange.

I enjoy Batman a lot and Scott Snyder has written some of my absolute favorite stories. King reminds me a lot of Snyder with the care and attention he puts into his writing of Batman. I have often found myself forgetting that I am Gotham is not being written by Snyder. Personally I think that is excellent as it shows they both understand who Batman is and how to write a coherent story. King I am sure would like to differentiate himself and given time I believe he will. Nothing is wrong with that as long as he doesn't try to change the character at his core. As of right now I am loving his Batman tale and hope it continues to grow into something just as successful if not more so than that of his predecessor.  I am Gotham: Part Four is A MUST READ. Again I am not going to talk about the actual books plot do to its age, so do yourself a favor and read it for yourself.

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 62

Time to do some catch up with the current Batman ongoing series. Picking up with issue three and part three of the I am Gotham story line. Written by Tom King and Art by David Finch Batman #3 explores both Gotham and Gotham Girl's origins. 

Tom King continues to impress with his third issue at the helm of the iconic Batman comic. He does an excellent job showing his readers how Gotham's two newest heroes came to be. He does not answer every question I have about them, specifically how they received their almost Superman like powers, but knowing why they have chosen the heroes path is a good place to start. Again because it is such a recent bookI do not want to spoil anything for anyone who has yet to read it. I am Gotham Part 3 is A MUST READ worthy of any fan. 

N. S. 

100 Days of Batman, Day 61

The ending of Batman: No Man's Land is upon us. Endgame Part 3 and Endgame Epilogue by Greg Ruckka. Gotham City, No Man's Land, is just days away from being welcomed back into the United States. Joker however still remains at large and has been making the progress of Lex's construction crews slow. Many may wonder why is the Joker doing this, well for the simple reason he finds it amusing. Others may ask why would Lex Luthor want to help gotham? Another simple answer and motive, he wants power.

Well I am glad that No Man's Land is over. Overall it was a fun ride in an interesting setting. It did have a few slow points, a few wasted opportunities, but over all it was excellent. The last two issues were entertaining and I did not see what was coming with the Joker. Spoilers, he kills Commissioner Gordon's wife. Joker killing someone is not surprising but I definitely did not see that coming. Now for what Lex was up to. It was crafty i will give him that. He simply had found a way in which to buy huge amounts of land from Gotham. He of course failed because Batman is Batman and Gotham is his city. In actuality Batman discovered what he was up to and confronted him and forced him to stop. In the end we have two issues that are WORTH YOUR TIME. Batman: No Man's Land Volumes 1-5 overall is WORTH YOUR TIME. It was a fun long ride but I enjoyed it. I am very excited to move on to new Batman tales tomorrow.

N. S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 60

We are nearing the end of No Man's Land in fact tonight I have dug into the final chapter with the first two parts of Endgame. No Man's Land is on its way to being revoked and Gotham being reestablished as a city of the United States. In order for that to come to fruition however Gotham needs to get control of itself and start rebuilding. With the help of Lex Luthor and his Billions it looks like it will indeed succeed but Joker has his own plans. 

Endgame Parts One and Two By Greg Rucka and art by Dale Eaglesham is much better than its predecessor Shellgame. It is most defiantly WORTH YOUR TIME. The story is finally progressing a nice pace and Joker is making his move on the city. I still do not know what Lex's motive is, nor do I know Joker's, but if I had to guess its just for the hell of it. The story with Pettit and Huntress was excellent. It showed the madness that living in such a terrible situation can do to a man. I am excited to get through the rest of Endgame and really hope the pay off is excellent. 

N. S. 

  

100 Days of Batman, Day 59

Wanting to try and stay more current with DC's comics featuring Batman I went ahead and picked up the first issue of Trinity. Trinity is not primarily just a Batman book but rather gives ample attention to the big three of the DC universe, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. I should mention I will be including some spoilers to major plot points to the current DC story lines. So if you do happen to be reading any of the books featuring any of these heroes, be warned I may or may not spoiling something for you.

The debut issue of Trinity: Better Together: Part One Family Dinner (Wow that is a bit of a mouth full) written and art by Francis Manapul (I have no idea who he or she is) takes place sometime shortly after the death of the New 52 Superman. Batman and Wonder Woman are still dealing with the loss of their friend and partner decide to begin a relationship with the Pre New 52 Superman who was somehow teleported to their world.

Trinity issue one is strangely short clocking in at twenty pages. Despite the shorter book the story does not seem to suffer. The book is best described as mellow and low key. Now I have been complaining about boring stories that last few days because they did not have any real action. This book also has no action but I was not bored. I was really entertained actually. Manapul focuses on the relationships and does a good job with that. Batman is struggling with trusting (no surprise) this Superman from another world. Wonder Woman lost the man whom she was romantically involved with and this Superman reminds her of him. And Superman well, he is just uncomfortable with the world he and his family have landed in. Yup this Superman is married to Lois Lane and has a son named Jon. Even though it lacked any action and is not primarily a Batman book I defiantly recommend picking it up and giving it a read. Manapul gives A WORTH YOUR TIME tale that does a great job at establishing relationships.

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 58

Winding down on the No Man's Land series tonights Bat-reading was a two issue story line entitled Shellgame. Written by Greg Rucka and art by Sergio Cariello, Shellgame tells the story of Lex Luthor and his push to assert his dominance over Gotham. It is not entirely clear what Lex's motivation or reason in rebuilding Gotham is, but it just so happens to be on the eve of "No Man's Land" being abolished. Batman knowing that Lex is actually a threat and not the savior he wants the world to be he decides to confront him for answers.

Before getting into my thoughts on Shellgame I have to say I am very ready for No Man's Land to end. Not because it is bad but because I am ready to move on to something else. Being a five volume set I am pretty sure the original run was likely done over a year. Ok so now on to my thoughts. The first word that comes to mind when I think of how to describe these two books is "boring". Which is to bad because the majority of No Man's Land has been excellent. Now I know that you are bound to you have a few boring issues in order to propel certain plot points along, but I really wanted some entertainment and the last few issues in the main story arc are just blah. Shellgame is COMPELLING. It would likely stand up better if I had red all of volume five in a single setting. I may revise my feelings after finishing the rest of the volume.

N. S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 57

Ground Zero by Jordan B. Gorfinkel and Greg Rucka with art done by Greg Land is a flashback to the very beginning of the No Man's Land story. So why did Huntress assume the mantel of Batgirl? Where was Bruce Wayne during the first few months of No Man's Land when Gotham needed him most? In this one shot issue Gorfinkel and Rucka answer those questions.

I really enjoyed this book. Mostly because I find the character of Huntress to be very intriguing. Now while I was interested in why Huntress decided to pick up the mantel of the Bat it was not a question that required an answer. It still made for a fun little tale that is well WORTH YOUR TIME. The Batman portion of the book serves even less of a purpose to the overall story plot as he was apparently just wallowing in self pity over the fact he was not able to convince the U.S. Congress to help Gotham rather than declare it a "No Man's Land" and abandon both city and its remaining people. Again the book is an enjoyable look into events that took place prior to the main story but ultimately unnecessary.

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 56

For tonights Bat-reading and Bat-blogging I read two one shot issues in order to finish up volume four of Batman: No Man's Land. The first of those issues was Falling Back by Greg Rucka and art by Rick Burchett. Commissioner Gordon finally, after a year, agrees to meet and talk to Batman. Will the Commissioner be able to forgive the Dark Night for abandoning Gotham in the early days of the "No Man's Land" crises? The final issue of the volume is Assembly Redux also written by Greg Rucka but with art done by Paul Ryan and Bill Sienkiewicz. Having regained his former ally Batman sets out on a mission to take control of Gotham so that order can be restored.

Both Falling Back and Assembly Redux are very slow. Especially when read back to back. I made it through Falling Back without becoming distracted, but it took me twice as long to read Assembly Redux. Nothing is wrong per-say with either issue but having to slow books back to back can be a little boring. Both issues are most defiantly set up for the big conclusion to the No Man's Land story. The most exciting thing that happened was finally brining the Joker into the story line. What better time to do just that than with the final act of an overall great tale. Other than that Rucka has provided a very good if not boring set up for the ending. Both books are WORTH YOUR TIME only if you have been reading since the beginning. Neither will stand very well on their own.

N. S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 55

Jurisprudence Part 1 and 2 by Greg Rucka and art by Damion Scott put Two-Face on center stage. Two-face is angry at Commissioner Gordon for, in his mind, betrayal. Wanting revenge Two-Face and his gang make a move on the G.C.P.D in the middle of the night when they least expect it. Having successfully raided the G.C.P.D and captured Gordon, Two-Face decides to have a small trial to prove the Commissioner's guilt. 

What an excellent Two-Face story Jurisprudence turned out to be. The theme of the book was a trial by law, something that Two-Face aka Harvey Dent once had a career in as Gotham's D.A. until the accident that turned him into the now duel personality criminal. The story shines when Gordon asks that Harvey Dent be his defense resulting in those personalities of Dent and Two-Face facing off and arguing with each other. It was a brilliant fun book that is most defiantly A MUST READ. Do yourself a favor and pick up this excellent two part story from the No Man's Land run.

N.S.  

100 Days of Batman, Day 54

It is a lazy Sunday afternoon, the Patriots are on (currently destroying the Dolphins), and the wife is asleep on the couch. A perfect day to take my time reading a single Batman comic. Now I could read more but meh. Id rather read the one and finish watching the Pats. Maybe ill read some more later but I think a single issue will suffice for the day. That single issue is Stormy Weather by Devil K. Grayson and art by Dale Eaglesham.  Superman has returned to Gotham City now known as No Man's Land. This time though he is not there to be the Man of Steel but rather as just a man, just Clark Kent.

It took me considerably longer to read this issue than it normally would, that is only because I am also distracted by the football game that is on. Even though I was not focussing on the book as much as I normally would I still found it to be a great read, defiantly WORTH YOUR TIME. Superman has apparently learned a lot about interfering in matters that he does not fully understand since the last time he was in No Man's Land when he caused more problems than he did good. This time however he assumes his alternate identity of Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent. But he really is not there to help at all, he just wants to make sure his friend Bruce Wayne, Batman is doing ok and does not need any help. It is a great little story showing the friendship between two of the worlds most iconic heroes.

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 53

Goin' Downtown Parts 1 and 2 is a story written by Chuck Dixon and art by Mat Broome set in the Batman: No Man's Land universe. Bane has entered Gotham with the intention of becoming the post apocalyptic city's king. However Bane does not appear to be acting alone but rather in the service of an unknown party. Bane appears to manipulating the "rulers" of Gotham against each other to make his own rise to power easier.

Bane is an interesting character in the Batman mythos playing a pivotal role in one of the most historic comics in both Batman and DC history. It is unlikely that his role be nearly as large as it was in The Broken Bat run but he is a catalyst to set up the remaining parts of the No Man's Land story. Goin' Downtown is a fun story with good characters that are extremely important to the Batman mythos making this A WORTH YOU TIME book. The power play he has made getting the rest of the Gotham gangs to attack Two-Face is awesome. A fun two part story that makes me excited to see where No Man's Land will end.

N.S.

100 Days of Comics, Day 52

I am going to keep is short and sweet tonight as it has been an eventful day for the wife and I. We found out what the sex of our baby is. Pretty exciting stuff. That being said I choose to keep the reading down to a one shot story from the Batman: No Man's Land arc. Spiritual Currency by Devin K. Grayson and art by Dale Eaglesham tells the story a story about Dr. Leslie Thompkins and what it is like to be a doctor in a crisis as big as "no man's land".

Getting right to the point, Spiritual Currency is defiantly WORTH YOU TIME. It is one of those Batman stories that makes you think about some pretty heavy subject matter. In this case that subject matter is how important is all human life, not just the lives of those who are good, but also of those who have done terrible things? Grayson focuses the story on Zsasz, a man who kills because it is the only thing that makes him feel alive. He is being treated by Dr. Thompkins despite the fact he has killed hundreds of people. This of course does not sit well with several cast members including Batman. It is a good read and give you something to think about. I defiantly recommend giving it a read.

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 51

Well I am officially over half way done with my 100 Days of Batman run. I know that I as the writer can hardly believe so much time has passed. Which makes me wonder what you as the reader think. In these past fifty days I feel like I have accomplished something, not a lot but something. That something being I have a daily reading and writing routine. It only takes me about an hour to read and write for this blog every evening, which is not much time but at least it is something. Even with just the 20-30 minutes of time it takes to do the actual writing (am I a slow writer? Maybe its not like these posts are very lone.) I can tell that it is becoming increasingly easier and easier to put my thoughts on "paper".

For tonight I picked up All Star Batman: My Own Worst Enemy Part 2 by Scott Snyder and art by John Romita Jr. Batman is on a mission to save his friend Harvey Dent aka Two-Face.  In order to do so however, he needs to travel just under 500 miles to a cabin where he hopes to eliminate Harvey's evil personality (I am not sure why the cabin is important yet). Nearly everyone in Gotham however wants to stop Batman because Two-Face has threatened to expose all of their dirty secrets if the Dark Knight is not stopped.

Snyder has a very interesting story going with My Own Worst Enemy. He makes you want to see Batman succeed and free Harvey Dent from his evil alter-ego because deep down Harvey is a good man. Batman's quest however seems to be nothing more than an excuse to pit every villain in Gotham City against him all at once, and maybe a few allies will turn on him as well. It is a good excuse though as it makes for a very action packed comic full of brutal fights and good old fashioned action. That being said I want the actual story to be a little stronger and maybe a little less action overall. The balance is just not quite right as of yet. It is only issue two so Snyder has plenty of time to balance and flesh out the over all plot. Despite the thin plot and heavy focus on the action My Own Worst Enemy Part 2 is A MUST READ. As of right now the run is super new and makes a perfect jumping on point if you have wanted to read a Batman book by one of the industries very best writers.

N.S.

100 Days of Comics, Day 50.

Well it is officially the half way point. Originally I was planning on writing a little more today in honor of hitting that milestone, but it is almost 12;30 pm. and I am half a sleep as I type this so its going to be short sweet and to the point.

Switching back to Batman: No Man's Land I quickly read a one shot story about Bane entitled Homecoming by Larry Hama and art by Mike Deodato. Bane has found his way back into Gotham where he intends to become the destroyed city's new king. Batman knowing how dangerous Bane is sets out to stop him.

Ok so first of all the book is WORTH YOUR TIME. That being said it is nothing to special. Just a way of introducing another villain into the No Man's Land story arc. Bane is a cool villain but the issue does nothing really other than show you that he is now in the city and will likely become a major player in the issues to fallow. If you are reading the story arc you should defiantly give it a read but if you are just kind of picking and choosing random issues to read then it is not essential.

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 49

Batman: I am Gotham Part Two by Tom King and art by David Finch picks up shortly after where part one ended. Perhaps a day perhaps a week has passed since Batman first met the heroes Gotham and Gotham Girl, Batman intervenes in a fight they are having with Solomon Grundy. Having been observing Gotham City's new heroes the Dark Knight decides they are good but are not as effective as they could be. Deciding they are worthy to help Batman bring them to meet Commissioner Gordon.

King is defiantly crafting an interesting story which has me intrigued. This was a slower issue which was OK. It had enough action to keep it entertaining but it true strength lies in the mystery that has started to unfold. Now as it was with the first issue I am not going to spoil anything since it is just to fresh of a story. I will say this the phrase "monster men" is used and so is the name of a certain villain that is associated with it. Possibly a link to Batman and The Monster Men by Matt Wagner? I think so, but only future issues will confirm my suspicion. Give I am Gotham Part Two a read. It is defiantly A MUST READ.  

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 48

 A quick one-shot story entitled I Cover The Waterfront by Janet Harvey and art by Sergio Cariello to finish off Volume Three of Batman No Man's Land. Having been revealed as the new Batgirl, Huntress is forced to drop the mantel by Batman as punishment for her failure to protect there territory. Now Cain's adopted daughter has been entrusted to assume the mantel, but will she be able to live up the high standards of Batman or fail.

I Cover The Waterfront is a decent story that I would defiantly say is WORTH YOUR TIME. Good fun story about a new Batgirl that is trying to prove herself. I did not really find anything I thought to be bad about the book other than it feeling simply like a filler story to the overall plot. Nothing is wrong with filler it just makes it unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. Despite being filler it is a fun little look into one the supporting cast. You should defiantly check it out but if you skipped it you would not hurt the overall story.

Tomorrow I plan to jump back over to the more current I Am Gotham story. So defiantly come back and see what I have to say about that. I have I hopes after its first issue and I am hoping King will continue to impress.

N. S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 47

I decided to jump back into Batman: No Man's Land and I am glad I did. Fruit of The Earth: Part:1-3  tells the story about Batman's first encounter with Poison Ivy in Gotham since it became No Man's Land. Batman has heard rumors about children being seen in in what was once the Gotham City Park and botanical gardens. Believing there to be a link between these children and the distribution of rare and exotic fruits to the highest bidder, Batman believes Ivy is using the children as slave labor to harvest what she grows.

Fruit of The Earth: Part 1-3 by Greg Rucka and art by Dan Jurgens is fantastic. A MUST READ for sure. It is fun, action packed, and has the G.C.P.D splitting up over differences in how to survive. I love good Poison Ivy stories especially when her humanity comes peaking through. Arriving at the park Batman and Robin find that it was not Ivy forcing the slave labor of children but instead it was Clayface. Looking to make a profit Clayface captured and forced Ivy to grow fresh fruit for him by torturing her. As for the children, Ivy was genuinely helping and caring for them but when Clayface captured Ivy he forced them into slave labor.

I do not want to tell you anymore about the story, but hopefully that was enough to make you want to read it for yourself. As of right now Fruit of The Earth is my favorite story in the No Man's Land arc so far. Do yourself a favor and give this three issue tale a read. I'm confident you will enjoy it.

N. S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 46

Deciding to give writer Tom King the time he deserves to show me that he can write a good if not great Batman book I decided to pick up Batman 1: I am Gotham, Part One. While saving a crashing plan Batman is saved by a new duo of heroes, Gotham and Gotham Girl. Who are these two and why are they in Batman's city?

I thoroughly enjoyed this first issue. The story was fun and possibly over the top, but over the top in the best possible way. The art by David Finch was spot on. Now I refuse to spoil anything about the story as it is just to new and deserves to be experienced by others spoiler free. I am Gotham, Part One is absolutely A MUST READ and is a great starting of point for a new reader. The transition from old to new creative team should have skipped the Batman: Rebirth issue and went straight into this tale.

Now just because this was a great book does not guarantee that King is going to be as nearly as great a writer as his predecessor Scott Snyder, but it defiantly gives me hope. I can only imagine how hard it is to come into a series like Batman but King nails it with this issue. I hope he continues to do great work. He certainly has me excited to see who Gotham and Gotham Girl are, Now comes the difficult decision. I need to decide what to read for tomorrow. I was planning on going back to No Man's Land but now I am thinking I am Gotham, Part Two may be a better choice. Hhhhhmmmmm I think will end up alternating between the two every couple of days. Thanks everyone for reading. I cant believe I am almost to the half-way point.

N. S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 45

Taking a break from Batman: No Man's Land I picked up Batman: Rebirth 1 by Scott Snyder and Tom King with art by Mikel Janin. DC Comics recently "rebooted all of there existing comic lines, I do not think it is nearly as drastic as when they did the New 52 but it is a reboot just the same. In this quick issue Batman faces off against the Calendar Man as well as recruits a new hero.

I have not kept up with Batman at all since the New 52 was announced a few years ago. So with the Rebirth reboot only being a few issues in I thought it would be a good time to start keeping current on the newest Batman books. I have to say I am a little confused with this issue, specifically with the new sidekick being introduced. Mostly because I have no idea who he is, which is likely do to the fact that I have not kept current. So that is a minor issue that I will rectify. The story itself however is Just OK. Nothing really special happens and it really just feels like a filler book in order to prepare the new creative team in taking over. I wont say much more about it seeings as it is a very new issue and defiantly not old enough where I can get away with spoilers. Not a bad beginning but Tom King defiantly needs to step up his writing game in order to keep me interested. Batman: Rebirth 1 is COMPELLING. Read it if you want but do not feel like you need to.

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 44

Tonight is a struggle to write. It is also the first time I have genuinely thought about giving up the blog all together. I am not sure why I feel this way is the strange thing. However I must persist. In the words of Colin Moriarty (one of the hosts to several podcasts I listen to) "be consistent", I am probably paraphrasing but I know that is the basic concept. If you want to become proficient at something you have to be consistent and practice, practice, practice. Sadly I do not think I spend nearly enough time writing to improve as much as I would like. A couple of paragraphs every day is something but I do not feel as if I have accomplished much. If only the days were longer. Sorry for the minor rant but this blog is primarily about improving my writing skill so I just wanted to give everyone an update on how things are going. Now to your regular scheduled Bat-blog.

I am still digging into the Batman: No Man's Land comic run and for tonight I read the two part subplot entitled Mark of Cain. It is written by Kelley Puckett with art by Damion Scott and picks up immediately where Claim Jumping ended. Two-Face now controls Batman's territory. Commissioner Gordon is being hunted by the assassin Cain. Batman finally realizes he is going to need help and tells Oracle to bring call for the rest of the heroes of Gotham.

This was a weird set of issues. I am still not entirely sure as to how I truly feel about it. Overall I think it is good so I will say it is WORTH YOUR TIME. Where it struggled the most was with the decision to jump around a lot without explanation causing the story to feel choppy especially in part one. Also why does Batman have what can only be described as batarangs sticking out of his shoulders? Not the best design but a minor complaint as over all the art was good. The story did not wow me, most likely because it was so choppy but in the end it was good. Also I finally found out who the new Batgirl was. I must say it did surprise me but at the same time it was not necessarily unexpected. It is also nice to have the rest of the Bat-family in the picture as a story as large and grand as No Man's Land can definitely benefit from them.

Huh, that was much easier to write than I expected it would be than when I started. Anyways I think I am going to take a break from the No Man's Land story for a couple days. I am enjoying it overall but I am afraid I am going to get burnt out with it, but fear not for I shall return to it.

N.S.

    

100 Days of Batman, Day 43

It is another set of two one shot books from Batman: No Man's Land. The first is The Visitor by Kelley Puckett with art by Jon Bogdanove. It tell the story of the short time that Superman spends in Gotham trying to help fix the city. The second story, Power Play by Larry Hama and art by Rick Burchett, is a quick tale about Barman and an interaction he has with Mr. Freeze.

Both of these stories were good. The Visitor was certainly the stand out however. Watching Superman try to fix a problem he knows nothing about and fail was entertaining. Batman knew he would fail but let him figure it our for himself. Power Play was enjoyable but I would not say it was necessary worth reading. No reason to go out of your way for it but it certainly is good enough to read. Both The Visitor and Power Play are WORTH YOUR TIME with The Visitor being the stand out between the two. I do not have much else to say about these two books so as always do not hesitate to comment and give some feed back.

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 42

In order to finish off the rest of No Man's Land: Volume 2 I read three issues tonight. All three issues are by Greg Rucka. The first is a stand alone entitled Two Down. It tells the story of Detective Montoya shortly before Gotham was abandoned and became no man's land. Looking for her brother Montoya discovers he is with Two-Face who apparently has been helping to find people in the rubble of the city. Naturally Montoya is hesitant knowing what Dent is capable off, but she ultimately finds herself helping him, even if it is only because of luck and Dent's coin.

Not much to really say about this stand alone issue. It is always nice to see what is happening in the lives of minor characters and No Man's Land has no shortage of these types of stories. In short Two Down is defiantly WORTH YOUR TIME.

The next two issues I read are a two part story entitled Claim Jumping. Two Face wants to expand his territory in No Man's Land. In order to do this he goes to Penguin and makes a deal that will potentially help them both out in the end. At the same time Gordon and the G.C.P.D. are planing on making a move on Penguin in order to expand there own territory as well as claim some much needed supplies including firearms. 

This two part story is a much better story by Rucka than his Mosaic story from several days ago. Rucka creates a good amount of drama and does a good job writing a story that has betrayal and does well to move the story as a whole along. Two-Face is awesome in this story. He is able to trick the Penguin into helping take territory from Batman and also some from the Penguin. The tables of power shift dramatically as a result. I am excited to see how long Two-Face is able to hold on two his new found power. Good story and it is certainly well WORTH YOUR TIME.

N. S.

100 Days of Comics, Day 41

Home Sweet Home by Lisa Klink and art by Guy Davis is a one shot story set in Batman: No Man's Land and is about one of the normal people just trying to survive. Sargent William S. Riley better known as "Sarge" has lived in Gotham since after WWII. Gotham is his home and he will never abandoned his home or his house. So now he sits and watches the new powers of Gotham kill each other over turf and steal what they can from him, but despite all this he will stay and protect his home.

Home Sweet Home is refreshing after that last few stories I have read. Despite it only being a single issue Klink manages to capture a lot about who "Sarge" is. Even though the caped crusader and really any other Batman hero is absent I definitely think this book is WORTH YOUR TIME. It is always nice to see what is happening in the lives of the everyday folk who simple exist within the world.

I also read another one shot book set in the Batman: No Man's Land story arc entitled Shades of Grey. The book is written by Bob Gale and the art is by Phil Winslade. Gordon forces a meeting with the new Batgirl expecting it to be Batman. He tells her to tell Batman that he is not welcome in G.C.P.D. territory. Batman doesn't take the news lightly and is thus recounted a tale of his father by the ever loyal Alfred.

I thoroughly enjoyed Shades of Grey. It was well done and the writer does a great job of portraying the way Batman feels about Gotham now that is noting but ruins. It shows that he is still just a man that has faults and struggles with what is right and wrong just like everyone. My favorite part however has to be when Alfred tells Batman a story about his father. I do not want to spoil that story here because it is definitely a must read, in fact this entire book is A MUST READ. You should be able to pick this sub-story up having read none of the rest of No Man's Land and be just fine. I am so glad these last two books have been great. I am refreshed and excited to read more from this story arc.

N. S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 40

Wow almost half way done with my !00 days of Batman and the first set of 100 Days of Comics. I cant believe how fast time goes by. Anyways on to today's, actually tonight's comics. It is another subplot tale from Batman: No Man's Land entitled Mosaic. It is another two part tale that focuses on what the Black Mask has been and is doing in Gotham aka No Man's Land.

I have to say I am again disappointed with the quality of both art and story has been going since finishing Volume One of No Man's Land. The story of Mosaic by Greg Rucka is OK. It was not terrible and at the very least gave a little bit of substance and answered a single questions but it was not amazing or necessarily worth your time. The most the plot honestly did was show us where Batman has been sending all the criminals of Gotham now. The artwork by Frank Teran was awkward. I liked it more than what was done in Bread and Circuses but still felt strange and depicted characters in odd ways. At best the book was COMPELLING. Your not missing much if you skip it, besides Barbara Gordon acting like a child.  

N.  S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 39

This will likely be a shorter post than normal as I do not have a lot to say about Batman: No Man's Land, Bread and Circuses Part One and Two. The criminals and people of Gotham no longer fear the Batman. So in order to show the citizens and criminals he is still to be feared Batman infiltrates the Penguins lair where he takes on a bunch of henchmen in a gladiatorial match.

Bread and Circuses Part One and Two by Ian Edginton and art by D'Israeli is mediocre at best. The story is boring and the art is abysmal. I can confidently say I did not enjoy this portion of No Man's Land at all and I am grateful it was only a two part story. It is NOT WORTH YOUR TIME. As of this moment I do not see how it was truly relevant to the story at large If you do pick up No Man's Land your not missing anything if you skip this two part story. Hopefully the next subplot will be more enjoyable.

N. S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 38

Batman: No Man's Land is a huge collection spanning five volumes. Because it is such a long story I have decided to pick up the pace so that I will be able to read more story arcs instead of focusing on one for what would be about forty days. So for today I read both Fear of Faith Part 3: Life in Hell and Fear of Faith Part 4: Be Not Afraid written by Devin K. Grayson with art by Dale Eaglesham. Scarecrows plan to cause as much fear and chaos as possible is now in full motion. Having ultimately turned the refugee center into a powder-keg full of weapons it is only a matter of time before the gangs of Gotham attempt to take the weapons for themselves.  

Rather than judge both issues separate I am going to group them together, seeings as they would both receive the same recommendation if I judged them individually. They are very much WORTH YOUR TIME. Batman again takes a back seat to the story and could likely have not been included at all. That is completely OK however as I believe the entire story of No Man's Land is about the normal people having to survive in a terrible situation. Despite being the cause of an explosive situation the true hero of this story was Father Chris. The man brought many different people together who simply needed a place to stay. It didn't matter what they believed, the color of their skin, or even what their pasts were. Its a great message and I think a lot of people could learn from especially in today's screwed up and terrifying world. If you read no other part of the No Man's Land story who should at the very least read the four issue subplot Fear of Faith. 

N.S.

100 Days of Batman, Day 37

In Fear of Faith Part Two: To Serve and Protect by Devin K. Grayson, the Scarecrow begins to put a plan into motion. His goal is to cause maximum fear. He contaminates the food of the refugees he has been staying with forcing the leader/minister to go to the Penguin and make a deal in order to replace the lost food. 

Despite the lack of Batman in any real way this book was fun and is defiantly WORTH YOUR TIME. It has the Scarecrow laying the seeds of fear without having to resort to his toxin, showing you as the reader that he understands fear and doesn't always need a fancy way of inducing it. Watching the way Huntress interacts with criminals is fun. She is not above beating a criminal senseless in order to scare them into doing she wants which I think is really cool. Granted it may not be that much different from Batman but still, I enjoyed it. I defiantly recommend this book to those of you who like scarecrow and for that matter it is still a pleasant enjoyable read even if you do not.

N.S.