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.