Steven Symes

One of my all-time favorite Batman story arcs is No Man’s Land, which tells the tale of Gotham City ravaged by a huge earthquake and left abandoned to criminals. Unfortunately, many readers skip over the Batman: Road to No Man’s Land arc, which shows the natural disaster and all its tragedy unfold.

That might sound like horrible reading to some, but the omnibus shows a different side of Batman, his allies, and Gotham in general. I’ve lived through a huge natural disaster and can tell you from that firsthand experience such a tragedy will show both the good and bad of human nature.

Both are in full display in this omnibus. While Batman, Nightwing, and other masked vigilantes do all they can to save innocent people from the dangers of a destroyed city and crumbling society, it’s even more touching to read the stories where everyday people step up and do truly brave things to help.

The tales of personal sacrifice made out of love are truly touching. It’s a thoughtful reminder that even the most insignificant of us can step up and make a difference when things are critical.

On the flip side, you have criminals and those who are just plain opportunistic taking advantage of the chaos and suffering to “get theirs.” Seeing the police busy and social order in general breaking down, average Gotham citizens take to looting and worse as they see their opportunity to do whatever they like. It’s an unfortunate reality of natural disasters.

One of my favorite issues in the omnibus, Batman: Blackgate – Isle of Men #1, mixes the good and the bad together in an interesting way. As the earthquake and then a tidal wave hit the maximum security island prison Blackgate, where some of the most notorious criminals from the area are held, a riot breaks out and the guards are overrun.

Jared Manx, who is on death row and is scheduled to be executed just past midnight, is being visited by his female attorney and a nun when all hell breaks loose. The man has claimed his innocence of murdering three people, and the women believe him. When his cell is broken open by the quake and he helps the women navigate the incredibly dangerous situation in the prison as they try escaping to freedom, the attorney and nun only become more convinced of what a good man Manx is.

However, as Jared makes the ultimate sacrifice, holding up part of the building so it doesn’t collapse so the women can board a helicopter, he confesses he was in fact guilty of all three murders, two of the victims being his own children. He says that so the women will leave him behind and make it to safety, instead of trying to find a way to get him off the island, too.

Afterward, the nun wonders if Manx was lying about being innocent or if he was lying about being guilty, something which will probably haunt her forever. It gives you as a reader a lot to chew on.

There are many other interesting twists and turns in the omnibus, but I’ll leave the rest of the plot unspoiled.

I will say it’s cool to see Batman break out some of his more utilitarian Batmobiles. One is a monster truck which has the clearance to successfully navigate down rubble-strewn roads, crawl over fallen buildings, and go anywhere else so he can still fight crime in the crippled city.

The other Batmobile is a slightly modified Humvee H1, a vehicle which was pretty much only owned by the US Military and a few rich celebrities at the time. It helps Batman do grunt work while providing armored protection. Both rides are a far cry from the sexy, sleek Batmobiles that have populated the Batcave over the years.

Batman: Road to No Man’s Land spans from Detective Comics #719, published in January 1998, and ends with Azrael: Agent of the Bat #50, published in January 1999. During that year runtime, the Road to No Man’s Land story is told in multiple comic titles, including Batman, The Batman Chronicles, Batman: The Shadow of the Bat, Robin, Nightwing, and Catwoman.

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Images via DC Comics