Not sure how many volumes there are, including the “road to” volumes. Any help is appreciated.
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Not sure how many volumes there are, including the “road to” volumes. Any help is appreciated.
The reading order is as follows (using the newer TPB's from the last few years)
Cataclysm (The earthquake itself)
Road to NML 1-2 (The post-quake issues of "Aftershock" and "Road to No Man's Land" ending with congress cutting Gotham off)
NML 1-4 (The main No Man's Land story)
There are also some TPB's set in the post NML Gotham
Batman by Ed Brubaker 1-2
Batman: New Gotham 1-2 (essentially Batman by Greg Rucka)
Gotham Central 1-4
Hope that helps ;)
I'd throw "Contagion" in there first, for good measure. A lot of people don't care for it for some reason, but it's still being referenced in the stories set around "Cataclysm".
Thanks! Exactly what I needed!
Why aren’t Contagion and Cataclysm included in the collected editions?
[QUOTE=2nd line g;3865301]Why aren’t Contagion and Cataclysm included in the collected editions?[/QUOTE]
Because they are separate collected editions of stories that occurred prior to No Man’s Land - basically from Contagion through the end of No Man’s Land, the Batman books were almost in perpetual crossover, with No Man’s Land being the culmination of the many storylines begun with Contagion (which can be boiled down to “living in Gotham REALLLLLLY sucks and if you live there you’re probably dead already.”) You also need Legacy, so the full list of trades would be:
Contagion
Legacy 1-2
Cataclysm
Road to No Man’s Land 1-2
No Man’s Land 1-4
Ok, thanks. I looked on IST and it has Legacy as 2 volumes by Chuck Dixon. Are these the correct ones?
[QUOTE=2nd line g;3866244]Ok, thanks. I looked on IST and it has Legacy as 2 volumes by Chuck Dixon. Are these the correct ones?[/QUOTE]
Yessir! Forgot it took two volumes with the newer versions. They contain the non-crossover issues too, if I recall correctly.
The full reading order would be:
[B]Pre NML[/B]
* Sword of Azrael
* Vengeance of Bane (Included in most recent version of Knightfall)
* Knightfall saga (Knightfall + Knightquest + KnightsEnd)
* Prodigal (Also Included in most recent version of Knightfall)
* Troika (Included in most recent version of Knightfall)
* Nightwing: Alfred's Return (Included in most recent version of Knightfall)
* Vengence of Bane II (Included in most recent version of Knightfall)
[B]NML[/B]
* Contagion
* Legacy
* Cataclysm
* Aftershock (Included in most recent versions of Road to No Man's Land)
* Road To No Man's Land
* No Man's Land
[B]Post NML[/B]
* New Gotham / Turning Point - corresponds to Greg Rucka's Run (no yet collected as omnibuses)
* Gotham Central
* Batman Fugitive & Murderer
[QUOTE=jb681131;3867776]The full reading order would be:
[B]Pre NML[/B]
* Sword of Azrael
* Vengeance of Bane (Included in most recent version of Knightfall)
* Knightfall saga (Knightfall + Knightquest + KnightsEnd)
* Prodigal (Also Included in most recent version of Knightfall)
* Troika (Included in most recent version of Knightfall)
* Nightwing: Alfred's Return (Included in most recent version of Knightfall)
* Vengence of Bane II (Included in most recent version of Knightfall)
[B]NML[/B]
* Contagion
* Legacy
* Cataclysm
* Aftershock (Included in most recent versions of Road to No Man's Land)
* Road To No Man's Land
* No Man's Land
[B]Post NML[/B]
* New Gotham / Turning Point - corresponds to Greg Rucka's Run (no yet collected as omnibuses)
* Gotham Central
* Batman Fugitive & Murderer[/QUOTE]
Well sure, if you're including every collected edition of 90s Batman published starting with Sword of Azrael; we were just discussing stuff germane to No Man's Land.
On your list, you'd want to include the Brubaker Batman trades post-NML as well, they run concurrently with the Rucka run. Not sure why you chose to note Rucka's run isn't collected as an omni - nothing on your list has been released as an omni except Knightfall (missing Sword of Azrael) and Gotham Central.
[QUOTE=Dick Grayson;3867861]Well sure, if you're including every collected edition of 90s Batman published starting with Sword of Azrael; we were just discussing stuff germane to No Man's Land.
On your list, you'd want to include the Brubaker Batman trades post-NML as well, they run concurrently with the Rucka run. Not sure why you chose to note Rucka's run isn't collected as an omni - nothing on your list has been released as an omni except Knightfall (missing Sword of Azrael) and Gotham Central.[/QUOTE]
Well I indeed forgot Brubaker's Run.
As for Rucka's run, It is an import run in my opinion, and ties in well with NML. Also it is collected as 3 omni in some languages (sur as French).
Gotham Central does exist as an omni: [URL="https://comicvine.gamespot.com/gotham-central-omnibus/4050-90198/"]https://comicvine.gamespot.com/gotham-central-omnibus/4050-90198/[/URL]
[QUOTE=jb681131;3867881]Well I indeed forgot Brubaker's Run.
As for Rucka's run, It is an import run in my opinion, and ties in well with NML. Also it is collected as 3 omni in some languages (sur as French).
Gotham Central does exist as an omni: [URL="https://comicvine.gamespot.com/gotham-central-omnibus/4050-90198/"]https://comicvine.gamespot.com/gotham-central-omnibus/4050-90198/[/URL][/QUOTE]
I’m aware Gotham Central exists as an omnibus, I said nothing on your list EXCEPT Knightfall and Gotham Central exist as omnis. What I don’t understand, as I also said before, is why you felt the need to point out Rucka’s run isn’t in an omni, as that implies the other books do exist as omnis (which they do not, except Gotham Central and Knightfall, minus Sword of Azrael). It’s just confusing to someone who doesn’t know what is collected and what isn’t.
Your subsequent note that Rucka’s run is in non-English omnis is similarly just muddying the waters - unless the poster is asking about non-English books, I think it is safe to assume that the poster, who is from the US and posting in English, is only interested in English-language collections :)
Thanks for all the info. It’s much appreciated, but confusing as well.
[QUOTE=2nd line g;3868436]Thanks for all the info. It’s much appreciated, but confusing as well.[/QUOTE]
Don't stress too much - you can read the four No Man's Land trades alone and know what's going on (the short answer: two plagues and an earthquake caused the US government to close off Gotham from the rest of the US.)
If you want additional context for how Gotham got to the point of No Man's Land, the material from Contagion through Road to No Man's Land is useful. You certainly don't need to read all of Knightfall/Quest/End to understand No Man's Land.
If you want to continue the story after No Man's Land, the Rucka and Brubaker material picks up from there but is not necessary for the main No Man's Land story (obviously, since it came after!) Other than references to "O.G.s" and "Deezees" ("original Gothamites" and "deserters" respectively, if I recall correctly) and passing references to a rebuilt Gotham, they are the start of a new era for Batman. This goes for Gotham Central as well. This is not to say this material isn't worth checking out, because it's excellent (particularly Gotham Central), but it's certainly not "necessary" or even really a part of No Man's Land, it just follows the events of that crossover.
No Man's Land was pretty terrible imo. I had to give up on the newer trades when one writer had Batman berate a single mother for being on welfare.