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[[File:batman-nomansland-001_1932.png|frame]]
A [[Bat Family Crossover]] that ran through the main ''[[Batman]]'' titles in 1999. After [[Trauma Conga Line|a rash of bad luck]]
Implicitly, the idea was to drag the Gotham of [[The Eighties]] and the [http://lifewithoutbuildings.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/gotham-1.jpg Burton films] into the 21st century. Thematically, the story is something like ''[[Mad Max]]'', ''[[Escape
In the meantime, high doses of [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|awesome]] come from just about everyone. Even the Ventriloquist.
The story also brought to an end the majority of Batman stories throughout [[The Nineties]]
In 2000, DC released a hardcover novelisation, written by [[Greg Rucka]]. Starting in 2012 as well, DC is re-releasing the series in a group of big honkin' softcovers, with preciously unincluded issues.
The reminder of [[Escape
----
{{tropelist}}
* [[Achilles in His Tent]]: Batman is this for about three months after his failure to reverse Congress's decision.
* [[A Day in
* [[Anticlimax Boss]]: Depending on how you view the ending, or if you were waiting for Joker's big move to either happen earlier or be larger in scope and body-count, the ending, chilling though it be, can come off thusly.
** If you were looking for a grand rematch between Batman and Bane, sorry. Their meeting was fairly
* [[Anti
* [[Anyone Can Die]]: Somewhat averted. Except for {{spoiler|Sarah-Essen Gordon}}.
* [[Big Bad Duumvirate]]: The Penguin imagines he's in one with Luthor. He gets schooled. Badly.
* [[Big Bad Ensemble]]: But chiefly [[The Joker]] for Batman, and [[Lex Luthor]] for Bruce Wayne.
* [[Big No]]: {{spoiler|Scarecrow}} when his [[Humans Are
* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: {{spoiler|Sarah Essen-Gordon is dead, The Joker is alive, and though no one knows it quite yet, [[Lex Luthor]] is on his way to the White House}}. On the other hand, Batman and his family have returned, the Bat-signal shines in the skies over Gotham for the first time in a year, and {{spoiler|and the city is reopened and readmitted to the Union}}.
* [[Blatant Lies]]: One of the series' marketing points was that Batman was missing. He got better.
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* [[Bound and Gagged]]: When Batman sees {{spoiler|the six civilians that Two-Face killed, he goes into [[Unstoppable Rage]] mode, invades Harvey's courthouse headquarters, and easily does this to him. The threats that follow make Two-Face look genuinely terrified that Batman might break his [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]] code.}}
* [[Bread and Circuses]]: How most of the villains (''especially'' the Penguin) keep their "territories" under control.
* [[Canon Immigrant]]: This is the story that brought arch-moll Harley Quinn into the DCU. Mercy Graves, Luthor's aide-de-camp from ''[[Superman:
* [[Captain Ersatz]]: Huntress for Batgirl, early on--[[Creator Breakdown|without Barbara Gordon's blessing]].
* [[Cardboard Prison]]: Somewhat averted at first; Arkham actually activates its quake-proof shutters when the initial quake hits, locking all of the lunatics inside. It's only when Gotham is actually declared a No Man's Land, and the staff begins to leave one-by-one, that Jeremiah Arkham is forced to let out the inmates because he cannot stomach the thought of leaving them inside to slowly starve to death (it's hinted that his ultimate decision comes from his childhood pet cat suffering a similar fate).
* [[Card
* [[The Chessmaster]]: Luthor and his ridiculously circuitous scheme: {{spoiler|destroy any and all real-estate records in Gotham and substitute them with new ones reflecting ownership by [[Lex Corp]],}} meaning that most of the original owners who might sue to correct this 'error' had already fled the NML, were missing, or dead.
* [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]]: Two-Face accuses Jim Gordon of this. The Penguin tries to pull it on Lex Luthor [[Running Gag|and gets schooled. Badly.]]
* [[Closed Circle]]: Gotham's shut off from the world for a year. There are National Guard outposts stationed outside the city with kill orders for anyone trying to get in. Or out. This also means anyone in town after the bridges are blown ''stays'' there. [[Playing
* [[Compressed Adaptation]]: The novelisation, of necessity, leaves out a bunch of subplots and even entire characters, including Azrael and Superman.
* [[Covers Always Lie]]: ''Batman'' #563 shows The Joker standing triumphant over the ruins of Gotham. He doesn't show up in a single panel of the story.
* [[Crazy Prepared]]: To start with, the fact that Bruce Wayne quake-proofed every building he owns. [[Irony|Save for Wayne Manor]].
** William Petit, head of the GCPD's rapid reaction force. A hardcore survivalist, he keeps an enormous stash of ammunition in an apartment building basement on the off chance Gotham degrades to the point where he'll need to fire guns ''a lot''. In the beginning, this benefits the Blue Boys as he manages to "scrounge" enough ammo to keep them functional. But when he and his squad break away from Gordon to [[Start My Own|carve out their own territory]], he takes his bullets with him.
* [[Deal
* [[Death
* [[Death Trap]]: Somehow, someway, Joker is ''still'' able get the resources to build a massive glass-box deathtrap complete with acid nozzles, lasers, and machine guns. And he ain't happy when Azrael shows up instead of Batman. So much so that he refuses to let Azrael even try to rescue the kid put inside the trap as bait.
* [[Depending
** Ian Edginton's [[Dumb Muscle]] version that beats up a man with valuable survival skills (whose value in No Man's Land is unimaginable) simply so he can be the "alpha male".
** Devin Grayson's [[Bruiser
** Chuck Dixon's [[Genius Bruiser]] version, who's essentially [[Spider-Man|The Kingpin]] with scaly skin and red eyes.
* [[The Determinator]]: Huntress takes half a dozen bullets to the stomach from the Joker and keeps going. That tells you something about her right there.
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* [[Fate Worse Than Death]] {{spoiler|Basil Karlo, AKA Ultimate Clayface, being turned into fertilizer for Ivy's plants.}}
* [[Foe Yay]]: From [[The Joker]], as usual:
{{quote|
'''Woman:''' Please please don't...
'''Joker:''' Between us, this has nothing to do with you...but I've got to get his attention, and so far nothing has worked.
'''Woman:''' ...Oh God don't please don't please I'm begging you.
''A shadow looms over Joker and the woman''
'''Joker:''' Darling, there you are! I was beginning to think you didn't love me...anymore?
''Joker turns around, sees Bane''
'''Joker:''' Oh, [[This Is Gonna Suck]]... }}
* [[Foreshadowing]]: Harvey Dent's, er, <s> relationship</s> <s>fixation</s> <s> obsession</s> '''don't even ''[[Berserk Button|look]]'' at her!''' [[Gotham Central|with Renee Montoya.]]
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** Two-Face {{spoiler|hiring David Cain to kill Jim Gordon}} has shades of this in the comics. The novelization elaborates on and at certain points outright changes his motives to be more sympathetic.
* [[Friendly Local Chinatown]]: A little short on the "friendly" part, but Gotham's local Chinatown does play a role in at least two stories.
* [[Friend in
* [[Gatling Good]]: How Bane establishes his presence in awesome (toward the end of [http://about-faces.livejournal.com/5283.html?thread=22691 this page]). A panel so manly it will make your testicles double in size.
* [[Honor Before Reason]]: Jim Gordon and the rest of the GCPD loyalists/''Blue Boys''. Leave the city, especially when the US government tells any and all Gothamites still alive to get out of Dodge? Nuts to that!
** Leslie Thompkins takes it even further when she refuses to leave Mr. Zsasz to die. Zsasz, as some might remember, is even more [[Ax Crazy]] than the Joker is - he literally ''lives'' to kill, and nothing else.
** The Huntress, who faces the
* [[Hurricane of Puns]]: The aftermath of Robin's battle with Mr. Freeze in the sewers lends itself to a particularly groan-worthy (but [[Narm Charm|fun]]) one that would make [[Batman and Robin (
* [[Ironic Echo]]: "I swear, that psycho must have had a bullet for every man, woman, and child in Gotham!"
* [[It Is Beyond Saving]]: The premise of the arc is that the US government believes this about Gotham.
* [[Judgment of Solomon]]: Batman find himself having to make the classic decision at one point between two mothers. {{spoiler|The classic solution fails here, forcing him to find another one.}}
* [[Kangaroo Court]]: Two-Face's initial M.O. when NML happens. Later, Gordon accuses him of pulling these when he's put on trial, making Two-Face resort to a more "fair" trial.
* [[Knight Templar]]: "Commandant" Bill Pettit. Breaks with Gordon and the GCPD remnant because he thinks the NML's making them soft. Then he starts hoarding bullets, keeps his men very-nearly prisoners, and bullies Huntress like the tin-pot dictator he imagines himself to
* [[Love Triangle]]: Believe it or not, one starts between The Joker, Harley, and a cartoonist Joker acquires as a new henchman. Yes, it's as screwed-up as it sounds.
* [[Manipulative Bastard]]: Don't think for a minute that Scarecrow's any less dangerous without his fear toxins.
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* [[Professional Killer]]: Several, including David Cain and his daughter {{spoiler|Cassandra, AKA Batgirl.}}
* [[The Rat]]: Penguin, as usual, is on no one's side but his own.
* [[Rich Idiot With No Day Job]]: Bruce Wayne tries unsuccessfully to [[Playing Against Type|play against this image]], as he lobbies in Congress for Gotham's reinstatement. It eventually takes Luthor landing his helicopter right in the middle of the NML and [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money|throwing money]] at the problem to change it. For the next three years, Luthor doesn't let Bruce forget it.
* [[Saintly Church]]: The Ark Project cathedral/refugee center.
* [[Say My Name]]: Batman demands this after he beats the Ventriloquist, his first victory over a "territory" of Gotham held by a villain.
* [[Screw This, I'm Outta Here]]: The Riddler is the ''only'' villain to flee Gotham: the rest stay to carve up what's left. During his time away, Nigma tests [[Green Arrow]]'s patience. It [[Curb Stomp Battle|doesn't turn out well for him.]]
* [[Series Continuity Error]]: Inevitable, considering that a dozen-odd writers (and twice that many artists) worked on this crossover. Some of the more notable ones:
** After Robin sneaked back into Gotham, Mr. Drake raised an enormous ruckus and paid to have the militia airlift Tim out of NML in ''Robin'' #73 - an incredibly publicized event that helped create the PR to end it. Afterward, however, Robin suddenly pops up again when the Joker finally makes his move on Christmas Eve, with nary a comment as to his presence.
** When the Arkham escapees are seen witnessing NML with their own eyes in ''Batman'' #562, all of them are wearing their inmate uniforms, and the Riddler is amongst them, when A.) They had already donned their costumes several days prior to being released from Arkham and B.) Riddler had split up with them before they'd made it to the city.
* [[Sherlock Scan]]: When Superman visits Gotham a second time as Clark Kent, Batman immediately picks apart the inconsistencies of his disguise as a resident of NML:
{{quote|
* [[Shout
* [[Shown Their Work]]: The credits for "Underground Railroad" mini-arc mentions that the creative team got an actual martial artist to help plan out the martial arts sequences.
* [[Sinister Scythe]]: The Joker is briefly seen wielding one when he takes his anger out on a stuffed Batman dummy.
* [[Snow Means Death]]: Huntress' last stand against the Joker.
* [[Stalker
** Disturbingly, The Penguin actually acts a bit like this toward ''{{spoiler|Mercy Graves}}''.
* [[Superman Stays Out of Gotham]]: Even if the government's ban on anyone going in or out didn't apply to superheroes, Batman is adamant Superman keep out of his city. Superman refuses to listen but he gets the message after his efforts to help the city don't work out as he intended.
** However, he later on comes back...as Clark Kent. Seeing as the real enemy in NML is human nature, he feels he can do more good as a normal man helping others grow food than as a living god.
** Before NML had started, Batman even told the freaking [[Justice League]] to back off, saying that Gotham should pull itself out of its own rubble. Look what happened there...
** Jim Gordon's [[What the Hell, Hero?]] speech to Batman reveals another wrinkle: no other police force wants him in their city, not even the ones that have other superheroes, because they don't want someone who needs an [[Batman|urban legend]] to do their policework for them.
* [[Take That]]:
{{quote|
* [[Talking to Himself]]: A narrative device here: Harvey Dent, early and throughout. Most visible and most jarring during his prosecution of Jim Gordon and subsequent [[Villainous Breakdown|break-down]].
* [[There Is No Higher Court]]: Apparently, simply cutting off a city with millions of US citizens in it from help is legally a-okay.
** It's implied in the miniseries and elsewhere that {{spoiler|Luthor's}} responsible for it. Because Bruce Wayne [[Green
* [[This Is Gonna Suck]]: Joker says this word-for-word when {{spoiler|Bane}} confronts him.
* [[Trademark Favorite Food]]: The Ventriloquist (or more accurately, Scarface) is stated to have a sweet tooth for Zesti Cola.
* [[Villainous Rescue]]: Believe it or not, {{spoiler|The Penguin}} and his men come to help Blue Boy "Hardback" Bock against a group of street thugs so that Bock can take a dozen terminally ill children outside Gotham to seek medical attention.
* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: After a territorial spat involving Penguin, Two-Face, and Huntress (posing as Batgirl at this point) goes horribly wrong, Batman gets a riproaring version of [http://jinx-says.livejournal.com/17338.html this] from Jim Gordon.
** Superman comes to quake-ravaged Gotham to help. Batman tells him to get the hell out.
* [[Wicked Cultured]]: Bane, Lex Luthor (who in the novelisation gets his entire dinner menu and wine list [[Viewers Are Geniuses|gloriously narrated to the reader]]). The Penguin and his price-gouging bazaar aspire to this, but pull off a cheap imitation.
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* [[Would Hit a Girl]]: Played straight by multiple characters; Two-Face has no problem with decking Sarah Essen-Gordon, and Bane tells his Hispanic "sidekick" that he only spared her because he needed someone to spread the word of his doings, and she posed the least threat.
* [[You No Take Candle]]: Much like his other portrayals, KGBeast speaks like this.
{{quote|
{{reflist}}
[[Category:The Nineties]]
[[Category:Batman:
[[Category:
[[Category:
[[Category:Comic Books of the 1990s]]
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