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thebaronrob's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
rashthedoctor's review against another edition
4.0
Batman's goal in life is to protect Gotham , he does it on a nightly basis , with help of his allies , his brain and by punching the faces of his foes . What happens then if Gotham faces an adversary that can not be punched .
As part of the road to the No-man's-land tale , Batman:cataclysm features a Gotham city devasted by an earthquake , and Batman seeing the destruction can't really do much than save one person at a time .
This was a fantastic tale , grounded in reality , as super-villains may not exist but natural calamities do , and even caped vigilantes can do so much against them .
The anguish of Batman in being helpless and trying to help people and trying to rebuild the city is what makes this story so good. But there's so much more going on , as we see all facets of life , like Penguin agreeing to help , only saves those who can help him in some ways in future . Bane trying to convince Azarael that they are the same . Huntress deciding Batman's code is not for her , and spoiler gets star stricken with Huntress . There's simply a lot going on , and it's all entertaining albeit it's way too dark .
In the end the only flaws to this story that I can find are the darkness of the story and the inconsistent art style , which went from normal to awful with issues . But hey this was the late 80s- early 90s story so some leeway is warranted
As part of the road to the No-man's-land tale , Batman:cataclysm features a Gotham city devasted by an earthquake , and Batman seeing the destruction can't really do much than save one person at a time .
This was a fantastic tale , grounded in reality , as super-villains may not exist but natural calamities do , and even caped vigilantes can do so much against them .
The anguish of Batman in being helpless and trying to help people and trying to rebuild the city is what makes this story so good. But there's so much more going on , as we see all facets of life , like Penguin agreeing to help , only saves those who can help him in some ways in future . Bane trying to convince Azarael that they are the same . Huntress deciding Batman's code is not for her , and spoiler gets star stricken with Huntress . There's simply a lot going on , and it's all entertaining albeit it's way too dark .
In the end the only flaws to this story that I can find are the darkness of the story and the inconsistent art style , which went from normal to awful with issues . But hey this was the late 80s- early 90s story so some leeway is warranted
howattp's review
4.0
His is one of those events that, like Knightfall, every committed Batman fan should read because it's referred to so often. Gotham City is devastated by a horrific earthquake, unleashing chaos upon all, causing thousands of deaths, and threatening to expose Bruce Wayne's secret identity to the world.
It's well done for the most part, thoroughly exploring the widespread effect such a catastrophe would have on a city, and the nearly insurmountable challenge it brings to each of Gotham's heroes, be they masked or uniformed. It brings out the best and worst in people, and it leads to another event: No Man's Land.
It's well done for the most part, thoroughly exploring the widespread effect such a catastrophe would have on a city, and the nearly insurmountable challenge it brings to each of Gotham's heroes, be they masked or uniformed. It brings out the best and worst in people, and it leads to another event: No Man's Land.
davybaby's review
2.0
Oh, Batman. Why can't I quit you?
You'd think I'd have learned my lesson after your "defusing bombs via punching" antics in Arkham Origins. Or your comically raspy voice in The Dark Knight Rises. Seriously, it was like a high-school production of Batman. But no matter how many times you prove to me that you're only as strong as your creative team, I keep crawling back to your strong arms and chiseled jawline.
It's an interesting premise, I'll grant you that. Use a massive earthquake to show that for all Batman's impossible badassery, he is at the mercy of nature like everyone else. By showing how little impact he can have on such an earth-shaking (groan...) problem, you place him more in the realm of the human. And it more or less worked. Unfortunately, it doesn't make for a very entertaining read. You can only see so many people narrowly rescued from the rubble before it gets boring.
The art is also pretty weak. It's only occasionally interesting enough to do more than glaze over it, and occasionally it's POWERFUL ugly.
So if, like me, you can't stay away from the dysfunction that is Batman, you might enjoy this. If you think he's an over-used and over-rated character who needs a break from the pop culture spotlight, this comes rated as "Highly Skippable."
You'd think I'd have learned my lesson after your "defusing bombs via punching" antics in Arkham Origins. Or your comically raspy voice in The Dark Knight Rises. Seriously, it was like a high-school production of Batman. But no matter how many times you prove to me that you're only as strong as your creative team, I keep crawling back to your strong arms and chiseled jawline.
It's an interesting premise, I'll grant you that. Use a massive earthquake to show that for all Batman's impossible badassery, he is at the mercy of nature like everyone else. By showing how little impact he can have on such an earth-shaking (groan...) problem, you place him more in the realm of the human. And it more or less worked. Unfortunately, it doesn't make for a very entertaining read. You can only see so many people narrowly rescued from the rubble before it gets boring.
Spoiler
Tangentially, I loved that a villain claims the earthquake as their handiwork and tries to cash in on the destruction. It was a believable touch, and gave a bit of mystery to an otherwise straightforward story.The art is also pretty weak. It's only occasionally interesting enough to do more than glaze over it, and occasionally it's POWERFUL ugly.
So if, like me, you can't stay away from the dysfunction that is Batman, you might enjoy this. If you think he's an over-used and over-rated character who needs a break from the pop culture spotlight, this comes rated as "Highly Skippable."
dumblydore's review against another edition
3.0
I like the premise of Gotham (ergo, Batman) being confronted with the devastating impact of a natural disaster, of something beyond mortal control, and what calamities result from the destruction in its wake; however, the sequence of the chain of events is sometimes confusing and tiresome given that many storylines are happening simultaneously, being told from multiple perspectives. Most of it doesn't serve the main narrative very much.
This is followed up by the epic, mind-bogglingly long No Man's Land arc. Brace yourself for the proverbially bumpy ride!
This is followed up by the epic, mind-bogglingly long No Man's Land arc. Brace yourself for the proverbially bumpy ride!
unibadger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Blood, Gun violence, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Torture
Moderate: Child death
zoidberg684's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
thecommonswings's review against another edition
4.0
It’s interesting that Alan Grant is all over this because in many ways the book is on an exercise in what he and John Wagner achieved in the Apocalypse War - trimming down a large creative universe into something more manageable - but in the more mature manner that Wagner would tackle alone with Day of Chaos. I wonder if Wagner had been paying attention to this because it’s very similar in tone but with Chaos benefiting from having one creative vision throughout
thiefofcamorr's review against another edition
4.0
Really quite good :D I enjoyed this one almost as much as I enjoyed Year One and The Man Who Laughed, etc. It's not as good as Hush or The Long Halloween, but really very almost.
cjordahl's review against another edition
4.0
I dug this one. It's the more grounded type of story, which I prefer over the fantastical. Most of the crossover stories work. Aside from Killer Croc, the villains are more criminal and dangerous (and insane) than supernatural. The ending was a letdown, with a weak sauce villain and Robin's boy detective solution to the crime.
The devastation to Gotham is portrayed as very heavy, I wonder how that will be handled in future volumes.
The devastation to Gotham is portrayed as very heavy, I wonder how that will be handled in future volumes.