(And fans of Rucka--assuming they get around to reading this at all--will still likely hold the opinion that Atticus Kodiak could take Batman in a standup fight any day.) DC shook up Gotham--literally--in its 1999 Batman plot arc: a 7.6 earthquake rocked Gotham City, wreaking enough destruction to bring the broken, crime-ridden, runt kid-brother of Metropolis and New York to its knees. In the story line's most indulgent liberty, those fat cats in Washington decide to write off Gotham, à la Escape from New York, blowing up the connecting bridges, mining the surrounding waterways, and signing into law the Federal Declaration of No Man's Land, which makes it a crime to even set foot in the city. The usual suspects from Arkham Asylum, Two-Face and the Penguin, the Riddler and Dr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Mr. Zsasz, file out to begin running the show, strong-arming and manipulating the block-by-block turf battles that envelop the now-ultraviolent city. A conflicted Batman shows up fashionably late, only to find that these lunatics are the least of his worries: Lex Luthor, Superman's archfoe, has nefarious designs on Gotham too. Could this possibly get any better? Sure, No Man's Land is derivative fiction, but the appeal of Rucka--and, of course, Batman--can make this one worth the read. --Paul HughesCollecting BATMAN: NO MAN'S LAND #1, BATMAN #563-564, BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #83-84, DETECTIVE COMICS #730-731 and BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #116.

    As he tries to shut down a drug ring that's turned deadly, Bruce Wayne must contend with a wayward 14-year-old who's getting dangerously close to Gotham's underworld!

    Matt Wagner takes the Dark Knight through his sophomore season in this new trade paperback collecting the 6-issue miniseries!Batman has spent his first year fighting organized crime — but nothing thus far in his early career as the Caped Crusader has prepared him for the new menace facing Gotham: super-powered villains!

    cops! Robins vs. Robins! Robins vs. Batman! Robins vs. the Court of Owls!Collecting: Robin War 1-2, Grayson 15, Detective Comics 47, We Are Robin... 7, Robin: Son of Batman 7, Gotham Academy 13, Red Hood/Arsenal 7, & Teen Titans 15

    With Black Mask controlling the Gotham underworld, what role will Red Hood have when all is said and done?Collects BATMAN #635-641

    Jonathan Crane or "The Scarecrow" as he is better known, was a brilliant psychologist but suffered through a torturous upbringing. Through the use of a "fear gas", The Scarecrow wreaks havoc on Gotham City by exploiting the deepest, darkest fears of his enemies.District Attorney Harvey Dent, a one-time friend of Batman and champion for justice, has his life changed forever when his face is disfigured by acid in an attack ordered by one of Gotham's crime bosses. When he "recovers", the justice seeking Harvey Dent that the people of Gotham once looked up to is gone, replaced by a homicidal maniac out for revenge.

    But the Red Hood’s violent ways pit him against the Dark Knight in his hunt for the very person responsible for his death: The Joker.This volume collects Batman #635-641, #645-50 and Batman Annual #25.

    But not everyone is ready to give up on the old one. Someone believes that Bruce Wayne may still be alive...and that someone is Red Robin. But who is wearing the Red Robin costume, and why is he traveling the globe looking for a dead man? Whoever he is, he's not alone in his search and has been targeted by the League of Assassins. What does Ra's al Ghul want with Red Robin? Why are members of the League of Assassins being targeted for death? And what happened to the life Red Robin left behind?

    The Boy Wonder. The Dynamic Duo. Together, Batman and Robin have kept the streets of Gotham City safe-while the boy beneath the mask, Dick Grayson, has kept Bruce Wayne from a lonely life of brooding darkness. But when a bullet fired from the Joker’s gun nearly clips Robin’s wings for good, their partnership is severed, and Batman resumes his war on crime alone.But he’s not alone for long.When Batman first meets a tough kid named Jason Todd, the boy is more criminal than crimefighter. But from that first encounter, a powerful new bond is forged. The Dark Knight sees Jason’s potential to be a hero-as well as the rage and revenge that torment him.The Batman has found his new Robin. Can Gotham’s greatest hero help his protege fly right?Discover the origin of one of comics’ most controversial characters in BATMAN: SECOND CHANCES-collecting the earliest adventures of Jason Todd, the second Robin, from the minds of legendary creators Max Allan Collins, Jim Starlin, Jim Aparo, Dave Cockrum, Denys Cowan, Norm Breyfogle, Jo Duffy and more! Collects BATMAN #402-403, #408-416 and BATMAN ANNUAL #11.

    Shade the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Zatanna, Mindwarp and John Constantine may be our only hope - but how can we put our trust in beings whose very presence makes ordinary people break out in a cold sweat?Critically acclaimed writer Peter Milligan brings together an unorthodox team for the most unnatural threats. With stunning art by up and coming star Mikel Janín!Collecting: Justice League Dark 1-6

    But the Green Lanterns find that doing so is more difficult than they ever imagined.Collecting: War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath 1-2, Green Lantern Corps 61-63, Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors 11-13

    When a demented terrorist creates a weapon that allows him to control the weather, the Dark Knight Detective joins forces with Ra's al Ghul and his daughter Talia in order to stop the madman from creating worldwide havoc. But as the final showdown occurs, Batman finds himself torn between stopping the ruthless terrorist and protecting Talia, the women who is now carrying his unborn child.

    Growing up as his hero's protégé, Kid Flash had a childhood of amazing action and adventure. But on the day that the Flash died, Wally's carefree adolescence abruptly ended and his life as an adult began. THE FLASH: BORN TO RUN looks back at Wally's earliest days as the Kid Flash and explores the gamut of his emotions and experiences from his first day as a child hero to his succession of Barry Allen as the new Flash. A journey full of humor and drama, this story shows just how much Wally West loves being the fastest man alive.

    Written by Edmond Hamilton, Jeph Loeb and others Art by Curt Swan, Ed McGuinness and othersCover by Alex Ross Collecting the best team-ups between the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight, from the pages of SUPERMAN #76, WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #142, 159, 176, 207, MAN OF STEEL #3, BATMAN & SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST #7, SUPERMAN/BATMAN SECRET FILES 2003 and SUPERMAN/BATMAN ANNUAL #! Advance-solicited; on sale March 14 - 192 pg, FC, $19.99 US

    Using both deadly and drastic measures that Batman does not approve of, the former mafia princess tries to patrol the streets of Gotham City without crossing paths with the Darknight Detective. But after an undercover cop is allegedly murdered by the head of the Gotham mob, the Huntress finds herself reluctantly working with Batman's protege and former Robin, Nightwing. Now as the two disparate heroes attempt to unravel the puzzling conspiracy of the policeman's murder, Nightwing and the Huntress fall into a romantic relationship that could cost them their lives.