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Batman: New Gotham (new edition) #2
Batman: New Gotham, Volume Two
From superstar creator Greg Rucka (GOTHAM CENTRAL, Lazarus), this collection features the continuation of BATMAN: NEW GOTHAM!
Now that she knows that her client Bruce Wayne is actually the Batman, bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux is determined to do her job and protect him in both identities. However, tailing the Batman is not exactly an easy task, and she finds that he needs considerably less sleep than she does.
Sasha realises that Bruce knows that she knows he's Batman, and the Mad Hatter, having been disguised as a coffee vendor outside GCPD headquarters, makes a phone call to detectives Allen and Montoya, putting them under his control. Sasha sees them don ski masks and hold up a pole dancing club. She tries to intervene, but soon finds herself held at gunpoint. Collects DETECTIVE COMICS #755-#765.
Now that she knows that her client Bruce Wayne is actually the Batman, bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux is determined to do her job and protect him in both identities. However, tailing the Batman is not exactly an easy task, and she finds that he needs considerably less sleep than she does.
Sasha realises that Bruce knows that she knows he's Batman, and the Mad Hatter, having been disguised as a coffee vendor outside GCPD headquarters, makes a phone call to detectives Allen and Montoya, putting them under his control. Sasha sees them don ski masks and hold up a pole dancing club. She tries to intervene, but soon finds herself held at gunpoint. Collects DETECTIVE COMICS #755-#765.
296 pages, Paperback
First published March 27, 2018
22 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Greg Rucka
1,496 books1,926 followersGreg Rucka, is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 28, 2018
Rucka and Martinbrough continue their run on Detective with the book told from Sasha Bordeaux's perspective. The stories here are fine but nothing groundbreaking. The art is very distracting though. I find Martinbrough's art too cartoonish (He's gotten so much better, i.e. Thief of Thieves.) for Batman and it's paired with these weird two color palettes in each issue. I hate the coloring so much.
March 7, 2022
This as a fun read!
I loved this one. It starts with something with Gordon and his retirement party and then Two-face crashing in and then that was fun plus how Sasha deals with Bruce and his craziness and well trying to outrun him and then a team up with Superman to get the ring from Lex and that was cute how it started with their fight only to discover it was their plan all along, just great stuff and I love the camraderie between the two.
The main story mainly revolves around Sasha as she discovers his secret and he knows it and well asks her to train like the bat and assist him aka make her a vigilante but she only wants to protect him and the big story with the Mad hatter was insane and I loved it, the new evolution of that rogue and how Batman stops him and the confusion there of Montoya and Allen was something, definitely connected with his GC series. And also a new Comissioner and OMG.
The next is Bruce dating some journalist and well Sasha sort of maybe reciprocating those feelings and we see small stories from her POV like going through the mission, one includes a team up with Huntress and the other of the craziness of Batman's life. It gets very mundane and boring and might even put you to sleep nothing big happens.
In a way its not that explosive more like a second person POV of the events of Batman life and Rucka making Sasha an integral part of Bat Mythos so take it as you like its not that bad and yeah the colors are also montonous and while it starts off looking good, it can get real boring and mundane real fast but the stories are light-hearted and fun. But a good one time read!
I loved this one. It starts with something with Gordon and his retirement party and then Two-face crashing in and then that was fun plus how Sasha deals with Bruce and his craziness and well trying to outrun him and then a team up with Superman to get the ring from Lex and that was cute how it started with their fight only to discover it was their plan all along, just great stuff and I love the camraderie between the two.
The main story mainly revolves around Sasha as she discovers his secret and he knows it and well asks her to train like the bat and assist him aka make her a vigilante but she only wants to protect him and the big story with the Mad hatter was insane and I loved it, the new evolution of that rogue and how Batman stops him and the confusion there of Montoya and Allen was something, definitely connected with his GC series. And also a new Comissioner and OMG.
The next is Bruce dating some journalist and well Sasha sort of maybe reciprocating those feelings and we see small stories from her POV like going through the mission, one includes a team up with Huntress and the other of the craziness of Batman's life. It gets very mundane and boring and might even put you to sleep nothing big happens.
In a way its not that explosive more like a second person POV of the events of Batman life and Rucka making Sasha an integral part of Bat Mythos so take it as you like its not that bad and yeah the colors are also montonous and while it starts off looking good, it can get real boring and mundane real fast but the stories are light-hearted and fun. But a good one time read!
September 11, 2020
I've been thinking about what makes a "defining" Batman story. The ones that comics fans always return to in lists of the "greatest Batman stories ever" and whatnot. I'm talking about The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, The Long Halloween, Hush, Scott Snyder's New 52 run, etc. With all of these, what usually sticks out is the use of villains. Dark Knight Returns skews away from this at times, delving more into what makes Batman who he is while commenting on a very Reagan-esque worldview, but the rest of these, while good, are about parading a series of villains in front of Batman and seeing how he handles them. Well, Killing Joke is just one villain, but it's still more about Joker than Batman.
That's why I'm so keen on Rucka's run, and why I'm not surprised it hasn't been as celebrated as some of these others. Instead of making this about everyone except Batman, Rucka places him right at the center of this run, looming over everything as a constant presence, and focusing on his character, particularly the harsh dichotomy between the personas of Bruce Wayne and Batman.
To do this, he uses a new character, Bruce's bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux, who gets to witness both versions of Batman up close. Sasha's a great character herself, defiant and nuanced, and more of an interesting foil to Bruce/Batman than any Robin has been in recent years. She's far more willing to stand up to him and try to forge her own path, while sticking to the duty she feels honor-bound by: protecting Bruce Wayne at all costs. It makes her very easy to root for. She's not some annoying teenager defying Bruce because she wants to do things her way. She's defying him because she believes it's what's best for him. And she's right a lot!
It's really a fantastic dynamic, and I can't believe I've never heard of her before. I've read a genuine shitload of Batman, which means it's obvious that after Rucka finished this run, Sasha just moved on, never to trouble him again. It's unfortunate, because I really love this dynamic and would be happy to read it for a long time. I still have some Rucka Batman to go, but it's winding down, and that's a bummer. It's really some of the best, character-centered Bat-writing I've come across. Very much worth a read.
That's why I'm so keen on Rucka's run, and why I'm not surprised it hasn't been as celebrated as some of these others. Instead of making this about everyone except Batman, Rucka places him right at the center of this run, looming over everything as a constant presence, and focusing on his character, particularly the harsh dichotomy between the personas of Bruce Wayne and Batman.
To do this, he uses a new character, Bruce's bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux, who gets to witness both versions of Batman up close. Sasha's a great character herself, defiant and nuanced, and more of an interesting foil to Bruce/Batman than any Robin has been in recent years. She's far more willing to stand up to him and try to forge her own path, while sticking to the duty she feels honor-bound by: protecting Bruce Wayne at all costs. It makes her very easy to root for. She's not some annoying teenager defying Bruce because she wants to do things her way. She's defying him because she believes it's what's best for him. And she's right a lot!
It's really a fantastic dynamic, and I can't believe I've never heard of her before. I've read a genuine shitload of Batman, which means it's obvious that after Rucka finished this run, Sasha just moved on, never to trouble him again. It's unfortunate, because I really love this dynamic and would be happy to read it for a long time. I still have some Rucka Batman to go, but it's winding down, and that's a bummer. It's really some of the best, character-centered Bat-writing I've come across. Very much worth a read.
August 2, 2023
A solid overarching narrative that's interspersed with some fun shorts. It revolves around seeing Batman and Bruce Wayne from an outside perspective, one that lends a fresh pair of eyes, and allows for questions and, to some degree, judgement. Wrapped up in a satisfactory way, it still feels very much like a Batman centric story despite his narrative taking a backseat in favour of someone else's.
May 7, 2021
I feel a touch more generous with this volume for a few reasons:
1) it stay in Gotham the whole time — I’m really not a huge fan of Ra’s Al Ghul shenanigans at this point since they’ve been so overdone.
2) having a consistent art style really helps the entirety of the volume.
3) even though I find Sasha really boring as a character, it’s nice to have a narrative anchor to these stories beyond Batman himself.
4) the pace was mostly quick and engaging throughout, thanks I think in part to movie beyond the No Man’s Land fallout. It’s certainly still informing the setting but not dominating it.
The continued overuse of acronyms confused me and there’s at times a sameness to the way Martinbrough illustrates some characters. I’m also missing some of the breadth of characters in this from the heroes/rogues gallery. We get Superman, Krypto, and Huntress against a “Joker,” Mad Hatter, and Two-Face? With a tiny Luthor cameo? The Mad Hatter stuff was probably the most interesting and as it anchored the middle of the volume, I think that buoyed my overall rating.
1) it stay in Gotham the whole time — I’m really not a huge fan of Ra’s Al Ghul shenanigans at this point since they’ve been so overdone.
2) having a consistent art style really helps the entirety of the volume.
3) even though I find Sasha really boring as a character, it’s nice to have a narrative anchor to these stories beyond Batman himself.
4) the pace was mostly quick and engaging throughout, thanks I think in part to movie beyond the No Man’s Land fallout. It’s certainly still informing the setting but not dominating it.
The continued overuse of acronyms confused me and there’s at times a sameness to the way Martinbrough illustrates some characters. I’m also missing some of the breadth of characters in this from the heroes/rogues gallery. We get Superman, Krypto, and Huntress against a “Joker,” Mad Hatter, and Two-Face? With a tiny Luthor cameo? The Mad Hatter stuff was probably the most interesting and as it anchored the middle of the volume, I think that buoyed my overall rating.
January 7, 2021
3.5
Bueno, acá seguimos con lo planteado en el tomo anterior respecto a Sasha y el vinculo con Bruce, y si bien la idea es genial y empieza divertida la cosa, la resolución es una cagada.
Antes de eso, tenemos otra tanda de buenas historias que profundizan lo mencionado en la reseña del tomo anterior, así que no me voy a repetir. Lo que no me cerró es lo que ocurre al final con Sasha, quien pasa de cuestionar la vida de Bruce, a descubrir su identidad secreta, a ponerse un traje y ser sumisa a él.
O sea que todo lo interesante que tenía el tomo se disuelve rápidamente y deja de ser conflictivo para volverse más de lo mismo.
Qué decepción.
Bueno, acá seguimos con lo planteado en el tomo anterior respecto a Sasha y el vinculo con Bruce, y si bien la idea es genial y empieza divertida la cosa, la resolución es una cagada.
Antes de eso, tenemos otra tanda de buenas historias que profundizan lo mencionado en la reseña del tomo anterior, así que no me voy a repetir. Lo que no me cerró es lo que ocurre al final con Sasha, quien pasa de cuestionar la vida de Bruce, a descubrir su identidad secreta, a ponerse un traje y ser sumisa a él.
O sea que todo lo interesante que tenía el tomo se disuelve rápidamente y deja de ser conflictivo para volverse más de lo mismo.
Qué decepción.
September 28, 2024
Another mediocre run of Detective Comics. In this one we witness playboy Bruce Wayne and stoic vigilante Batman through the eyes of his new bodyguard, Sasha Bordeaux. Once she discovers his true identity, he puts a mask on her and makes her do ride-alongs with him.
Martinbrough’s art looks cartoony (reminds me of Batman the Animated Series but more kid-friendly). Each issue primarily uses two colors. It’s almost as if Martinbrough doesn’t know how to use shading.
Martinbrough’s art looks cartoony (reminds me of Batman the Animated Series but more kid-friendly). Each issue primarily uses two colors. It’s almost as if Martinbrough doesn’t know how to use shading.
Read
October 10, 2021So solid! This book has been quietly setting up a new status quo with Alfred and Bullock quitting, Gordon retiring, and the newer characters in the GCPD and Sasha taking more of the spotlight. Gotham is feeling lived in, we feel time passing, and get an overarching story that’s character based rather than plot based.
September 15, 2020
Usually, when you see volume 2, you'd assume that the book you read before that is volume 1. However, this is not the case for this book because the book you need to read before this is Batman: Officer Down since the outcome of that story plays an important role in this book.
What I didn't like about this book is that it was hinted in the first volume that there was a brewing conflict between the OGs (the Gothamites that stayed during No Man's Land) and the DeeZees (the Gothamites that fled the city during NML), and yet that conflict was not explored at all in this book. What happened? Did they decide to get along all of a sudden? The story is more focused on Sasha Bordeaux, Batman's bodyguard, who's basically playing the role of Alfred. I still can't figure out why Alfred is not at Wayne Manor. It was hinted that he's no longer in Bruce's employ in False Faces but I could have sworn he reported back to work already after he resigned during the Knightfall event.
A lot of the issues were told from Sasha's point of view. In this book, Sasha figures out that Bruce Wayne is Batman. I have no problem with this although I was starting to enjoy the additional challenge Bruce has to overcome to perform his nocturnal activities. What I have a problem with is Rucka transformed her into a tights-wearing superhero, who (unless I missed it) was not even given a superhero name; we already have an abundance of those. I also didn't like the dialog between Sahsa and Batman because, to be frank, Batman was acting like an ass. I wish we could have been given a few issues in Batman's POV so the readers can understand what he thought of the situation.
I enjoyed the first three issues (the Two-Face and Superman stories) but I really didn't like the Mad Hatter story. Unless told well, I'm not really a fan of mind control issues. I also didn't get what the Vesper Fairchild issues were for unless those stories would play an important role in the future. For now, it just seems like Sasha is jealous of her and that she's developing feelings for Bruce. If the latter is the only thing that Rucka wanted to convey, I think he could have told it without reintroducing Vesper in Bruce's life.
The nice thing that came out of the Mad Hatter story is the internal affairs investigation conducted on the GCPD because it brought about change to the GCPD (these guys can't catch a break). It also resulted in the introduction of a new GCPD character that looks really promising. I'm interested to see where this goes. At this point, I'm more interested in what's happening in the GCPD because Rucka did not really do anything to move Batman's story aside from showing that he's still affected by what happened in Officer Down. Having said that, I enjoyed this book more than New Gotham, Vol. 1.
Edit: After reading Batman: Bruce Wayne Murderer? I now understand what the Vesper Fairchild issues were for.
What I didn't like about this book is that it was hinted in the first volume that there was a brewing conflict between the OGs (the Gothamites that stayed during No Man's Land) and the DeeZees (the Gothamites that fled the city during NML), and yet that conflict was not explored at all in this book. What happened? Did they decide to get along all of a sudden? The story is more focused on Sasha Bordeaux, Batman's bodyguard, who's basically playing the role of Alfred. I still can't figure out why Alfred is not at Wayne Manor. It was hinted that he's no longer in Bruce's employ in False Faces but I could have sworn he reported back to work already after he resigned during the Knightfall event.
A lot of the issues were told from Sasha's point of view. In this book, Sasha figures out that Bruce Wayne is Batman. I have no problem with this although I was starting to enjoy the additional challenge Bruce has to overcome to perform his nocturnal activities. What I have a problem with is Rucka transformed her into a tights-wearing superhero, who (unless I missed it) was not even given a superhero name; we already have an abundance of those. I also didn't like the dialog between Sahsa and Batman because, to be frank, Batman was acting like an ass. I wish we could have been given a few issues in Batman's POV so the readers can understand what he thought of the situation.
I enjoyed the first three issues (the Two-Face and Superman stories) but I really didn't like the Mad Hatter story. Unless told well, I'm not really a fan of mind control issues. I also didn't get what the Vesper Fairchild issues were for unless those stories would play an important role in the future. For now, it just seems like Sasha is jealous of her and that she's developing feelings for Bruce. If the latter is the only thing that Rucka wanted to convey, I think he could have told it without reintroducing Vesper in Bruce's life.
The nice thing that came out of the Mad Hatter story is the internal affairs investigation conducted on the GCPD because it brought about change to the GCPD (these guys can't catch a break). It also resulted in the introduction of a new GCPD character that looks really promising. I'm interested to see where this goes. At this point, I'm more interested in what's happening in the GCPD because Rucka did not really do anything to move Batman's story aside from showing that he's still affected by what happened in Officer Down. Having said that, I enjoyed this book more than New Gotham, Vol. 1.
Edit: After reading Batman: Bruce Wayne Murderer? I now understand what the Vesper Fairchild issues were for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2023
A combination of some of the best and some of the worst elements of Batman stories from the past few decades-- but I think the balance tips more into the "pro" column.
For one thing, this volume has more of Greg Rucka's strong characterization and fun plotting. The book opens with a touching story about Commissioner Gordon's retirement party and an AWESOME two-part crossover with Superman that sees Batman and Lois Lane breaking into Lex Luthor's White House (he was president at the time-- long story). But the overarching narrative for the volume involves Bruce Wayne's new bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux, who discovers Batman's secret identity and-- determined to keep doing her job in spite of his objections-- gets taken on as a new masked partner. Sasha gives us a fresh set of eyes with which to see Batman, his mission, and his relationships (what few he has at this point in the books); as someone who doesn't WANT to do the costumed-crimefighting gig, it's a fun use of an outsider's perspective to give the book new life.
But once again, Rucka's iffier tendencies as a writer are hard to ignore. The copaganda in this volume, for instance, is pretty bracing: there's a multi-issue subplot in which tension mounts due to a visit from an Internal Affairs investigator, whom Montoya and Allen worry will fabricate a story to toss them out on their asses. It's such a galling mischaracterization of the ways police forces face disciplinary action-- which is to say, they often DON'T, even in cases in which wrongdoing is obvious and/or repeated. But the book makes Montoya and Allen out to be victims of a witch hunt... and even though the I.A. guy is eventually shown to be looking into a REAL crime and is, in fact, a decent guy, the fact that the book immediately regards him with suspicion and disdain speaks to a larger problem with the way media frames police oversight.
Secondly, I shouldn't leave it unsaid: in this volume, the Batman is kind of a major @$$hole. We only ever see him the ways Sasha sees him: as a gruff taskmaster, a manipulative playboy lout, or a violent crime-puncher-- all deliberately abrasive or unpleasant façades to keep people from getting too close to him emotionally. The book even acknowledges that this is what he's doing, and the subtext-- i.e. what he ACTUALLY wants and feels-- is obvious enough... but it doesn't do much to take the edge off his borderline-abusive behavior towards Sasha.
Anywho, aside from those quibbles, it's a good volume. Kinda wish Sasha's story could have gotten a stronger resolution than getting trampled under the weight of the big "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?" storyline, but hey-- that's comics for ya'.
For one thing, this volume has more of Greg Rucka's strong characterization and fun plotting. The book opens with a touching story about Commissioner Gordon's retirement party and an AWESOME two-part crossover with Superman that sees Batman and Lois Lane breaking into Lex Luthor's White House (he was president at the time-- long story). But the overarching narrative for the volume involves Bruce Wayne's new bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux, who discovers Batman's secret identity and-- determined to keep doing her job in spite of his objections-- gets taken on as a new masked partner. Sasha gives us a fresh set of eyes with which to see Batman, his mission, and his relationships (what few he has at this point in the books); as someone who doesn't WANT to do the costumed-crimefighting gig, it's a fun use of an outsider's perspective to give the book new life.
But once again, Rucka's iffier tendencies as a writer are hard to ignore. The copaganda in this volume, for instance, is pretty bracing: there's a multi-issue subplot in which tension mounts due to a visit from an Internal Affairs investigator, whom Montoya and Allen worry will fabricate a story to toss them out on their asses. It's such a galling mischaracterization of the ways police forces face disciplinary action-- which is to say, they often DON'T, even in cases in which wrongdoing is obvious and/or repeated. But the book makes Montoya and Allen out to be victims of a witch hunt... and even though the I.A. guy is eventually shown to be looking into a REAL crime and is, in fact, a decent guy, the fact that the book immediately regards him with suspicion and disdain speaks to a larger problem with the way media frames police oversight.
Secondly, I shouldn't leave it unsaid: in this volume, the Batman is kind of a major @$$hole. We only ever see him the ways Sasha sees him: as a gruff taskmaster, a manipulative playboy lout, or a violent crime-puncher-- all deliberately abrasive or unpleasant façades to keep people from getting too close to him emotionally. The book even acknowledges that this is what he's doing, and the subtext-- i.e. what he ACTUALLY wants and feels-- is obvious enough... but it doesn't do much to take the edge off his borderline-abusive behavior towards Sasha.
Anywho, aside from those quibbles, it's a good volume. Kinda wish Sasha's story could have gotten a stronger resolution than getting trampled under the weight of the big "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?" storyline, but hey-- that's comics for ya'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2020
Solid Batman book!
I love that this volume is from Sasha's POV. It's a fantastic lens in which to view Batman (and Bruce Wayne)!
I have to say I hated the Superman and Batman story With This Ring. The first part of the story was written by Jeph Loeb, and I detested the writing. I don't know what happened, but it was choppy as hell and flat. The art by Ed McGuinness was pretty lumpy, but in a fine early 2000's kind of way (you'll know exactly what I mean when you see it). The second part of the story Lord of the Ring, written by Greg Rucka is much better, except for the art, which gets worse! I found all the faces to be fugly, and the action was busy and at parts confusing. This story was a real mixed bag....
Other than that, I liked the GPD story with the Mad Hatter, focusing on Detectives Allen, Montoya, and Bullock. It's also the story where Sasha and Batman start working "together"!!
The more time Sasha spends with Batman the less she understands him/knows him. It's fascinating to watch/read as it plays out.
The way Bruce "breaks up" with Vesper Fairchild is especially brutal.
But the story of Batman returning all of Gordon's stuff after the break-in was especially kind/protective (for Batman).
And in the middle there, La Cucilla written by Greg Rucka, was a great short story with a little confrontation/team-up between the Huntress and Sasha, with Huntress warning Sasha off Batman ("You're not special. You're just another one of his tools. He'll use you until you're broken, or until you break one of his rules. Then he'll get you killed.").
(I want to know what happens to Sasha in the Batverse!)
Overall, a good Batman book. 4 stars!
P.s. Super teeny tiny sad bone to pick/mention. I got to call it out because I really never get to see representation in comics & books of religious Jews, and when I do, it's got to be a Detective (Cohen) being a grade A dick to Montoya (while wearing a kippa). :(
Whomp whomp to me.
I love that this volume is from Sasha's POV. It's a fantastic lens in which to view Batman (and Bruce Wayne)!
I have to say I hated the Superman and Batman story With This Ring. The first part of the story was written by Jeph Loeb, and I detested the writing. I don't know what happened, but it was choppy as hell and flat. The art by Ed McGuinness was pretty lumpy, but in a fine early 2000's kind of way (you'll know exactly what I mean when you see it). The second part of the story Lord of the Ring, written by Greg Rucka is much better, except for the art, which gets worse! I found all the faces to be fugly, and the action was busy and at parts confusing. This story was a real mixed bag....
Other than that, I liked the GPD story with the Mad Hatter, focusing on Detectives Allen, Montoya, and Bullock. It's also the story where Sasha and Batman start working "together"!!
The more time Sasha spends with Batman the less she understands him/knows him. It's fascinating to watch/read as it plays out.
The way Bruce "breaks up" with Vesper Fairchild is especially brutal.
But the story of Batman returning all of Gordon's stuff after the break-in was especially kind/protective (for Batman).
And in the middle there, La Cucilla written by Greg Rucka, was a great short story with a little confrontation/team-up between the Huntress and Sasha, with Huntress warning Sasha off Batman ("You're not special. You're just another one of his tools. He'll use you until you're broken, or until you break one of his rules. Then he'll get you killed.").
(I want to know what happens to Sasha in the Batverse!)
Overall, a good Batman book. 4 stars!
P.s. Super teeny tiny sad bone to pick/mention. I got to call it out because I really never get to see representation in comics & books of religious Jews, and when I do, it's got to be a Detective (Cohen) being a grade A dick to Montoya (while wearing a kippa). :(
Whomp whomp to me.
January 30, 2023
So after No Man's Land and the initial rebuilding of Gotham, it seems DC and Greg Rucka were spent for interesting ideas for Batman.
Jim Gordon has left the force after the attempt on his life, leaving Harvey Bullock in charge of the major crimes unit of the GCPD, and an internal investigation into what happened to the man who tried to off Gordon is underway. How "Law & Order" of them. Bruce Wayne is forced to have a bodyguard, a former military or someother named Sasha Bordeaux. Eventually, after Bruce constantly ditches her at night, she realizes it's because he's Batman.
So, since she insists on bodyguarding him even though he's fucking Batman, Bruce decides to give her a training crash course to see if she can hang. Of course she manages, so he puts a mask on her and takes her along to mainly watch as he beats up thugs.
This is the entirety of what goes on in this graphic novel/series of issues of comics.
Bad enough that story-wise it's pretty uninspired, but the artwork is also pretty lame, looking like it was taken from comics that came out decades earlier. This didn't read like a Batman or Detective comic, but like one of those made-for-little-kids books that came out after the Batman cartoon of the 90s. Definitely not one of DC's finer moments.
Jim Gordon has left the force after the attempt on his life, leaving Harvey Bullock in charge of the major crimes unit of the GCPD, and an internal investigation into what happened to the man who tried to off Gordon is underway. How "Law & Order" of them. Bruce Wayne is forced to have a bodyguard, a former military or someother named Sasha Bordeaux. Eventually, after Bruce constantly ditches her at night, she realizes it's because he's Batman.
So, since she insists on bodyguarding him even though he's fucking Batman, Bruce decides to give her a training crash course to see if she can hang. Of course she manages, so he puts a mask on her and takes her along to mainly watch as he beats up thugs.
This is the entirety of what goes on in this graphic novel/series of issues of comics.
Bad enough that story-wise it's pretty uninspired, but the artwork is also pretty lame, looking like it was taken from comics that came out decades earlier. This didn't read like a Batman or Detective comic, but like one of those made-for-little-kids books that came out after the Batman cartoon of the 90s. Definitely not one of DC's finer moments.
Read
January 28, 2020Bruce’s new bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux finds out her client is Batman, and much of this book is Sasha dealing with that knowledge. I was tuned off by this initially, but I guess it makes a certain amount of sense for Sasha - essentially Alfred’s replacement - to help Bruce with his nocturnal activities. The stories surrounding Bruce and Sasha are decent (the opening issue at Gordon’s retirement ceremony being the best). But my god, Batman is in full asshole mode here. He was rarely this mean to Robin in the 90’s, let alone before then, and he really puts Sasha through the ringer. Bless her for putting up with him for as a long as she does.
As with the previous volume, Rucka leans heavy on the “detective” in Detective Comics, so a lot of what’s here deals with the GCPD. There are some pivotal moments for Gotham’s finest, namely Bullock’s resignation and Maggie Sawyer’s appointment as Lieutenant. Rucka’s run is essentially Gotham Central with more Batman, and if i’m honest, I like the police stuff more than the Batman stuff. That’s probably because I adore Gotham Central and like seeing Rucka plant seeds for that series.
As with the previous volume, Rucka leans heavy on the “detective” in Detective Comics, so a lot of what’s here deals with the GCPD. There are some pivotal moments for Gotham’s finest, namely Bullock’s resignation and Maggie Sawyer’s appointment as Lieutenant. Rucka’s run is essentially Gotham Central with more Batman, and if i’m honest, I like the police stuff more than the Batman stuff. That’s probably because I adore Gotham Central and like seeing Rucka plant seeds for that series.
October 18, 2024
Wasn’t very impressed with this book. Volume 1 was really good, but this one just doesn’t meet the same standards. The art is the same, very cartoonish which I appreciate but at the same time prefer more typical comic art. The book started off well but then came a really boring/pointless superman story. However there was a pretty interesting issue after that about a family trapped in a car underwater, which I did actually care about. There were then another few boring issues that eventually lead to a decent Mad Hatter story. And the book finally ends with 3-4 decent issues, but again nothing special. I think the biggest disappointment for me was the focus on Bruce Wayne’s “bodyguard” and the fact Gordon isn’t in it at all. This is really in no way a sequel to No Mans Land - whereas volume 1 was.
Overall the book has its moments and kept me reading, but was not a memorable story.
Also, I have no idea why this book is so expensive/rare online….?
I would not recommend paying stupid money.
Overall the book has its moments and kept me reading, but was not a memorable story.
Also, I have no idea why this book is so expensive/rare online….?
I would not recommend paying stupid money.
April 27, 2020
I really really want to give this an extra star because I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed a 4 star book. It was a lot better than I was expecting it to be and a very interesting take on Gotham after No Man’s Land. And a very interesting time for batman in general around this period. This is a largely forgotten section of Batman’s history, I haven’t ever heard of the stories that are in this trade. The reason it didn’t get an extra star was because there was missing information, information that would’ve been on the other ongoing titles for Batman at the time. Which sucks at times because it gets confusing.
That being said, I want to find more of this, I wanna read the titles to fill in the gaps of what was happening here and continue on with Rucka’s run if I can find anymore of it.
Great.
That being said, I want to find more of this, I wanna read the titles to fill in the gaps of what was happening here and continue on with Rucka’s run if I can find anymore of it.
Great.
October 19, 2022
Greg Rucka's run continues as Batman takes somewhat of a backseat as readers get the chance to learn more about Sasha. She's an interesting character as she doesn't want in Batman's world but feels she has to be to do her job properly. This is a different take than we've seen from others before. This volume includes a very good Mad Hatter story that shows off how smart he is and how dangerous that can be. There is also some wonderful looks at who Bruce is versus who Batman is. There some fill-in artists but we still got a decent share of Shawn Martinbrough, whose run ends spectacularly. Overall, another really good book that leads into some huge storylines.
November 27, 2021
I'm a little confused by the purpose of Bruce's bodyguard Sasha and her character progression as Batman's "cover". I also noticed that Batman back in the day was an emotional mess. His arrogant "my way or the highway" attitude towards Sasha definitely makes me appreciate how DC has improved Batman's toxic emotional behavior of breaking things, yelling, and threatening his friends when they talk about his well being and feelings.
December 15, 2021
Nothing about Sasha in this book makes any sense. Considering much of the story in this volume is told through her perspective, that also means this collection isn't so great. Also there's a team up story with Superman, where the art is this awful 70s pastiche and Lois Lane suddenly became a complete shrew while Superman works for Lex Luthor. Rucka has much better writing than this.
February 17, 2022
The writing was first-rate. The plotting and story lines were amazing, and the back-up features were good. The art, however, was something out of a Colorforms (tm) set, and a poorly produced one, at that. Two stars off for the artwork alone. It would've been three, but the writing was THAT good.
March 19, 2022
Pretty good Mad Hatter story in the middle as a highlight. Rucka seems to do the grounded parts of the story really well, he has an understanding of the police unit and how they work. The back end uses Sasha Bordeaux as the POV character, which is ok but I generally prefer stories when it's from Batman's POV.
Overall a solid era if nothing essential.
Overall a solid era if nothing essential.
January 4, 2023
Alot less interesting than the previous volume.
Decent to very good noirish Batman stories, whos emain problem for me was how easily Bruce Wayne suggested and accepted Sasha Bordeaux as a partening vigilante. That felt very rushed and unearned.
The dull colour palette did not help engaging to these stories either.
A strong 3.5 stars for me, close to 4, but no cigar.
Decent to very good noirish Batman stories, whos emain problem for me was how easily Bruce Wayne suggested and accepted Sasha Bordeaux as a partening vigilante. That felt very rushed and unearned.
The dull colour palette did not help engaging to these stories either.
A strong 3.5 stars for me, close to 4, but no cigar.
December 11, 2018
Continuing one of the best Bat-runs, the further development of the Sasha Bordeaux relationship/situation dominates this volume, which also showcases Martinbrough as an artist who should be garnering more acclaim.
November 5, 2024
This is... fine. The stories are told from Sasha Bordeaux's perspective, and she's a fine enough character. Not anything super exciting going on here, but there's a cool moment where Sasha and Huntress team up. I'm nothing if not a sucker for a good Huntress team up.
December 19, 2019
4,5/5
As in the first volume, the colouring is wonderful (plus: I liked Sasha a lot here)
As in the first volume, the colouring is wonderful (plus: I liked Sasha a lot here)
November 23, 2020
I love the art, and the writing is still as fresh as when it was first published. I also like return to Batman the detective, after all the previous big-time crises.
April 2, 2021
Ok run. Nothing special. I wouldn't come back to it.
October 24, 2022
The art was good. Sasha & her interactions with Batman are kind of interesting but it feels like it was being dragged out a little too much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2023
freak batman is the best kind of batman i think
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