What is "1 year later"?

[BenReilly]

I was really into comics when I was younger, and then fell out of them when I reached my teens, and slowly have been getting back into them about 2 years ago. I was always a Marvel fan, but never liked DC except for Batman, and I never followed it too much. I've been trying to get some criticle storylines to get into it more. I've caught up a bit with HUSH (which was AMAZING), but have been looking for good storylines to get into. Was "No man's Land" it's own title? And what's '1 year later'? THANKS!

[elias_A]

One year later happened last year. After the Infinite Crisis event, all DC universe titles jumped one year forward (in DC universe time). The story of the missing year is told in the weekly 52 series.
The One year later stories were very different in quality. For Batman, I think it was quite good, and since it used the opportunity to return to a more "iconic" status quo (Gordon and Bullock returning), a new reader should have no problems with it.
The paperback collecting it is called Face the Face, I think.

Robin OYL, on the other hand, was very controversial, because it destroyed the character of Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) - at least that's why I hated it, but others said they don't mind that and liked the story.

No Man's Land was a big crossover event in 1999, which included all the Batman-titles. It's now collected in several paperbacks. I think it's very good, although not a "typical" Batman story - Gotham is destroyed by an earthquake and ruled by gangs and criminals afterwards.
However, I did not like Hush, so our tastes might be quite different. :)

[Captain Jim]

Great response from elias there; I'll try to fill in some cracks.

NML is actually a collection of stories that all transpire during the time Gotham was cut off from the rest of the world and supposedly abandoned following a massive earthquake. Those who remain--the homeless, poor and criminal factions--try to survive in a land without utilities or law. The easiest way to read the main stories at this point in time is through the four volumes of tpb's that collect most (but not all) of the Batman stories (but none of the Nightwing, Robin, Catwoman or Azrael stories). They are very good.

In a sense, any of the DCU titles that have appeared since Infinite Crisis are sometimes referred to as OYL. But the initial multi-part storyline that appeared in Batman & Detective and established the new norm is the one that has been reprinted in that Two-Face trade. It's written by Robinson and is pretty good.

Hush had both strengths and weaknesses and had mixed reviews from fans. To make a sweeping generalization (which are never 100% accurate), new Batman readers tended to love it, whereas those who were already fans of the character tended to be more critical.

[zeroEDGE]

No Man's Land is pretty good and I'd recommend you to read that. If you want to catch up on Batman's one year later I'd suggest you to read Infinite Crisis or at least a summary of what happened so you know why it lead Batman to what he's been up to.

[Starba]

I was simultaneously re-introduced to comics through Batgirl back issues and the No Man's Land trade paperbacks. I personally think No Man's Land does a great job (much like HUSH) of introducing new readers to all of the major players in Gotham City (and even some Metropolis ones) because it spans so many ongoing titles. I recommend it.

[BenReilly]

Hush had both strengths and weaknesses and had mixed reviews from fans. To make a sweeping generalization (which are never 100% accurate), new Batman readers tended to love it, whereas those who were already fans of the character tended to be more critical.

Why is this???

[elias_A]

Why is this???

Actually, I would have assumed that the ones who liked it were the ones who had not read Batman for years and used this opportunity to return; because there should be a lot of things that confuse new readers (Huntress, Waller, Talia , Shiva, Harold, Jason...).
But if you say otherwise, I guess I'm wrong there.

If you ask why I didn't like Hush: Sure, it's like a "Best of" sightseeing tour through Batman's world, but the villains just appear and disappear without much motivation, characterisation, or even a convincing reason why they all are included, the identity of Hush was pretty obvious, and the story just didn't feel very gripping or compelling.
Also, I prefer the dark "noir" Batman to the JLA Batman who uses gadgets all the time and fights/ teams up with Superman.

I don't say Hush is bad; I just think it's nothing special, except for the art (and even the art, while obvioulsly pretty, looks more like generic superhero art and doesn't create a real "Batman-mood" for me).

[niall mc cann]

With the proviso that i didn't really like Hush, i'd heartily recommend No Man's Land. Really great story, well told.

Well worth a look.

[Captain Jim]

Hush had both strengths and weaknesses and had mixed reviews from fans. To make a sweeping generalization (which are never 100% accurate), new Batman readers tended to love it, whereas those who were already fans of the character tended to be more critical.
Why is this???

I think because the earlier fans had seen much better Batman work over the years that the new readers weren't aware of.

And even if you like that sort of story, people who had already read Loeb's Long Halloween and Dark Victory had a decided feeling of deja vu.