Batman: War Games - ACT 01 - Outbreak

by Ed Brubaker, Dylan Horrocks, Devin Grayson, et al.

A clash between Gotham's underworld families erupts into a wave of chaos that engulfs the city. Batman must use every available asset - Oracle, Batgirl, Nightwing, Orpheus, Onyx and Tarantula - to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401204295
• ISBN13: 9781401204297
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.6" x 10.2"

Customer Reviews

Hold on there

I was never initially a Batman fan and have always been skeptical of the overall basis of his becoming, but seeing a volume with the entire batfamily gave me the impression that it might actually be a worth reading. Buying this was one of the better decisions I've ever made. It updated me in the recent happenings in the Batman universe and left me wanting for more. Although the relationships between all of them seemed to be awkward and stiff, you can plainly see the emotions expressed by each character as they desperately run around Gotham, trying to reassemble order (most especially Oracle, who is left completely frustrated by her screens). A must-have for any Batman, Robin, Birds of Prey, or Nightwing fans out there.

War Games...game on

What happens when you get all the criminal bosses together for a meeting with their crew, yup, you get a free for all shootout in which most of the heads of the criminal underworld are killed, thus leaving a power vacuum. Chaos ensues as the underlings scramble to take power during this vacuum. Who can stop this, Batman! At least he will try along with his Bat crew, you know, Nighting, Oracle, Catwoman, Tim Drake (he is retired from being Robin) etc. This 1st arc deals with the criminals trying to wrest control and establishing themselves, which includes the assassination of rival family members. This targeting of family members eventually spills into Tim Drakes high school and its up to Batman and the Bat crew to rescue Tim. Since there are so many different artist and writers in the book, the stories jump around a bit. But overall, this compilation is a decent read.

Criminal war begins

As a meeting of all the most powerful crime bosses takes place, a powder keg explodes that devolves into a gang war. Batman and all his allies are cast into a constant defensive position, putting out fires all over Gotham. What can end this nightmarish gang war in which innocent people are being killed? What is worse, it becomes clear that a third party is pulling strings and manipulating this worst of situations to gain an upper hand. However, it is clear that the chaos and confusion caused by this war will not be easy to undo. War Games contains some great art. In addition, this is another great way to implement the full Batman gallery of rogues, an undertaking that is admirable. Batman's list of strange and unique enemies is indeed a long one, and War Games makes a good run at pitting them against one another. War Games is a solid Batman graphic novel series.

Batman at its Best

I read all of these issues in individual comics, so when I found out that they were putting it out in a graphic novel it was a shock. The story is great and the fact that it involves all the characters in the Batman story is great. The fact that it is all the issues in one volume is a great convince.

Hey, now.

I actually enjoyed this book. Perhaps it was because I wasn't in it for Batman alone; I was in it in order to be introduced to these characters, whom I probably wouldn't have gotten exposure to otherwise. Hey, I'm new to all this DC stuff (my father always collected Marvel, so I'd always stuck with them -- perhaps that's why I don't seem to have the same "oh my god, he's working with other people!" problem that the other reviewers seem to have). The plot IS actually compelling, at least for this first book. I've not read the second one yet. Yet. The "official" reviewer has some issues. 1) In highly stressful situations, people can (and do) get a little scoldy. ALL the characters are stressed beyond breaking point. People ARE allowed to be grumpy when they've been going on for a day and a half with no sleep, but still fighting the entire time. Right? 2) Freeze did not concoct the meeting. I don't think the main reviewer finished half of the book, if he/she came to that conclusion. I don't want to give away WHO did, because that revelation is an ironic twist that needs to be left in the dark. Let's just say that I hope it's THAT particular member of the bat-family that gets to go to the great beyond when all is said and done. That character has the ability to annoy me MOST highly. Grumph. The one complaint that I have is the ending. The bat family carries a girl out of the high school (which has been attacked by all the mobs, BECAUSE of that girl -- the daughter of one of the other mob bosses). She's barely clinging to life. And... Batman is fingered for killing her? And everyone believes it? Even if there were lots of mob members inside shooting up the joint, and only ONE person got shot BECAUSE the bat-people were there to get everyone out? Dang, SOMEONE could tell the police/media that she was shot long before the bat people entered the scene, that she was the one the mobs were after. It was plain and clear. But THIS incident is the one that villifies batman? Talk about unfair. That bit didn't sit right with me. The rest, though, was pure beauty, if you want to look at more than one character at once, working together.