BATMAN: NO MAN'S LAND: SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS #1

COVER TAGLINE: Top 10 Reasons To Stay in Gotham City! The Search for Bruce Wayne - Who Will Fight For Gotham's Soul On the Eve of "No Man's Land"? STORY ARC: No Man's Land RELEASE DATE: October, 1999 COVER DATE: December, 1999 COVER: Alex Maleev EDITORS: Joseph Illidge; Denny O'Neil PRICE: $4.95 U.S. TITLE: The Message WRITER: Alisa Kwitney ARTIST: Michael Zulli INKER: Vince Locke COLORS: Noelle Giddings; Digital Chameleon LETTERS: Willie Schubert CHARACTERS: Jason Braun; Penguin; Oracle (Barabara Gordon); Two-Face (Harvey Dent); Poison Ivy; Huntress PLOT: On the eve of No Man's Land, a man named Jason Braun believes that he is on a mission from the city itself to deliver a message to the spirit of the city. Along the way he has brief run ins with the Penguin, Poison Ivy, Oracle and Two-Face before eventually ending up in the cemetery, the place he is told he can find the spirit of the city. Unaware of the danger he is in and blind and delusional after being bitten by a bat and poisoned by Poison Ivy, the man is saved by the Huntress. Because of his quest for the spirit of the city, the man is unable to escape but is no matter - after delivering his message of hope, urging Gotham's protectors not to leave - he dies in Huntress's arms.

TITLE: Assignment: Bruce Wayne WRITER: Chuck Dixon ARTIST: Sal Velluto INKER: Rob Almond COLORS: Gene D'Angelo LETTERS: John Costanza CHARACTERS: An unnamed reporter PLOT: After the No Man's Land hearings, Bruce Wayne disappeared. One reporter for the National Inquisitor goes on a globe trotting mission to track the playboy down but always finds herself just a bit too late. Finally, when her expenses become too much for her employers to ignore, she is called back in. The paper ends up running a story about how Bruce was abducted by aliens.

TITLE: No Man's Land: The Animated Series WRITER: Scott Peterson ARTIST: Craig Rousseau INKER: Terry Beatty COLORS: Lee Loughridge LETTERS: Tim Harkins CHARACTERS: Batman (Bruce Wayne); Batgirl (Helena Bertinelli); Vincent Enzo PLOT: In this tale told in the artistoc style of Batman: The Animated Series, Batman and Batgirl stand guard as a mafia lieutenant marches into a rival gang territory with only a violin case by his side. When stopped by the gang, instead of attacking him they ask for a favor - play a song. The man obliges and opens up his violin case to reveal an actual violin inside. He plays a sad song for the gang members to soothe their woes.

NOTE: This issue also contains profiles of several characters and locations involved in No Man's Land including: Batman Squad, Blue Boys, Nicholas Scratch, Azrael, Leslie Thompkins, Bruce Wayne, Cain, Batgirl, Poison Ivy, Echo, Harley Quinn, Penguin, Outside Interests, and the Bat-Cave remotes. Also included in this issue are standalone features such as: Top 10 Reasons to Stay in Gotham, Timeline, and Senate NML Notes.

SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL READING: Road to No Man's Land Aftershock Cataclysm