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Batman: War Games #2
Batman: War Games, Act 2: Tides
The middle act of the cataclysmic story that alters Batmans world forever! In this second volume the truth behind the criminal activity is revealed, one of Batmans agents is beaten, another killed and a new player emerges on the sceneone assumed gone for good but now ready to seize control over Gothams underworld. The Dark Knight may be powerless to stop the streets from running red with blood, and the police are losing their trust in him and his colleagues.
Collects:
Detective Comics #798
Legends of the Dark Knight #183
Nightwing #97
Gotham Knights #57
Robin #130
Batgirl #56
Catwoman #35
Batman #632
Collects:
Detective Comics #798
Legends of the Dark Knight #183
Nightwing #97
Gotham Knights #57
Robin #130
Batgirl #56
Catwoman #35
Batman #632
192 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2005
5 people are currently reading
560 people want to read
About the author
Andersen Gabrych
70 books14 followersAndersen Gabrych is a Northern California native. He’s written Detective Comics, Batman, Batgirl, Catwoman, and Omega Men for DC Comics, and is the author of the original graphic novel, Fog Town.
As an actor he appeared most notably in the award-winning Edge of Seventeen and at HBO’s Aspen Comedy Festival. He currently lives in L.A. with his cat, Moses, and is the co-creator of Pyrasphere, “Hollywood’s fastest growing new religion,” and the subsequent documentary Bright Day! about this fictitious spiritual movement.
As an actor he appeared most notably in the award-winning Edge of Seventeen and at HBO’s Aspen Comedy Festival. He currently lives in L.A. with his cat, Moses, and is the co-creator of Pyrasphere, “Hollywood’s fastest growing new religion,” and the subsequent documentary Bright Day! about this fictitious spiritual movement.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
May 10, 2022
“Under the mask, [Batman’s] just like you or me. And no man, not even him, is right 100% of the time.” – retired police commissioner Jim Gordon, to recently installed police commissioner Michael Akins
Admittedly I wasn’t the biggest fan of Batman: War Games, Act 1: Outbreak. Although a reasonably good but not great graphic novel focusing on escalating warfare between the organized criminal elements in Gotham City, I felt the high school shooting / students in jeopardy denouement slid a little too far into a crass manipulation of the plot. The direct follow-up War Games, Act 2: Tides stays at about the same level at the initial volume – really no better or worse, I'd say – but this time the uncomfortable content was the inclusion of two torture scenes (the first was fairly brief but still somewhat horrifying with its allusion to eye squick, the latter depicted as a horrendous on-going situation interweaved throughout the second half of the book) with the unrepentant and viciously sadistic villain Black Mask terrorizing two hostages . . . one of whom is a woman(!) Things worked better when focusing on the action – such as Tim Drake finally suiting up again as Robin, and having a great moment where he and Nightwing crash through a skylight (those 'Bat' boys sure know how to make an entrance!) to pound on a roomful of gat-packing thugs at a mob-controlled massage parlor – which keeps the storyline moving along. Of course, I’ll still tune in for the next volume.
Admittedly I wasn’t the biggest fan of Batman: War Games, Act 1: Outbreak. Although a reasonably good but not great graphic novel focusing on escalating warfare between the organized criminal elements in Gotham City, I felt the high school shooting / students in jeopardy denouement slid a little too far into a crass manipulation of the plot. The direct follow-up War Games, Act 2: Tides stays at about the same level at the initial volume – really no better or worse, I'd say – but this time the uncomfortable content was the inclusion of two torture scenes (the first was fairly brief but still somewhat horrifying with its allusion to eye squick, the latter depicted as a horrendous on-going situation interweaved throughout the second half of the book) with the unrepentant and viciously sadistic villain Black Mask terrorizing two hostages . . . one of whom is a woman(!) Things worked better when focusing on the action – such as Tim Drake finally suiting up again as Robin, and having a great moment where he and Nightwing crash through a skylight (those 'Bat' boys sure know how to make an entrance!) to pound on a roomful of gat-packing thugs at a mob-controlled massage parlor – which keeps the storyline moving along. Of course, I’ll still tune in for the next volume.
March 6, 2016
The Bat Family is challenged as Gotham comes under siege amidst a gang war. The groups that wish to stop this are on opposing sides at times.
There is some very good conflict on a social level for various Bat Family characters.
OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.
There is some very good conflict on a social level for various Bat Family characters.
OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.
September 17, 2023
No ato 2 de jogos de guerra, temos o Batman tendo ciência e identificando o que está ocorrendo em Gotham, ao mesmo tempo que o mesmo revela o plano para a Batfamily, que fica surpresa com a origem desse plano de contingência.
Ao meio disso, Gotham sofre um blackout, dificultando ainda mais a vida dos heróis em Gotham e dando espaço para o crescimento das ações das gangues.
Além disso, surge um vilão em Gotham, que aos poucos, é revelado sua identidade ao leitor, e inclusive gerando uma expectativa bem boa quando o mesmo é revelado. Funcionou muito bem comigo esse clima de mistério diante a identidade do vilão (eu achei que fosse o Coringa)
Também temos a volta de Robin, posto que estava sem ninguém desde a demissão de Stephanie. Ainda em relação a Steph, nesse ato a vemos se sentindo culpada, com remorso pelas coisas ocorridas, mas ela não desiste e tenta ajudar, mas isso não acaba indo por um bom caminho.
Ao meio disso, Gotham sofre um blackout, dificultando ainda mais a vida dos heróis em Gotham e dando espaço para o crescimento das ações das gangues.
Além disso, surge um vilão em Gotham, que aos poucos, é revelado sua identidade ao leitor, e inclusive gerando uma expectativa bem boa quando o mesmo é revelado. Funcionou muito bem comigo esse clima de mistério diante a identidade do vilão (eu achei que fosse o Coringa)
Também temos a volta de Robin, posto que estava sem ninguém desde a demissão de Stephanie. Ainda em relação a Steph, nesse ato a vemos se sentindo culpada, com remorso pelas coisas ocorridas, mas ela não desiste e tenta ajudar, mas isso não acaba indo por um bom caminho.
July 23, 2020
After a decent start the story picks up in Act 2 and becomes much more interesting, it’s not as action orientated as Act 1 but the writing improves as the threads come together.
November 30, 2010
I love me some Batman and this middle volume is no exception. However, I must say that sometimes, Batman is infuriating and could do a bit better in the "Team Player" department. I would've normally rated this three stars, but the story gets one extra star for the way it ends alone. :)
December 29, 2009
it is my personal opinion that the batman books deserve better writers, scripters and artists than this arc was given to use. disgustingly disappointing.
March 8, 2017
The way this current Gotham City gang war is evolving seems too eerily familiar to Batman. That's because when Stephanie Brown was given her packing orders to vacate the Batcave as the new Robin, she stole a war game scenario from the Dark Knight's Bat-Computer.
The fallen sidekick hoped that if she could bring the gangs of Gotham under control, she'd win favor with the Caped Crusader and be given a chance to be Robin again. However, there was one little factor that Stephanie wasn't counting on and the entire scenario blew up right in her face.
Now Batman must race to protect the new gang leader known as Orpheus if the hero has any hope of restoring order to the city. Orpheus was being set up as Batman's de facto leader over organized crime in Gotham so that the Dark Knight could control the gangs. Orpheus is the key to the plan's success. However, a long thought dead enemy of the Bat's is hiding in the wings and he has his own plans for Orpheus.
Whomever gets to Orpheus first will have control of the board when the War Games enters Act 3!
I think the second act of War Games was just as good if not better in terms of story than Act One. But the artwork... well, it needs work. There's a couple of chapters that focus on Catwoman and whoever had the duty to render the feline anti-hero made her look like a frog in a black rain coat wearing Madonna's pointy bra. Plus some of the poses of Nightwing and Batgirl swinging through the Gotham skyline are just not physically possible in nature. What's up with that?
A great story with some so-so art.
The fallen sidekick hoped that if she could bring the gangs of Gotham under control, she'd win favor with the Caped Crusader and be given a chance to be Robin again. However, there was one little factor that Stephanie wasn't counting on and the entire scenario blew up right in her face.
Now Batman must race to protect the new gang leader known as Orpheus if the hero has any hope of restoring order to the city. Orpheus was being set up as Batman's de facto leader over organized crime in Gotham so that the Dark Knight could control the gangs. Orpheus is the key to the plan's success. However, a long thought dead enemy of the Bat's is hiding in the wings and he has his own plans for Orpheus.
Whomever gets to Orpheus first will have control of the board when the War Games enters Act 3!
I think the second act of War Games was just as good if not better in terms of story than Act One. But the artwork... well, it needs work. There's a couple of chapters that focus on Catwoman and whoever had the duty to render the feline anti-hero made her look like a frog in a black rain coat wearing Madonna's pointy bra. Plus some of the poses of Nightwing and Batgirl swinging through the Gotham skyline are just not physically possible in nature. What's up with that?
A great story with some so-so art.
May 23, 2020
Act two of the War Games event starts right where Act One ends continuing with the aftermath of a gang shoot out at Tim Drake’s high school. Tim decides to down the Robin costume while Gotham is in need. Spoiler continues to try to fix her giant mistake but gets caught and tortured. The Batfamily continues its grind of trying to clean up the city’s gang warfare.
This volume takes some major steps backwards. The story became jumpy and hard to follow at parts. There are too many gangs and gang leaders to keep tack of, especially with how fast they are dying. For being a C-list character (I may be too generous - She is probably closer to D-list), Tarantula is way OP. She really shouldn’t be on the same fighting level as the Batfamily. The Black Mask/Spoiler interaction was extremely cringey. Some strong pedo vibes. Also, without trying to spoil much (even though this is a fifteen year old series by now), I found it hard to believe Batman didn’t instantly recognize one of his allies was being impersonated by a villain.
Hopefully act three brings the story back in and finished strong.
This volume takes some major steps backwards. The story became jumpy and hard to follow at parts. There are too many gangs and gang leaders to keep tack of, especially with how fast they are dying. For being a C-list character (I may be too generous - She is probably closer to D-list), Tarantula is way OP. She really shouldn’t be on the same fighting level as the Batfamily. The Black Mask/Spoiler interaction was extremely cringey. Some strong pedo vibes. Also, without trying to spoil much (even though this is a fifteen year old series by now), I found it hard to believe Batman didn’t instantly recognize one of his allies was being impersonated by a villain.
Hopefully act three brings the story back in and finished strong.
January 28, 2010
Tim does the right thing! He puts his Robin suit back on, even though he has to break his word to his father to do it. There is awesome lack of emotional conversation with Batman about it: "You're Back." "I am... for now." And he explains it to his father when he has to, by choice, before his father finds out on his own.
Also Stephanie gets tortured horribly by Black Mask. Leslie's clinic is overrun because of the horrible gang wars, but Jack and Donna volunteer to help out. Yay! Tim's dad and step-mom get honorary places in the bat-family. Batman pisses off both Oracle and the new Gotham Police Commissioner-who-is-not-Gordon by taking over Oracle's system and convincing the police to do what he says forcing all of the various gang members to a park with an amphitheater. I wonder if that could go horribly wrong.
Also Stephanie gets tortured horribly by Black Mask. Leslie's clinic is overrun because of the horrible gang wars, but Jack and Donna volunteer to help out. Yay! Tim's dad and step-mom get honorary places in the bat-family. Batman pisses off both Oracle and the new Gotham Police Commissioner-who-is-not-Gordon by taking over Oracle's system and convincing the police to do what he says forcing all of the various gang members to a park with an amphitheater. I wonder if that could go horribly wrong.
July 24, 2016
Quite simply one of the best street-level Batman stories I've ever read. It doesn't reach the Snyder's best--"Night of the Owls," "Death of the Family," "Endgame"--or Loeb and Lee's Hush, but it places Batman up against a problem where he's scrambling just to stay even with the problem. I'm two thirds of the way through and I've no idea how he'll fix this one, and that's a good thing.
May 24, 2013
This is one exciting, action filled awesome graphic novel.
Gotham city is in total chaos as rival gangs have created a war zone within Gotham. It is up to Batman and his associates to bring order into chaos.
They should really make at least an animated movie for this series.
Gotham city is in total chaos as rival gangs have created a war zone within Gotham. It is up to Batman and his associates to bring order into chaos.
They should really make at least an animated movie for this series.
April 27, 2017
The sheer amount of characters in this story makes it worth reading. Heroes and villains I've never seen in a story together are battling right there on the pages. Great stuff. Can't wait to read the next. :)
September 29, 2014
I'D LOVE TO LEAVE A PROPER REVIEW BUT I HAVE THE THIRD AND FINAL VOLUME IN THE SERIES AND THIS THING IS SO INTENSE I DON'T HAVE TIME SO I GOTTA GO READ KAY BYE.
April 21, 2016
This act didn't pack as much punch as the first one imho.
But still a very good read..
And on to act 3 of course ;)
But still a very good read..
And on to act 3 of course ;)
June 11, 2017
I'm really glad that I picked up Act 2 despite not really being impressed by Act 1. While not perfect by any means, there was a lot of solid work on Batman that didn't revolve solely around Batman kicking people in the face (though, to be fair, there is still a lot of that). I became interested in picking up this series after reading Glenn Weldon criticize it for being the most flagrant example of the "master strategist" interpretation of Batman. That is, the writers who took his history of detection skills and battle planning and magnified them to the nth degree so that he's the seemingly all-knowing, ten steps ahead of everyone kind of hero. No doubt that's the backbone of this storyline, but I was pleased to find that the focus of the arc was Batman's weaknesses, specifically the way in which his cold and dictatorial manner causes tension with his allies. It doesn't shy away from how poorly Batman treats Oracle, Nightwing, Robin, and anyone else who tries to lend him a hand. This extends to his relationship to the new James Gordon-less GCPD with some pretty disastrous results. Far from celebrating Batman as a master strategist, this arc really nails how his paranoia and secretive nature make it extremely difficult for him to work effectively as a team player.
As with any collection, some of the issues are better than others. Andersen Gabrych, Devin Grayson, and A.J. Lieberman all do fine work. I didn't like Ed Brubaker's issue of Catwoman, which is surprising, because that was one of the high points of Act One. I also didn't care for Dylan Horrocks Batgirl, though that might have had more to do with Mike Huddleston's cartoon-style artwork. Bill Willingham's work is decent, but it centers around one of my least favorite aspects of the story, the treatment of Spoiler. She's one of my favorite minor characters, and I feel the way DC treated her was pretty awful and problematic.
Overall this leaves me with some optimism for the third installment. Hopefully they can stick the landing!
As with any collection, some of the issues are better than others. Andersen Gabrych, Devin Grayson, and A.J. Lieberman all do fine work. I didn't like Ed Brubaker's issue of Catwoman, which is surprising, because that was one of the high points of Act One. I also didn't care for Dylan Horrocks Batgirl, though that might have had more to do with Mike Huddleston's cartoon-style artwork. Bill Willingham's work is decent, but it centers around one of my least favorite aspects of the story, the treatment of Spoiler. She's one of my favorite minor characters, and I feel the way DC treated her was pretty awful and problematic.
Overall this leaves me with some optimism for the third installment. Hopefully they can stick the landing!
December 19, 2018
War Games is a major storyline comic book story arc published by DC Comics that ran in its Batman family of titles. The plot revolves around a gang war involving all the major criminal groups in Gotham. It starts with one of Batman's most ambitious contingency plans for a possible outbreak of uncontrollable gang violence.
Batman: War Games, Act Two: Tides collects: Detective Comics #798, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #183, Nightwing #97, Batman: Gotham Knights #57, Robin #130, Batgirl #56, Catwoman #35, and Batman #632.
This trade paperback continues the story of the battle facing Batman and his allies in the face of gang reprisals following the death of many of the city's key underworld leaders. Batman and his assets Oracle, Batgirl, Nightwing, Orpheus, Onyx, and Tarantula and pulled to their wits to try to contain the all-out gang war.
Andersen Gabrych, A.J. Lieberman, Devin Grayson, Bill Willingham, Dylan Horrocks, and Ed Brubaker are credited for writing the series and for the most part, I rather enjoyed the narrative. Some issues were better than others were, but overall it was somewhat well planned and written. It is an interesting to see how Batman and his allies react to one of Batman's contingency plans to backfire on them.
Pete Woods, Brad Walker, Mike Lilly, Al Barrionuevo, Jon Proctor, Mike Huddleston, Paul Gulacy, and Kinsun Loh are the pencilers for the series. With so many pencilers, it is rather difficult to grade the overall artistic flow. For the most part this hodgepodge of pencilers has similar styles with few exceptions and that the flow of the artistic style flowed rather smoothly with a few sudden jerks.
All in all, Batman: War Games, Act 2: Tides is a rather strong continuation to what I hope would be an equally wonderful story arc.
Batman: War Games, Act Two: Tides collects: Detective Comics #798, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #183, Nightwing #97, Batman: Gotham Knights #57, Robin #130, Batgirl #56, Catwoman #35, and Batman #632.
This trade paperback continues the story of the battle facing Batman and his allies in the face of gang reprisals following the death of many of the city's key underworld leaders. Batman and his assets Oracle, Batgirl, Nightwing, Orpheus, Onyx, and Tarantula and pulled to their wits to try to contain the all-out gang war.
Andersen Gabrych, A.J. Lieberman, Devin Grayson, Bill Willingham, Dylan Horrocks, and Ed Brubaker are credited for writing the series and for the most part, I rather enjoyed the narrative. Some issues were better than others were, but overall it was somewhat well planned and written. It is an interesting to see how Batman and his allies react to one of Batman's contingency plans to backfire on them.
Pete Woods, Brad Walker, Mike Lilly, Al Barrionuevo, Jon Proctor, Mike Huddleston, Paul Gulacy, and Kinsun Loh are the pencilers for the series. With so many pencilers, it is rather difficult to grade the overall artistic flow. For the most part this hodgepodge of pencilers has similar styles with few exceptions and that the flow of the artistic style flowed rather smoothly with a few sudden jerks.
All in all, Batman: War Games, Act 2: Tides is a rather strong continuation to what I hope would be an equally wonderful story arc.
March 14, 2025
Allez, on va mettre 4 étoiles. C'est bien parce qu'on ne peut pas mettre 3,5 et que j'avais mis 3 à l'Acte 1.
Alors oui, c'est mieux, c'est plus agréable. On a la réapparition d'un ancien vilain remis au goût du jour, que je trouve très réussi, bien plus qu'auparavant. Il donne enfin un enjeu à la saga, qui en manquait cruellement. Le personnage est sadique, violent, manipulateur, et apporte enfin un peu de cohérence à ce joyeux bordel.
C'est le bon point, parce que pour le reste, c'est difficile de trouver de vrais aspects positifs.
Je crois que ce qui m'énerve le plus, c'est que Batman – soi-disant le plus grand détective du monde – n'est même pas foutu de se rendre compte que tout ce bordel a été créé à cause de lui.
Ça manque de cohérence, mais au vu du nombre ahurissant d'auteurs différents, ce n'est guère étonnant.
Toujours est-il que l'intrigue générale n'avance finalement guère vite. Le personnage de Tim Drake est intéressant, et son évolution est agréable à suivre, même sans surprise. Le reste est juste passable.
Allez, à la suite...
Alors oui, c'est mieux, c'est plus agréable. On a la réapparition d'un ancien vilain remis au goût du jour, que je trouve très réussi, bien plus qu'auparavant. Il donne enfin un enjeu à la saga, qui en manquait cruellement. Le personnage est sadique, violent, manipulateur, et apporte enfin un peu de cohérence à ce joyeux bordel.
C'est le bon point, parce que pour le reste, c'est difficile de trouver de vrais aspects positifs.
Je crois que ce qui m'énerve le plus, c'est que Batman – soi-disant le plus grand détective du monde – n'est même pas foutu de se rendre compte que tout ce bordel a été créé à cause de lui.
Ça manque de cohérence, mais au vu du nombre ahurissant d'auteurs différents, ce n'est guère étonnant.
Toujours est-il que l'intrigue générale n'avance finalement guère vite. Le personnage de Tim Drake est intéressant, et son évolution est agréable à suivre, même sans surprise. Le reste est juste passable.
Allez, à la suite...
December 10, 2024
Batman: Wargames Act Two is a comic published by DC Comics that takes place in the chaotic city of Gotham. The story explores themes like justice, loyalty, and the fight between good and evil. I really enjoyed this comic because the action scenes were exciting, and it felt like I was with Batman as he battled his foes. The characters are well-developed; Batman is strong and smart but has weaknesses that make him relatable. Supporting characters like Robin and Batgirl also add to the story by showing their own challenges and teamwork. If you like superhero stories or comics, you’ll probably enjoy this one! It has a unique twist with the Wargames theme, even though it's similar to other Batman stories. I would definitely recommend this graphic novel to fans of action-packed stories. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, and I would give it 4 stars!
November 2, 2025
This was better than Act 1 but still pretty middle of the road. Batman is at his most stubborn and uncommunicative here and I liked the tension that caused with Barbara. For this many issues though it didn’t feel like much actually happened to move the plot forward.
Story aside, there is some truly terrible art carried over from Act 1 in the Catwoman issues. Bad art to the level that I’m shocked this was professionally published; it looks like it belongs in a fancomic.
Story aside, there is some truly terrible art carried over from Act 1 in the Catwoman issues. Bad art to the level that I’m shocked this was professionally published; it looks like it belongs in a fancomic.
May 25, 2022
Crossover entretenido de Batman, en el que surge una guerra entre familias criminales por un plan llevado a cabo por Stephanie Brown. Recomendable exclusivamente a seguidores fanáticos de Batman (como es mi caso). Argumento: "Stephanie Brown, también conocida como Spoiler, ha dejado de ser Robin contra su voluntad y piensa demostrarle a Batman que se equivocó al destituirla. Por eso pone en marcha un plan del propio Hombre Murciélago que podría destrozar los bajos fondos de Gotham. Cuando el caos se desate y los conflictos broten por la ciudad entera, el Caballero Oscuro necesitará la ayuda de todos los aliados posibles... ¡aunque parece seguro que alguien de la batfamilia va a morir!"
February 1, 2021
This book is long, but I feel like nothing happens in it. This book suffers from middle-volume syndrome; most of this seems like set-up for the final third volume.
April 15, 2023
This is fantastic, just fantastic , the action is relentless and we finally saw the return of certain status quo , we saw Batman finally realize the motive behind the gang war and it all ended with a very nicely staged set up with a traitor in the middle and Batman making possibly a really grave error .
The art style is consistent of the typical 90s comic book and the story remains one grounded in reality but utilizing it's rogue gallery very impressively .
The art style is consistent of the typical 90s comic book and the story remains one grounded in reality but utilizing it's rogue gallery very impressively .
May 13, 2022
Bueno, historias con toda la batifamilia contra pandilleros y una reminiscencia de Tierra de Nadie, me gusta que no haya villanos lanzando rayos o flotando y queriendo conquistar al mundo. Sino gente peleando por un cacho de la ciudad.
Es importante mencionar que se medio menciona al narco de México en la historia.
Es importante mencionar que se medio menciona al narco de México en la historia.
August 17, 2025
IDK why writers always used to make Bruce straight up bully Barbara, it's wild. This act of the War Games event is great for some characters and not so much for others. Loved seeing Cass defend the clinic and Catwoman defend her territory. This is a very mean Batman and that can be hard to deal with his communication issues. Poor Stephanie is getting tortured and Tim is barely doing anything!
September 10, 2018
Aun no entiendo como un concepto tan guay como batman enfrentandose a una guerra de bandas, con un villano tan bueno como black mask, se puedo escribir tan mal y lo que es peor como cerraron tan mal el arco de spoiler.
March 25, 2020
This was okay, but your fairly standard Batman tale. Didn’t realise it was part of a series until after I started reading it, and maybe reading earlier entries in the series would have helped.
Well illustrated, but the story felt a bit done before.
Well illustrated, but the story felt a bit done before.
August 31, 2021
Act 2 of 3 of the War Games story spread over all of the Bat-Titles in 8 issues. So far, so good. Looking forward to the conclusion.
January 3, 2022
Spoiler is an absolute badass as usual and Batman is an idiot. Really that’s all I have to say. Ok… spoiler might not be making the best choices but she’s still a badass.
October 7, 2023
good story and good art.
April 7, 2024
⭐️3.5
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews