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| Batman: Rules of Engagement | 
 enlarge | Author: Andy Diggle
Creators: Whilce Portacio, Richard Friend
Publisher: DC Comics
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $12.75
You Save: $12.24 (49%)
New (23) Used (11) from $12.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 85786
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 10.4 x 6.9 x 0.5
ISBN: 1401214819
Dewey Decimal Number: 741
EAN: 9781401214814
ASIN: 1401214819
Publication Date: November 7, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new. Spotless and mint. Still in publisher's shrink wrap. Perfect for gift giving. Ships within 24 hours. International shipping to Canada and Mexico only. Other countries by special arrangement only.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Early Batman vs. Lex Luthor December 10, 2007
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
I enjoyed this tale of early Batman. The story has Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor's companies vying for a defense contract to construct robot super-soldiers. When one of Wayne's giant robots goes amok and appears to try to kill Luthor, Captain Jim Gordon of the GCPD is on the case. Batman appears and tries to get to the bottom of the conspiracy and makes good use of his many gadgets. It shows how Batman/Bruce Wayne comes to acquire the Batplane. The story comes down to a final duel with Batman and Luthor and it's not too hard to figure who gets the best of it.
The story by Andy Diggle and the characterizations were good and the art by Whilce Portacio was excellent. I liked the way that he drew an edgy Bruce Wayne. He didn't look like a soap opera star the way a lot of artists portray him. A little more rugged looking. His depiction of Batman was excellent and full of menace. No manga stylings(which I hate) here. I found that Alfred appeared to be a little too youthful in appearance, but you cant have everything. all in all, a most worthy entry into the Batman mythology. 5 stars.
Now THIS is a Batman story! March 31, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Set approximately one year after Bruce Wayne takes on the cowl of Batman, this story pits our hero against Lex Luthor--a match-up so brilliant it's hard to imagine why it hasn't been done a thousand times over. I mean, the Joker is a great crazy, but for sheer brilliance it's hard to figure why Lex isn't in the book more often.
Though they've clashed in the "No Man's Land" storyline, this is considered their first meeting, and what a clash it is. Bruce and Lex go after a government defense contract, and of course, it all goes wrong. Lex eventually decides it's time to rule the U.S. again, and it's up to Batman to stop him. Batman's choice of stealth and cunning over the usual brute force attack of Lex's usual foil Superman presents a great contrast for the villain to face. Lex's line, "I hate superheroes" is hilarious in context.
We see the introduction of the Bat-plane here (called the Batwing), and it's origin makes sense. I love the sinister undertones we get from Bruce's character as he seethes at Lex's twisted win of the government contract.
There is a LOT of action here in every form, and it's great to see Batman have this entire adventure to himself. There's no teen sidekick or guest appearance by Superman here. And even facing the impossible (an entire army of robot soldiers), Batman finds an incredibly creative way to turn things around at the end.
As I said before, I really think Luthor would make a better villain for Batman than he does for Superman (after all, he's the evil version of Bruce), but I'm glad they space out his appearances so they don't become cheap and repetitive like the rest of his normal stable of baddies. This is a great story!
Logical March 30, 2008
Always weird that a fat bald guy would be Superman's greatest foe. Makes lots of sense for Batman to face off against LL. The twist at the end of this book was so surprising and so touching that you will forget that you are reading a comic book.
 Half a story April 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Andy Diggle has written some of my favorite stories, among them Silent Dragon and Planet Heist. After reading and thoroughly enjoying Heist, which played out like a whodunit, the thought occurred to me that he would make an excellent choice for a Batman tale. Lo and behold, my wish came true. Unfortunately, reality doesn't always live up to one's dreams, or in this case, Diggle's stellar standards. The first half of the story sets up an intriguing scenario involving Lex Luthor, who is both a natural fit and a much overdue match for Bruce/Batman. Lex is portrayed as the devious and cunning businessman, which is the ideal characterization for him anyways, and most certainly is in this particular situation. Regrettably the second half of the story degenerates into a decompressed disappointment of lengthy action scenes and overall silliness, with Lex reverting once again back to his staid "madman ruling the world" persona. One of the few bright spots is the apparent origin of the Batplane. It almost appears as if Diggle wasn't quite sure how to finish the story, and thus ended it with a trite James Bondish over the top finale. If this were a movie, one could walk out during intermission without missing a thing. Just feel free to conceive your own ending; it couldn't be any worse than this. Combined with the painful to look at artwork, and the end result is a missed opportunity, a perfect example of a good idea ruined by poor execution. Andy, what happened?
 Dissapointing! August 16, 2008
Top British writer Andy Diggle lends his talents to Batman in a story showcasing Batman's first encounter with Lex Luther. The story gets off on the wrong foot by setting this confrontation very early in batman's career.
Setting stories during the few months following the events of Year One has become quite cliche'd and is done here without reason. Setting this tale a few years ahead would have worked better with other stories set in that period and would have avoided trampling over other Year Two stories, such as the Long Holloween, Batman and the Monster Men, Batman and the Mad Monk as well as others occuring during the same period.
The tale also focuses on Batman's high tech arsenal, which he needs to face off against Lex Luther's robotic creations, usually reserved to menace the Man of Steel. This again sets a tone not in line with the simple, noirish, and down to earth tales of Batman's early years.
The art by Whilce Partacio is hard to look at, which is a shame since his work is usually much better than what is on display here. Perhaps the inking by Richard Friend was just too heavy handed, but Batman is always drawn without a nose and the artwork is generally scruffy, in high contrast to the work of other artists drawing stories set in the early years such as Wagner, Sale, and Mazzuchelli.
A let down.
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