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Ra's al Ghul Saga #1-3
Batman: Birth of the Demon
A collection of the three DEMON tales, each story explores the connection between Batman and the villain Ra's al Ghul. The first tale focuses on the two teaming up and a union between the Dark Knight and Talia al Ghul; the second focuses on Ra's attempting to father a heir; and the third explores the real story behind the seemingly immortal villain and his motivation for world domination.
296 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1992
55 people are currently reading
664 people want to read
About the author
Mike W. Barr
830 books73 followersMike W. Barr is an American writer of comic books, and mystery, and science fiction novels. Barr's debut as a comics professional came in DC Comics' Detective Comics #444 (Dec. 1974-Jan. 1975), for which he wrote an 8-page back-up mystery feature starring the Elongated Man. Another Elongated Man story followed in Detective Comics #453 (November 1975). He wrote text articles and editorial replies in letter columns for the next few years. By mid-1980 he was writing regularly for both DC and Marvel, including stories for Marvel Team-Up, Mystery in Space, Green Lantern, and various Batman titles.
Legion of Super-Heroes #277 (July 1981) saw him take on editorial duties at DC, while writing issues of DC's Star Trek comic, for whom he created the native American character Ensign Bearclaw and a pacifist Klingon named Konom. In December 1982, he and artist Brian Bolland began Camelot 3000, a 12 issue limited series that was one of DC Comics' first direct market projects. In August 1983, Barr created what may well be his most enduring work, the monthly title Batman and the Outsiders with art by Jim Aparo. Barr wrote every issue of the original series, and its Baxter paper spinoff, The Outsiders.
His other comics work includes Mantra and Maze Agency as well as the 1987 OGN hardcover book Batman: Son of the Demon (with art by Jerry Bingham), proceeds from which reputedly "restored DC Comics to first place in sales after fifteen years." This title, and Barr's work on Batman with artist Alan Davis have been cited by Grant Morrison as key inspirations for his recent (2006) run on the Batman title.
In 2007, he wrote a two-part story for the pages of DC's JLA: Classified (#47-48, Jan-Feb 2008), returned to the Outsiders with Outsiders: Five of a Kind—Katana/Shazam #1 (Oct 2007), contributed to Tokyopop's Star Trek: The Manga, and relaunched Maze Agency at IDW Publishing. He has also scripted many of Bongo Comics' Simpsons titles, including a Christmas story for 2010.
In May 2010, the Invisible College Press published Barr's science fiction/fantasy novel, Majician/51, about the discoveries of a scientist working at Area 51.
Legion of Super-Heroes #277 (July 1981) saw him take on editorial duties at DC, while writing issues of DC's Star Trek comic, for whom he created the native American character Ensign Bearclaw and a pacifist Klingon named Konom. In December 1982, he and artist Brian Bolland began Camelot 3000, a 12 issue limited series that was one of DC Comics' first direct market projects. In August 1983, Barr created what may well be his most enduring work, the monthly title Batman and the Outsiders with art by Jim Aparo. Barr wrote every issue of the original series, and its Baxter paper spinoff, The Outsiders.
His other comics work includes Mantra and Maze Agency as well as the 1987 OGN hardcover book Batman: Son of the Demon (with art by Jerry Bingham), proceeds from which reputedly "restored DC Comics to first place in sales after fifteen years." This title, and Barr's work on Batman with artist Alan Davis have been cited by Grant Morrison as key inspirations for his recent (2006) run on the Batman title.
In 2007, he wrote a two-part story for the pages of DC's JLA: Classified (#47-48, Jan-Feb 2008), returned to the Outsiders with Outsiders: Five of a Kind—Katana/Shazam #1 (Oct 2007), contributed to Tokyopop's Star Trek: The Manga, and relaunched Maze Agency at IDW Publishing. He has also scripted many of Bongo Comics' Simpsons titles, including a Christmas story for 2010.
In May 2010, the Invisible College Press published Barr's science fiction/fantasy novel, Majician/51, about the discoveries of a scientist working at Area 51.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
March 21, 2018
Batman: Birth of the Demon collects the three Ra’s Al-Ghul books Son/Bride/Birth of the Demon. I give Son 3 stars and the others 1 star so I’ll give this collection a generous overall score of 2 stars. I reviewed each book individually below - enjoy!
*
Son of the Demon - 3 stars
Son of the Demon is another episode of Batman and his mad in-laws, the Al-Ghul’s. He may get to plow the mega-hawt Talia but he’s gotta put up with his mental father-in-law’s ravings about wiping out humanity over dinner – the things we do to wet our beaks, eh? And what’s that – the pitter-patter of tiny feet? Will Batman finally cheer up??
This one’s actually not a bad comic. The more I read of Mike Barr’s Batman, the more surprised I am that it’s not the absolute garbage I keep expecting. I think I just got off on the wrong foot with him by starting with one of the worst Batman books ever written, Year Poo Two!
Son of the Demon definitely has its flaws. Batman and Ra’s are forced into a contrived alliance because of a forgettable one-dimensional and disposable villain called Qayin (pronounced “Cain”), whose origin was corny and silly. The plot is like a weak James Bond knockoff with the elaborate lairs, squads of hired goons and the doomsday weather machine, while the dead scientist murder mystery subplot was plain crap and pointless. But Batman’s antics make this fairly readable and it was interesting to read the book that years later inspired Grant Morrison to create Damian Wayne.
Jerry Bingham’s art was so impressive and made the book for me. The lines are precise, the pictures are detailed, the layouts are eye-catching, the colours are subtle but effective – Bingham is an enormously talented and skilful artist whose pages are really beautiful. And Talia’s never looked more smokin’ than she does here, all thanks to this dude! The art is by far this comic’s best feature.
Son of the Demon is a decent Batman book, in large part thanks to Jerry Bingham’s exceptional art rather than Mike Barr’s shaky writing. It’s no must-read but not intolerable and might be worth checking out for fans who see it in the liberry.
*
Bride of the Demon - 1 star
BLEURGH! Nothing to see here guys, move on, really. I thought I’d turned a corner with Mike Barr’s Batman comics after being pleasantly surprised with both The Wrath and Son of the Demon - and then I read Bride of the Demon. And while it’s not as offensively bad as Year Two, it’s still absolute garbage.
Ra’s Al-Ghul and the Ozone Layer - Barr barely attempts to connect the two into something resembling a plot but completely fails so forget that noise! Instead, here’s a bunch of unrelated boring rubbish to fill up space instead: a dull scientist and his brat, Ra’s and an actress (she’s the “bride” of the title - Ra’s wants her to give him an heir because I guess Talia’s not penis-y enough?), and Talia and Batman’s corny relationship. Faaaaaarrrrttt. And that’s Bride of the Demon.
The writing is amateurish at best, the story incoherent, and the most memorable thing about this crap is Tim Drake log rolling Batman’s giant penny - that’s how retarded things get! The art is shit (shart?) and Barr completely fails to explain how Lazarus Pits work. In one case it resurrects the dead, in another it makes the old young again, and in other instances it outright kills. Brilliant. So it’s whatever the plot needs it to be! Contrived nonsense.
If you want to see what vomit looks like as a Batman comic, check out Bride of the Demon, otherwise don’t bother and I applaud your superior life choices to mine!
*
Birth of the Demon - 1 star
Batman: Birth of the Demon is Ra’s Al-Ghul’s origin story – and it’s so astoopid!
Set hundreds of years ago, Ra’s was once the kind and gentle Middle Eastern doctor to the Salimb (an Arabic king) – middle middle middle, he becomes the evil Demon’s Head who hates Batman and wants to destroy humanity.
I’ve never understood the adulation so many (admittedly older) readers have for Denny O’Neill – this guy is such a bad writer! Maybe back in the day his work wasn’t as noticeably crappy but compared to the calibre of writers Batman fans read today, like Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, Scott Snyder and Tom King, O’Neill’s stuff nowadays looks amateurish at best.
All of the pieces in Ra’s origin are clunkily ticked off. Why does he hate Batman? He hates death and death, in his dreams, takes the form of a giant bat. How did he figure out how to build Lazarus Pits? From a dream. How did he figure out how they worked? Another dream. Where did he get the “Demon’s Head” title from? Some random god these people worshipped. Totally contrived hackery!
Ra’s is “dying” and Batman gets infected with toxic waste in two plotlines that go nowhere, and Batman and Ra’s fight pointlessly at the end to no effect. Norm Breyfogle’s weirdly grainy art looks like it was coloured in crayon!
Batman: Birth of the Demon was thoroughly terrible! A dumb, tedious origin poorly told and badly written by a talentless incompetent. Ra’s isn’t among my favourite villains from Batman’s rogues gallery but he deserves better than this.
*
Son of the Demon - 3 stars
Son of the Demon is another episode of Batman and his mad in-laws, the Al-Ghul’s. He may get to plow the mega-hawt Talia but he’s gotta put up with his mental father-in-law’s ravings about wiping out humanity over dinner – the things we do to wet our beaks, eh? And what’s that – the pitter-patter of tiny feet? Will Batman finally cheer up??
This one’s actually not a bad comic. The more I read of Mike Barr’s Batman, the more surprised I am that it’s not the absolute garbage I keep expecting. I think I just got off on the wrong foot with him by starting with one of the worst Batman books ever written, Year Poo Two!
Son of the Demon definitely has its flaws. Batman and Ra’s are forced into a contrived alliance because of a forgettable one-dimensional and disposable villain called Qayin (pronounced “Cain”), whose origin was corny and silly. The plot is like a weak James Bond knockoff with the elaborate lairs, squads of hired goons and the doomsday weather machine, while the dead scientist murder mystery subplot was plain crap and pointless. But Batman’s antics make this fairly readable and it was interesting to read the book that years later inspired Grant Morrison to create Damian Wayne.
Jerry Bingham’s art was so impressive and made the book for me. The lines are precise, the pictures are detailed, the layouts are eye-catching, the colours are subtle but effective – Bingham is an enormously talented and skilful artist whose pages are really beautiful. And Talia’s never looked more smokin’ than she does here, all thanks to this dude! The art is by far this comic’s best feature.
Son of the Demon is a decent Batman book, in large part thanks to Jerry Bingham’s exceptional art rather than Mike Barr’s shaky writing. It’s no must-read but not intolerable and might be worth checking out for fans who see it in the liberry.
*
Bride of the Demon - 1 star
BLEURGH! Nothing to see here guys, move on, really. I thought I’d turned a corner with Mike Barr’s Batman comics after being pleasantly surprised with both The Wrath and Son of the Demon - and then I read Bride of the Demon. And while it’s not as offensively bad as Year Two, it’s still absolute garbage.
Ra’s Al-Ghul and the Ozone Layer - Barr barely attempts to connect the two into something resembling a plot but completely fails so forget that noise! Instead, here’s a bunch of unrelated boring rubbish to fill up space instead: a dull scientist and his brat, Ra’s and an actress (she’s the “bride” of the title - Ra’s wants her to give him an heir because I guess Talia’s not penis-y enough?), and Talia and Batman’s corny relationship. Faaaaaarrrrttt. And that’s Bride of the Demon.
The writing is amateurish at best, the story incoherent, and the most memorable thing about this crap is Tim Drake log rolling Batman’s giant penny - that’s how retarded things get! The art is shit (shart?) and Barr completely fails to explain how Lazarus Pits work. In one case it resurrects the dead, in another it makes the old young again, and in other instances it outright kills. Brilliant. So it’s whatever the plot needs it to be! Contrived nonsense.
If you want to see what vomit looks like as a Batman comic, check out Bride of the Demon, otherwise don’t bother and I applaud your superior life choices to mine!
*
Birth of the Demon - 1 star
Batman: Birth of the Demon is Ra’s Al-Ghul’s origin story – and it’s so astoopid!
Set hundreds of years ago, Ra’s was once the kind and gentle Middle Eastern doctor to the Salimb (an Arabic king) – middle middle middle, he becomes the evil Demon’s Head who hates Batman and wants to destroy humanity.
I’ve never understood the adulation so many (admittedly older) readers have for Denny O’Neill – this guy is such a bad writer! Maybe back in the day his work wasn’t as noticeably crappy but compared to the calibre of writers Batman fans read today, like Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, Scott Snyder and Tom King, O’Neill’s stuff nowadays looks amateurish at best.
All of the pieces in Ra’s origin are clunkily ticked off. Why does he hate Batman? He hates death and death, in his dreams, takes the form of a giant bat. How did he figure out how to build Lazarus Pits? From a dream. How did he figure out how they worked? Another dream. Where did he get the “Demon’s Head” title from? Some random god these people worshipped. Totally contrived hackery!
Ra’s is “dying” and Batman gets infected with toxic waste in two plotlines that go nowhere, and Batman and Ra’s fight pointlessly at the end to no effect. Norm Breyfogle’s weirdly grainy art looks like it was coloured in crayon!
Batman: Birth of the Demon was thoroughly terrible! A dumb, tedious origin poorly told and badly written by a talentless incompetent. Ra’s isn’t among my favourite villains from Batman’s rogues gallery but he deserves better than this.
October 13, 2020
This was previously collected as Batman: Birth of the Demon and contains three Ra's al Ghul graphic novels from the late 80's and early 90's.
Son of the Demon ★★★★
Batman teams up with Ra's al Ghul to stop a James Bond villain named Qayin (pronounced Cain. This drove me nuts.) Batman gets it on with his "beloved", Talia. This comic is where Grant Morrison got the idea of Damian Wayne from. The writing feels a bit dated at times but the art is wonderful. Jerry Bingham draws a great Batman and his wife's subtle use of colors only enhances the art.
Bride of the Demon ★★
This follow up to Son of the Demon was a real turkey. There's a half-baked plot about Ra's destroying the ozone layer to kill off humanity. Even though that would kill off most everything else as well. The Lazarus pit is used as a fountain of youth, to restore the dead, and kill people in the same story. Barr needs to establish some ground rules and stick with them. The art is terrible. It looks like Tom Grindberg drew this in 1971 not 1991. The clothing and hair styles look extremely antiquated. This was very disappointing all around.
Birth of the Demon ★★★
Ra's al Ghul's origin told for the first time. It is OK. This is supposed to be a sequel to Son of the Demon but O'Neil completely ignores the story of Talia's mother from that, changing who she was for no good reason. Just something I thought was odd.
Norm Breyfogle's art is the real star here. It's fantastic. He adds a nice horror element to some of the horrific events in Ra's backstory. It's a shame Breyfogle never got to draw any true horror comics. He always brought a macabre look to his Batman art that I loved.
Son of the Demon ★★★★
Batman teams up with Ra's al Ghul to stop a James Bond villain named Qayin (pronounced Cain. This drove me nuts.) Batman gets it on with his "beloved", Talia. This comic is where Grant Morrison got the idea of Damian Wayne from. The writing feels a bit dated at times but the art is wonderful. Jerry Bingham draws a great Batman and his wife's subtle use of colors only enhances the art.
Bride of the Demon ★★
This follow up to Son of the Demon was a real turkey. There's a half-baked plot about Ra's destroying the ozone layer to kill off humanity. Even though that would kill off most everything else as well. The Lazarus pit is used as a fountain of youth, to restore the dead, and kill people in the same story. Barr needs to establish some ground rules and stick with them. The art is terrible. It looks like Tom Grindberg drew this in 1971 not 1991. The clothing and hair styles look extremely antiquated. This was very disappointing all around.
Birth of the Demon ★★★
Ra's al Ghul's origin told for the first time. It is OK. This is supposed to be a sequel to Son of the Demon but O'Neil completely ignores the story of Talia's mother from that, changing who she was for no good reason. Just something I thought was odd.
Norm Breyfogle's art is the real star here. It's fantastic. He adds a nice horror element to some of the horrific events in Ra's backstory. It's a shame Breyfogle never got to draw any true horror comics. He always brought a macabre look to his Batman art that I loved.
May 6, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this volume. There are three stories in here , and I liked them in some ways, but so far this has been my least favourite Batman collection. I got a little bored at times, but it was interesting enough for me to see it through to the end without it feeling like a chore. I think it was just that nothing really grabbed me, no character or situation was that compelling to me, except Alfred and he wasnt in it that often. I like the art though, especially in the Birth of the Demon story.
December 21, 2018
Batman ile Ra’s al Ghul arasındaki bağlantıyı üç farklı olay örgüsüyle okuyucuya sunan "Batman: Birth of the Demon", özellikle seriyi takip edenlerin göz atması gereken bir çizgi roman. Ra’s al Ghul’un kızı Talia’nın Batman’in çocuğuna hamile olduğu ilk hikayeyle Damian Wayne efsanesinin tohumlarını atan ilk bölümün hikayesinin o kadar etkili olduğu söylenemez. Batman’i kullanmak için çocuğunu düşürme numarası yapan Talia’nın ardından Damian’ı başka bir anne babanın kapısına bırakması gerçekten çok klişe. Öte yandan, ikinci hikayeyle daha sürükleyici bir okuma sunan eserin asıl öne çıkan bölümü ise son hikaye. Ra’s al Ghul’un geçmişinde yaşadığı büyük trajediyi su üzerine çıkararak karaktere derinlik kazandıran son eserde karakterin Lazarus Çukuru’yla olan bağını ve bu dünyaya olan öfkesini daha iyi anlıyorsunuz. Genel olarak etkili bir toplama olmasa da karakterin geçmişine inen son bölümüyle Batman severlere yeni bir şey sunan "Batman: Birth of the Demon", yapay diyaloglarla desteklenmiş ilk iki bölümüyle çok da tatmin etmiyor.
21.12.2018
Maslak, İstanbul, Türkiye
Alp Turgut
http://www.filmdoktoru.com/kitap-labo...
21.12.2018
Maslak, İstanbul, Türkiye
Alp Turgut
http://www.filmdoktoru.com/kitap-labo...
February 7, 2017
I developed an interest in Ra's al Ghul through the TV series 'Arrow'. What a brilliantly complex character (at least in the TV show). Al Ghul is smart, cunning, polished, and dangerous. He's quite the antithesis of Batman, and thus a worthy adversary.
I didn't like the second story all that much, but the third one was surely my favourite among all of these. If you are a Batman fan, and like difficult villains like the Joker, do try reading this. The artwork isn't exceptional, but good. However, the story does progress at a good clip.
I didn't like the second story all that much, but the third one was surely my favourite among all of these. If you are a Batman fan, and like difficult villains like the Joker, do try reading this. The artwork isn't exceptional, but good. However, the story does progress at a good clip.
September 23, 2020
Batman: Birth of the Demon collects the three Ra’s Al-Ghul books Son/Bride/Birth of the Demon. I give Son 3 stars and the others 1 star so I’ll give this collection a generous overall score of 2 stars. I reviewed each book individually below - enjoy!
*
Son of the Demon - 3 stars
Son of the Demon is another episode of Batman and his mad in-laws, the Al-Ghul’s. He may get to plow the mega-hawt Talia but he’s gotta put up with his mental father-in-law’s ravings about wiping out humanity over dinner – the things we do to wet our beaks, eh? And what’s that – the pitter-patter of tiny feet? Will Batman finally cheer up??
This one’s actually not a bad comic. The more I read of Mike Barr’s Batman, the more surprised I am that it’s not the absolute garbage I keep expecting. I think I just got off on the wrong foot with him by starting with one of the worst Batman books ever written, Year Poo Two!
Son of the Demon definitely has its flaws. Batman and Ra’s are forced into a contrived alliance because of a forgettable one-dimensional and disposable villain called Qayin (pronounced “Cain”), whose origin was corny and silly. The plot is like a weak James Bond knockoff with the elaborate lairs, squads of hired goons and the doomsday weather machine, while the dead scientist murder mystery subplot was plain crap and pointless. But Batman’s antics make this fairly readable and it was interesting to read the book that years later inspired Grant Morrison to create Damian Wayne.
Jerry Bingham’s art was so impressive and made the book for me. The lines are precise, the pictures are detailed, the layouts are eye-catching, the colours are subtle but effective – Bingham is an enormously talented and skilful artist whose pages are really beautiful. And Talia’s never looked more smokin’ than she does here, all thanks to this dude! The art is by far this comic’s best feature.
Son of the Demon is a decent Batman book, in large part thanks to Jerry Bingham’s exceptional art rather than Mike Barr’s shaky writing. It’s no must-read but not intolerable and might be worth checking out for fans who see it in the liberry.
*
Bride of the Demon - 1 star
BLEURGH! Nothing to see here guys, move on, really. I thought I’d turned a corner with Mike Barr’s Batman comics after being pleasantly surprised with both The Wrath and Son of the Demon - and then I read Bride of the Demon. And while it’s not as offensively bad as Year Two, it’s still absolute garbage.
Ra’s Al-Ghul and the Ozone Layer - Barr barely attempts to connect the two into something resembling a plot but completely fails so forget that noise! Instead, here’s a bunch of unrelated boring rubbish to fill up space instead: a dull scientist and his brat, Ra’s and an actress (she’s the “bride” of the title - Ra’s wants her to give him an heir because I guess Talia’s not penis-y enough?), and Talia and Batman’s corny relationship. Faaaaaarrrrttt. And that’s Bride of the Demon.
The writing is amateurish at best, the story incoherent, and the most memorable thing about this crap is Tim Drake log rolling Batman’s giant penny - that’s how retarded things get! The art is shit (shart?) and Barr completely fails to explain how Lazarus Pits work. In one case it resurrects the dead, in another it makes the old young again, and in other instances it outright kills. Brilliant. So it’s whatever the plot needs it to be! Contrived nonsense.
If you want to see what vomit looks like as a Batman comic, check out Bride of the Demon, otherwise don’t bother and I applaud your superior life choices to mine!
*
Birth of the Demon - 1 star
Batman: Birth of the Demon is Ra’s Al-Ghul’s origin story – and it’s so astoopid!
Set hundreds of years ago, Ra’s was once the kind and gentle Middle Eastern doctor to the Salimb (an Arabic king) – middle middle middle, he becomes the evil Demon’s Head who hates Batman and wants to destroy humanity.
I’ve never understood the adulation so many (admittedly older) readers have for Denny O’Neill – this guy is such a bad writer! Maybe back in the day his work wasn’t as noticeably crappy but compared to the calibre of writers Batman fans read today, like Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, Scott Snyder and Tom King, O’Neill’s stuff nowadays looks amateurish at best.
All of the pieces in Ra’s origin are clunkily ticked off. Why does he hate Batman? He hates death and death, in his dreams, takes the form of a giant bat. How did he figure out how to build Lazarus Pits? From a dream. How did he figure out how they worked? Another dream. Where did he get the “Demon’s Head” title from? Some random god these people worshipped. Totally contrived hackery!
Ra’s is “dying” and Batman gets infected with toxic waste in two plotlines that go nowhere, and Batman and Ra’s fight pointlessly at the end to no effect. Norm Breyfogle’s weirdly grainy art looks like it was coloured in crayon!
Batman: Birth of the Demon was thoroughly terrible! A dumb, tedious origin poorly told and badly written by a talentless incompetent. Ra’s isn’t among my favourite villains from Batman’s rogues gallery but he deserves better than this.
*
Son of the Demon - 3 stars
Son of the Demon is another episode of Batman and his mad in-laws, the Al-Ghul’s. He may get to plow the mega-hawt Talia but he’s gotta put up with his mental father-in-law’s ravings about wiping out humanity over dinner – the things we do to wet our beaks, eh? And what’s that – the pitter-patter of tiny feet? Will Batman finally cheer up??
This one’s actually not a bad comic. The more I read of Mike Barr’s Batman, the more surprised I am that it’s not the absolute garbage I keep expecting. I think I just got off on the wrong foot with him by starting with one of the worst Batman books ever written, Year Poo Two!
Son of the Demon definitely has its flaws. Batman and Ra’s are forced into a contrived alliance because of a forgettable one-dimensional and disposable villain called Qayin (pronounced “Cain”), whose origin was corny and silly. The plot is like a weak James Bond knockoff with the elaborate lairs, squads of hired goons and the doomsday weather machine, while the dead scientist murder mystery subplot was plain crap and pointless. But Batman’s antics make this fairly readable and it was interesting to read the book that years later inspired Grant Morrison to create Damian Wayne.
Jerry Bingham’s art was so impressive and made the book for me. The lines are precise, the pictures are detailed, the layouts are eye-catching, the colours are subtle but effective – Bingham is an enormously talented and skilful artist whose pages are really beautiful. And Talia’s never looked more smokin’ than she does here, all thanks to this dude! The art is by far this comic’s best feature.
Son of the Demon is a decent Batman book, in large part thanks to Jerry Bingham’s exceptional art rather than Mike Barr’s shaky writing. It’s no must-read but not intolerable and might be worth checking out for fans who see it in the liberry.
*
Bride of the Demon - 1 star
BLEURGH! Nothing to see here guys, move on, really. I thought I’d turned a corner with Mike Barr’s Batman comics after being pleasantly surprised with both The Wrath and Son of the Demon - and then I read Bride of the Demon. And while it’s not as offensively bad as Year Two, it’s still absolute garbage.
Ra’s Al-Ghul and the Ozone Layer - Barr barely attempts to connect the two into something resembling a plot but completely fails so forget that noise! Instead, here’s a bunch of unrelated boring rubbish to fill up space instead: a dull scientist and his brat, Ra’s and an actress (she’s the “bride” of the title - Ra’s wants her to give him an heir because I guess Talia’s not penis-y enough?), and Talia and Batman’s corny relationship. Faaaaaarrrrttt. And that’s Bride of the Demon.
The writing is amateurish at best, the story incoherent, and the most memorable thing about this crap is Tim Drake log rolling Batman’s giant penny - that’s how retarded things get! The art is shit (shart?) and Barr completely fails to explain how Lazarus Pits work. In one case it resurrects the dead, in another it makes the old young again, and in other instances it outright kills. Brilliant. So it’s whatever the plot needs it to be! Contrived nonsense.
If you want to see what vomit looks like as a Batman comic, check out Bride of the Demon, otherwise don’t bother and I applaud your superior life choices to mine!
*
Birth of the Demon - 1 star
Batman: Birth of the Demon is Ra’s Al-Ghul’s origin story – and it’s so astoopid!
Set hundreds of years ago, Ra’s was once the kind and gentle Middle Eastern doctor to the Salimb (an Arabic king) – middle middle middle, he becomes the evil Demon’s Head who hates Batman and wants to destroy humanity.
I’ve never understood the adulation so many (admittedly older) readers have for Denny O’Neill – this guy is such a bad writer! Maybe back in the day his work wasn’t as noticeably crappy but compared to the calibre of writers Batman fans read today, like Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, Scott Snyder and Tom King, O’Neill’s stuff nowadays looks amateurish at best.
All of the pieces in Ra’s origin are clunkily ticked off. Why does he hate Batman? He hates death and death, in his dreams, takes the form of a giant bat. How did he figure out how to build Lazarus Pits? From a dream. How did he figure out how they worked? Another dream. Where did he get the “Demon’s Head” title from? Some random god these people worshipped. Totally contrived hackery!
Ra’s is “dying” and Batman gets infected with toxic waste in two plotlines that go nowhere, and Batman and Ra’s fight pointlessly at the end to no effect. Norm Breyfogle’s weirdly grainy art looks like it was coloured in crayon!
Batman: Birth of the Demon was thoroughly terrible! A dumb, tedious origin poorly told and badly written by a talentless incompetent. Ra’s isn’t among my favourite villains from Batman’s rogues gallery but he deserves better than this.
November 18, 2013
Batman in the 90s seemed to go international a great deal. Irritating when people talk to themselves so much stating the obvious. Glad they got rid of it in later and more mature comics.
Three stories: how Batman ends up having a child with the daughter of Ra's al Ghul; then Batman tries to stop this villain from destroying the world; and Batman's attempt to stop his foe from using the Lazarus Pit but it's really an excuse to flashback to the origins of Ra's al Ghul.
This serves as a prequel to newer graphic novels a la BATMAN AND SONS.
Artwork was enjoyable though Batman's “bright” outfit didn't camouflage him very well in the desert and such but it is a traditional outfit, I suppose.
ARTISTIC PRESENTATION: B; STORY/PLOTTING/EDITING: B minus; ACTION SCENES: C plus to B minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B minus; BATMAN MYTHOLOGY: B to B plus; WHEN READ: mid June 2013; OVERALL GRADE: B minus to B.
Three stories: how Batman ends up having a child with the daughter of Ra's al Ghul; then Batman tries to stop this villain from destroying the world; and Batman's attempt to stop his foe from using the Lazarus Pit but it's really an excuse to flashback to the origins of Ra's al Ghul.
This serves as a prequel to newer graphic novels a la BATMAN AND SONS.
Artwork was enjoyable though Batman's “bright” outfit didn't camouflage him very well in the desert and such but it is a traditional outfit, I suppose.
ARTISTIC PRESENTATION: B; STORY/PLOTTING/EDITING: B minus; ACTION SCENES: C plus to B minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B minus; BATMAN MYTHOLOGY: B to B plus; WHEN READ: mid June 2013; OVERALL GRADE: B minus to B.
June 30, 2019
This was so bad I actually ended up skipping huge portions of it... It's only saving grace is the 10 pages of Bruce's relationship with Alfred and Tim we see in Bride.
February 6, 2023
3.5 stars
I loved Brutalia romance and Ra's backstory, but BOTD was boring.
I loved Brutalia romance and Ra's backstory, but BOTD was boring.
June 2, 2017
A fairly underwhelming collection of three graphic novels originally published in the late 80s/early 90s that comprise the "Demon Trilogy," a trio of stories about Ra's Al Ghul that have essentially nothing to do with each other. As far as I can tell, the only thing that unifies these stories is the existence of Ra's Al Ghul and the word "Demon" appearing in all three titles.
First up is "Son of the Demon," a James-Bond-style globetrotting adventure that sees Batman sneaking into military bases and trying to thwart a global catastrophe caused by weather satellites, all while teaming up with Ra's and entering a love affair with his daughter, Talia. There's not much to latch onto in this one. The plot blasts forward so fast that there's no time to really live in any of its moments, and the whole Talia thing doesn't feel earned in the slightest. The dialogue is heavily lame, the action is derivative, and the plot is bananas. The only real reason to read this is if you're a huge fan of Grant Morrison's Batman and Son, to which this serves as a prequel. I don't think you actually need to read it to understand Batman and Son, though, so I'd really say to just skip this.
Next is "Bride of the Demon," another wacky, nonsensical story that feels like a relic from another era. This time around the story at least feels more Batman than Bond, but there's still just such a dearth of character development (a random woman is introduced out of nowhere and just suddenly marries Ra's Al Ghul for some reason, despite never having met him before) that I can't recommend reading it. There are some decent themes of "science gone too far" and such here, but nothing that hasn't been done to death elsewhere.
Then we get to "Birth of the Demon," the only story in here I'd actually call "good." Dennis O'Neill replaces Mike W. Barr as the author of this tale, and brings with him a noticeable jump in quality. The story feels much smaller, without trying to juggle so many weird balls all at once. Instead, we get a measured, thoughtful parable that also serves as the origin story for Ra's Al Ghul, and one I found genuinely moving. O'Neill does a fantastic job of humanizing "The Demon," and the art really adds to the tone. This one is definitely worth reading, though I'd say just skip straight to it and avoid the other two. They genuinely do not affect this story in the slightest.
First up is "Son of the Demon," a James-Bond-style globetrotting adventure that sees Batman sneaking into military bases and trying to thwart a global catastrophe caused by weather satellites, all while teaming up with Ra's and entering a love affair with his daughter, Talia. There's not much to latch onto in this one. The plot blasts forward so fast that there's no time to really live in any of its moments, and the whole Talia thing doesn't feel earned in the slightest. The dialogue is heavily lame, the action is derivative, and the plot is bananas. The only real reason to read this is if you're a huge fan of Grant Morrison's Batman and Son, to which this serves as a prequel. I don't think you actually need to read it to understand Batman and Son, though, so I'd really say to just skip this.
Next is "Bride of the Demon," another wacky, nonsensical story that feels like a relic from another era. This time around the story at least feels more Batman than Bond, but there's still just such a dearth of character development (a random woman is introduced out of nowhere and just suddenly marries Ra's Al Ghul for some reason, despite never having met him before) that I can't recommend reading it. There are some decent themes of "science gone too far" and such here, but nothing that hasn't been done to death elsewhere.
Then we get to "Birth of the Demon," the only story in here I'd actually call "good." Dennis O'Neill replaces Mike W. Barr as the author of this tale, and brings with him a noticeable jump in quality. The story feels much smaller, without trying to juggle so many weird balls all at once. Instead, we get a measured, thoughtful parable that also serves as the origin story for Ra's Al Ghul, and one I found genuinely moving. O'Neill does a fantastic job of humanizing "The Demon," and the art really adds to the tone. This one is definitely worth reading, though I'd say just skip straight to it and avoid the other two. They genuinely do not affect this story in the slightest.
July 15, 2015
I'm working on the Grant Morrison run of Batman and this is a great book that provides some backstory for the relationship Batman has with Ra's al Ghul! This book collects 3 stories: Son of the Demon, Bride of the Demon and Birth of the Demon. I loved the art in the first and last story. I enjoyed every story, they all had something to add to the Batman-Ra's al Ghul history. The first two stories are written by Mike W. Barr and the last story is by Dennis O'Neil. This last story gives the actual origin story of Ra's al Ghul. I really recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Ra's Al Ghul, to anyone who's reading the Grant Morrison run and wants to learn more about the al Ghul family (Talia is in all 3 stories aswel). Or to any Batman fan who is looking for some great and entertaining stories.
August 5, 2012
I can see why some people felt that the original “Son of the Demon” was out of character for Batman, but it’s nonetheless a terrific look at a Batman who might have been, with great characters and a terrific twist [8/10]. “Bride of the Demon” doesn’t have the scope of its predecessor, but it’s still a well-told and nicely illustrated Batman story. Does go a bit long though [7/10]. O’Neill’s “Birth of the Demon” is clearly written in a different style than the Barr action-adventures. It’s much more stylistic, helped by the evocative and moody art. In the end, its story of the Demon’s origins is insightful, while the ending is great [7/10].
February 26, 2019
I've wanted to read this for years... and finally got around to it. And unfortunately, I was disappointed. Not sure why, but I found it very boring and weird. No disrespect to any of the legends that worked on this. This just wasn't a hit for me.
March 28, 2022
This story went downhill very fast for me. First of all, and the thing I left with after reading this is that for some reason the author of Birth of a Demon decided to completely change the way Talia's mother died, which undermines the other two stories, both of whom are based on her death.
I thought overall these were some boring stories. I did not care about the stakes. In the sense that I fully did not believe that this villain would bring anything to completion. Ra's tries to be for some reason both Batman's friend and enemy, and it never really works in a way that would make that interesting since Batman really doesn't give a fuck about him. The only thing about him that he cares about is Talia and she's just as boring in this entire story, not being able to pick between her father and Bruce. She also suffers from "woman in comic" syndrome, where she doesn't have a personality outside of her male counterparts. RIP.
They tried to give me a family story here which I feel like was handled way too fast and too clumsily. I also don't think that throughout that entire episode Bruce was characterized properly. I don't know where Talia came from, why we don't care about the fact that she knows who bruce is, the fact that she's immediately pregnant, that Bruce wants to basically stop being Batman because of it, the fact that Talia "loses her baby" just as soon as she got it, all of it is just. Bad.
When it comes to Son of the Demon, I thought it was a bit more enjoyable because it did not try to sell me 20 different story lines at the same time. I liked the fact that we got to see Tim Drake and the other dude's son interact, I thought that was a sweet short episode. I actually liked just Tim Drake during the entirety of this. He was a silly little boy. We love him.
Birth of the Demon is shit. I hate the idea that Batman had the bath thing. The entire story of Ra's made me feel very icky. It was just overall distastefull for the sake of being distastefull aka setting up a Big Scary Villain With No Moral Compass (which Talia keeps insisting that he's not that bad. AND WHY DOES SHE CARE ABOUT HIM SO MUCH ANYWAY. THERE'S NO SHOWN REASON)
Bruce also just feels like Golden Era man. Boring with no depth (as in oh boo hoo macho man his parents died he's so sad but it makes him STRONG). Casanova. Bland.
Overall this collection was pretty boring, and didn't read too much like a Batman story to me. There was no tension, just things happening that we reacted to. We didn't get to see how Bruce thought, or how he felt about anything. His son "died" and he was upset about it for about 2 minutes. The only saving grace is the artstyle which was absolutely gorgeous. Too bad Batman looked silly surrounded by all of the gorgeous pastels.
I thought overall these were some boring stories. I did not care about the stakes. In the sense that I fully did not believe that this villain would bring anything to completion. Ra's tries to be for some reason both Batman's friend and enemy, and it never really works in a way that would make that interesting since Batman really doesn't give a fuck about him. The only thing about him that he cares about is Talia and she's just as boring in this entire story, not being able to pick between her father and Bruce. She also suffers from "woman in comic" syndrome, where she doesn't have a personality outside of her male counterparts. RIP.
They tried to give me a family story here which I feel like was handled way too fast and too clumsily. I also don't think that throughout that entire episode Bruce was characterized properly. I don't know where Talia came from, why we don't care about the fact that she knows who bruce is, the fact that she's immediately pregnant, that Bruce wants to basically stop being Batman because of it, the fact that Talia "loses her baby" just as soon as she got it, all of it is just. Bad.
When it comes to Son of the Demon, I thought it was a bit more enjoyable because it did not try to sell me 20 different story lines at the same time. I liked the fact that we got to see Tim Drake and the other dude's son interact, I thought that was a sweet short episode. I actually liked just Tim Drake during the entirety of this. He was a silly little boy. We love him.
Birth of the Demon is shit. I hate the idea that Batman had the bath thing. The entire story of Ra's made me feel very icky. It was just overall distastefull for the sake of being distastefull aka setting up a Big Scary Villain With No Moral Compass (which Talia keeps insisting that he's not that bad. AND WHY DOES SHE CARE ABOUT HIM SO MUCH ANYWAY. THERE'S NO SHOWN REASON)
Bruce also just feels like Golden Era man. Boring with no depth (as in oh boo hoo macho man his parents died he's so sad but it makes him STRONG). Casanova. Bland.
Overall this collection was pretty boring, and didn't read too much like a Batman story to me. There was no tension, just things happening that we reacted to. We didn't get to see how Bruce thought, or how he felt about anything. His son "died" and he was upset about it for about 2 minutes. The only saving grace is the artstyle which was absolutely gorgeous. Too bad Batman looked silly surrounded by all of the gorgeous pastels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2012
n 1971, Ra's Al Ghul was created. An opponent of the Batman that, unlike his many other rouge villains created: Ra's was extremely intelligent, honorable, well financed, patient, unyielding, and had vast respect for his adversary. Ra's was an opponent that was ahead of his time; enough so where he has gone on to be what many consider Batman's greatest foe, even over The Joker (and if Joker is #1, then Ra's is a close second place). Ra's is even considered one of the greatest super villains in comic history. That's impressive, considering he was created in the mid-Silver Age of Comics, unlike many other famous villains created in the Golden Age and early Silver Age. And where as Batman: Tales of the Demon is the first Ra's stories told (and a definite pick-up for any fan of Ra's), there is only a hand-full of select definitive Ra's stories out there...until now...and finally collected together for the first time as "The Demon" trilogy!
BATMAN: BIRTH OF THE DEMON collects:
Batman - Son of the Demon (DC Comics)(Written by Mike W. Burr and penciled by Jerry Bingham)
Batman: Bride of the Demon(Written by Mike W. Burr and penciled by Tom Grindberg)
Batman: Birth of the Demon(Written by Dennis O'Neil and penciled by Norm Breyfogle)
"Batman: Son of the Demon" tells the story of Batman and Talia Al Ghul looking into an powerful organization that's headed by a man named Qayin; a man who wants revenge against Ra's Al Ghul since he was a child. Both Batman and Ra's can't get Qayin without the others help, so they form a union to hopefully catch Qayin. What we get is story what many consider one of the best Bat stories ever written. A James Bond-esque action story, with the link and metaphors of Batman being Ra's own son is heavily prevalent, and unlike anything done before, as well a powerful look at the love between Talia and Batman.
"Batman: Bride of the Demon" is predominantly about Ra's search for a bride, all the while planning the biggest scheme conducted in his usual environmentalist way. Batman has to find a way to stop Ra's biggest plot yet. While not as impactful, or as clever as Son of the Demon or Birth of the Demon, this is still a great read. A lot of action, and definitely more about the battle of wits between Ra's and Batman, like a cat and mouse game.
"Batman: Birth of the Demon" is the last story of "The Demon" trilogy, and involves Batman spending years trying to stop Lazarus pits from being found to finally stop Ra's Al Ghul. What we get though, is a majority of the read is the origins of Ra's Al Ghul. Again, considered one of the best Ra's stories every told, we get a complete origin: Ra's birth name, rough birth date, early profession, ideology toward mankind and nature, and even his name itself, "The Demon's Head". It's all here.
Owning this book is the holy grail of Ra's Al Ghul tales you could own, and is definitely among some of the best material in the Bat catalog. Originally released in order of 1987, 1990, and 1992 respectively...this is came out among the same time period as Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition), and Batman: A Death in the Family, so the maturity and content match the time period of the Batman, as well as Ra's himself. Where as Batman: Tales of the Demon started it all, it had little to do with modern day Ra's or Batman's dynamic relationship. These books on the other hand were the prime influences that material like BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and most modern day Bat stories took inspiration off of. That speaks volumes, and the fact each book individually sets the bar for Ra's and Batman's relationship further cements this book as a pickup. Even the writing and art hold extremely well for today's times! If that's not enough, each book at my comic shop individually is around $40 apiece (meaning $120 for all 3!) so having it here in one nice package is a no brainer of a pick-up.
If you're worried about continuity as well: don't fret. Grant Morrison's run on Batman Batman and Son actually recons Son of the Demon into continuity, but you really don't need to do that unless you want to. Although it's called "The Demon" saga/trilogy, each of the 3 stories is stand alone tales from each other, yet they leave just enough ambiguity and vague hints that each tale could connect to one another...but again, that's not needed. And for anyone who regards the concept of Son of the Demon, where Batman joins Ra's (we all know Batman would probably never do that) it's a hypothetical story that was once considered a "Elseworlds" story, so please don't get uptight over that story plot.
As for extra's, there's barely anything. No introductions and you get the original paperback collection covers. If your one for extras, there's really nothing here, but it's sub-marginal compared to the rest of the contents.
BATMAN: BIRTH OF THE DEMON is a rare book for Batfans: it's good for new readers on Ra's Al Ghul, a must for collectors, has some of the best or if not the best Ra's stories on the market, and it has a price you just can't beat considering what's here. And even if one of the stories doesn't do it for you like the others do, you'll still find something from the other stories. And most of all, this is a phenomenal case study on one of Batman's greatest foes, as well as their deep relationship. Pick this up detectives.
BATMAN: BIRTH OF THE DEMON collects:
Batman - Son of the Demon (DC Comics)(Written by Mike W. Burr and penciled by Jerry Bingham)
Batman: Bride of the Demon(Written by Mike W. Burr and penciled by Tom Grindberg)
Batman: Birth of the Demon(Written by Dennis O'Neil and penciled by Norm Breyfogle)
"Batman: Son of the Demon" tells the story of Batman and Talia Al Ghul looking into an powerful organization that's headed by a man named Qayin; a man who wants revenge against Ra's Al Ghul since he was a child. Both Batman and Ra's can't get Qayin without the others help, so they form a union to hopefully catch Qayin. What we get is story what many consider one of the best Bat stories ever written. A James Bond-esque action story, with the link and metaphors of Batman being Ra's own son is heavily prevalent, and unlike anything done before, as well a powerful look at the love between Talia and Batman.
"Batman: Bride of the Demon" is predominantly about Ra's search for a bride, all the while planning the biggest scheme conducted in his usual environmentalist way. Batman has to find a way to stop Ra's biggest plot yet. While not as impactful, or as clever as Son of the Demon or Birth of the Demon, this is still a great read. A lot of action, and definitely more about the battle of wits between Ra's and Batman, like a cat and mouse game.
"Batman: Birth of the Demon" is the last story of "The Demon" trilogy, and involves Batman spending years trying to stop Lazarus pits from being found to finally stop Ra's Al Ghul. What we get though, is a majority of the read is the origins of Ra's Al Ghul. Again, considered one of the best Ra's stories every told, we get a complete origin: Ra's birth name, rough birth date, early profession, ideology toward mankind and nature, and even his name itself, "The Demon's Head". It's all here.
Owning this book is the holy grail of Ra's Al Ghul tales you could own, and is definitely among some of the best material in the Bat catalog. Originally released in order of 1987, 1990, and 1992 respectively...this is came out among the same time period as Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition), and Batman: A Death in the Family, so the maturity and content match the time period of the Batman, as well as Ra's himself. Where as Batman: Tales of the Demon started it all, it had little to do with modern day Ra's or Batman's dynamic relationship. These books on the other hand were the prime influences that material like BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and most modern day Bat stories took inspiration off of. That speaks volumes, and the fact each book individually sets the bar for Ra's and Batman's relationship further cements this book as a pickup. Even the writing and art hold extremely well for today's times! If that's not enough, each book at my comic shop individually is around $40 apiece (meaning $120 for all 3!) so having it here in one nice package is a no brainer of a pick-up.
If you're worried about continuity as well: don't fret. Grant Morrison's run on Batman Batman and Son actually recons Son of the Demon into continuity, but you really don't need to do that unless you want to. Although it's called "The Demon" saga/trilogy, each of the 3 stories is stand alone tales from each other, yet they leave just enough ambiguity and vague hints that each tale could connect to one another...but again, that's not needed. And for anyone who regards the concept of Son of the Demon, where Batman joins Ra's (we all know Batman would probably never do that) it's a hypothetical story that was once considered a "Elseworlds" story, so please don't get uptight over that story plot.
As for extra's, there's barely anything. No introductions and you get the original paperback collection covers. If your one for extras, there's really nothing here, but it's sub-marginal compared to the rest of the contents.
BATMAN: BIRTH OF THE DEMON is a rare book for Batfans: it's good for new readers on Ra's Al Ghul, a must for collectors, has some of the best or if not the best Ra's stories on the market, and it has a price you just can't beat considering what's here. And even if one of the stories doesn't do it for you like the others do, you'll still find something from the other stories. And most of all, this is a phenomenal case study on one of Batman's greatest foes, as well as their deep relationship. Pick this up detectives.
May 9, 2023
La prima storia (figlio del demone) mi ha introdotto bene ai disegni e alla narrazione degli anni '80, mostrando un Batman molto più detective di quello che è possibile vedere al giorno d'oggi, la storia, abbastanza semplice, ha un buon ritmo, una buona tensione tra i personaggi, soprattutto Ras e Batman, unica nota stonata la trama del figlio, che mi è sembrata troppo veloce e con conseguenze troppo estreme, con Batman che quasi smette di essere Batman.
La seconda storia (sposa del demone) un po' più debole forse, con parti un po' confusionarie, personaggi messi nel mezzo senza capire più di troppo il perché, e in generale una conclusione più debole e dimenticabile.
La terza storia (nascita del demone) porta un aspetto grafico estremamente diverso dalle due precedenti, per cui ci vogliono un minimo di pagine per abituarsi, anche con i colori che rendono le tavole quasi a tinta unita, con toni molto ricchi e saturati. La narrazione è stata interessante e ha suscitato emozioni di rabbia nella storia del passato di Ras, ci sono errori di continuità con le altre storie del volume, soprattutto sulla morte della madre di Talia, ma nel complesso ho apprezzato molto.
In totale è un buon volume secondo me, che parte molto alto, poi cala e il finale riporta un po' in su il parere. Consigliato
La seconda storia (sposa del demone) un po' più debole forse, con parti un po' confusionarie, personaggi messi nel mezzo senza capire più di troppo il perché, e in generale una conclusione più debole e dimenticabile.
La terza storia (nascita del demone) porta un aspetto grafico estremamente diverso dalle due precedenti, per cui ci vogliono un minimo di pagine per abituarsi, anche con i colori che rendono le tavole quasi a tinta unita, con toni molto ricchi e saturati. La narrazione è stata interessante e ha suscitato emozioni di rabbia nella storia del passato di Ras, ci sono errori di continuità con le altre storie del volume, soprattutto sulla morte della madre di Talia, ma nel complesso ho apprezzato molto.
In totale è un buon volume secondo me, che parte molto alto, poi cala e il finale riporta un po' in su il parere. Consigliato
January 21, 2016
I've never cared much for Ra's al Ghul and after reading this collection of three stories centered around him, I have a better understanding of why.
Part of what makes Batman enjoyable for me as a casual comics fan is the degree of plausibility. Neither Batman nor Batman's best villains have superpowers; Joker, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Catwoman, the Riddler, and Penguin are all simply people terrorizing Gotham city, albeit sometimes disfigured/abnormally featured people with gadgetry or imaginative killer chemicals. Meanwhile, Ra's al Ghul is a centuries-old villain with access to a fountain of youth and heads a worldwide organization devoted to his vision of starting the earth anew. His occult-like presence and his being non-local to Gotham make him a villain miscast in the wrong comic.*
All this being said, the stories here rely quite heavily on these more fantastic traits of Ra's: his worldwide presence and his reliance upon the regenerative powers of Lazarus pits. The relationship between Batman and Talia (daughter of Ra's al Ghul) isn't all that compelling either since the reason behind their attraction to one another isn't explored. The most interesting part is
Overall, this was the type of Batman story I prefer to forget exists.
*I feel Killer Croc, Clayface and Poison Ivy are also strange presences in the otherwise semi-plausible Gotham. Additionally, whenever Batman goes to space or when Joker decides to terrorize Europe, it is harder for me to accept.
Part of what makes Batman enjoyable for me as a casual comics fan is the degree of plausibility. Neither Batman nor Batman's best villains have superpowers; Joker, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Catwoman, the Riddler, and Penguin are all simply people terrorizing Gotham city, albeit sometimes disfigured/abnormally featured people with gadgetry or imaginative killer chemicals. Meanwhile, Ra's al Ghul is a centuries-old villain with access to a fountain of youth and heads a worldwide organization devoted to his vision of starting the earth anew. His occult-like presence and his being non-local to Gotham make him a villain miscast in the wrong comic.*
All this being said, the stories here rely quite heavily on these more fantastic traits of Ra's: his worldwide presence and his reliance upon the regenerative powers of Lazarus pits. The relationship between Batman and Talia (daughter of Ra's al Ghul) isn't all that compelling either since the reason behind their attraction to one another isn't explored. The most interesting part is
Overall, this was the type of Batman story I prefer to forget exists.
*I feel Killer Croc, Clayface and Poison Ivy are also strange presences in the otherwise semi-plausible Gotham. Additionally, whenever Batman goes to space or when Joker decides to terrorize Europe, it is harder for me to accept.
December 5, 2019
3.5
I think perhaps this one didn't age well. it's very exposition heavy in that way that aims at being accessible to those who haven't read any previous batman stories. feels very much audience pared down. a great story to have read for batman fans for the history/canon alone, but standing on its on, with Nolan's dark knight series existing, it's hard to say this one is great. the art is fantastic. i love that old water color style. it's just the writing could be much sharper. old batman fans would much rather see character developing/describing action than pages of inner monologue thought bubbles.
I think perhaps this one didn't age well. it's very exposition heavy in that way that aims at being accessible to those who haven't read any previous batman stories. feels very much audience pared down. a great story to have read for batman fans for the history/canon alone, but standing on its on, with Nolan's dark knight series existing, it's hard to say this one is great. the art is fantastic. i love that old water color style. it's just the writing could be much sharper. old batman fans would much rather see character developing/describing action than pages of inner monologue thought bubbles.
November 21, 2025
Took me a longgg time to get through this. Motivation to pick it up and read was not there, the stories are pretty dull and I’m not a fan in general of this era of comics.
That being said, the aspect that kept this from being a 2 star rating was Breyfogle’s artwork. I was quite blown away by his mixed media style. I’m definitely going to seek out more books illustrated by him in the future as this was my first.
Overall, I’d say you can skip this book, even if you are looking for Damien’s “origin”, it’s not worth it. But if you really want to know Ra’s origin, just read the last story included as it focuses solely on him and the art is fantastic.
That being said, the aspect that kept this from being a 2 star rating was Breyfogle’s artwork. I was quite blown away by his mixed media style. I’m definitely going to seek out more books illustrated by him in the future as this was my first.
Overall, I’d say you can skip this book, even if you are looking for Damien’s “origin”, it’s not worth it. But if you really want to know Ra’s origin, just read the last story included as it focuses solely on him and the art is fantastic.
August 31, 2023
Was about to start reading the Grant Morrison run I’ve accumulated but never read and realised this had been sat on my shelf and although I thought I’d read it I hadn’t! This book has 3 stories collected, the first two being ok Batman stories which I enjoyed purely because I like Batman stories. The final story was good, an original story for Ras with stunning artwork surprisingly. Overall a good collection of Ras stories, onto the Grant Morrison run now!
January 7, 2024
The Demon trilogy ranked:
3. Bride Of The Demon (3 stars)
2. Birth Of The Demon (4 stars)
1. Son Of The Demon (4 stars)
3. Bride Of The Demon (3 stars)
2. Birth Of The Demon (4 stars)
1. Son Of The Demon (4 stars)
November 20, 2025
I swear, some of you really do not know how to draw or tell a story. It’s always a complete hit or miss. Comics are either painfully ugly or badly written. Sometimes both. There are so few I’ve read that actually manage to be decent.
The Demon Trilogy was so rough I almost DNFed it. Writers get so lost in the plot that they seem to forget who Batman even is as a character. Like… hello???
And don’t even get me started on how the women are drawn. Seriously, Talia is NOT fighting crime in that tiny little piece of fabric. Be for real.
Also, if anyone ever calls me “beloved,” I’m throwing up on the spot.
The Demon Trilogy was so rough I almost DNFed it. Writers get so lost in the plot that they seem to forget who Batman even is as a character. Like… hello???
And don’t even get me started on how the women are drawn. Seriously, Talia is NOT fighting crime in that tiny little piece of fabric. Be for real.
Also, if anyone ever calls me “beloved,” I’m throwing up on the spot.
May 19, 2021
This collects three Batman Graphic novels featuring Ra's Al-Ghul.
Son of the Demon: Batman and Ra's join together in a somewhat long-running partnership to stop a villain and he renews his acquaintence with Talia and it turns out they're still married and so there's even a bundle of joy on the way. The art in this story is beautiful but as a story, it was good, but Batman's actions are out of character. His allieance with Ra's and hopes that it continues seem very out of character. He even goes so far as to train Ra's men, which seems like something that would come back to haunt him. However, despite the out of character nature of it, the action's good and it's a solid read.
Bride of the Demon: This is a more convention Batman v. Ra's story as Ra's has a plot to cleanse the Earth and has determined Batman must die first, but Ra's also has to put an aging Hollywood starlet into the Lazarus Pit so she can be his bride. This story is fairly good. While I'm not the biggest fan of the art, given the sort of comic art that would so dominate comics in this era, this isn't that bad. If I had a problem with it, it's that this doesn't really seem like a story that mertis a graphic novel treatment. It should just be three or four issues of Batman or Detective Comics.
Birth of a Demon is the Ra's Al-Ghul origin story written by Dennis O'Neil with superb art by Norm Breyfogle. The story is mostly about Ra's origin framed with the Batman story. It explains a lot and is interesting. The art has some great freakly surrealistic turns and feels like real art. It's an intriguing tale that held my attention throughout.
Overall, I think all of these are good and worth reading if you're interested in Ra's Al-Ghul as a character.
Dennis O
Son of the Demon: Batman and Ra's join together in a somewhat long-running partnership to stop a villain and he renews his acquaintence with Talia and it turns out they're still married and so there's even a bundle of joy on the way. The art in this story is beautiful but as a story, it was good, but Batman's actions are out of character. His allieance with Ra's and hopes that it continues seem very out of character. He even goes so far as to train Ra's men, which seems like something that would come back to haunt him. However, despite the out of character nature of it, the action's good and it's a solid read.
Bride of the Demon: This is a more convention Batman v. Ra's story as Ra's has a plot to cleanse the Earth and has determined Batman must die first, but Ra's also has to put an aging Hollywood starlet into the Lazarus Pit so she can be his bride. This story is fairly good. While I'm not the biggest fan of the art, given the sort of comic art that would so dominate comics in this era, this isn't that bad. If I had a problem with it, it's that this doesn't really seem like a story that mertis a graphic novel treatment. It should just be three or four issues of Batman or Detective Comics.
Birth of a Demon is the Ra's Al-Ghul origin story written by Dennis O'Neil with superb art by Norm Breyfogle. The story is mostly about Ra's origin framed with the Batman story. It explains a lot and is interesting. The art has some great freakly surrealistic turns and feels like real art. It's an intriguing tale that held my attention throughout.
Overall, I think all of these are good and worth reading if you're interested in Ra's Al-Ghul as a character.
Dennis O
January 1, 2013
This is the edition that collects three separate tales - Son of the Demon (retconned as canon by Grant Morrison's Batman and Son); Bride of the Demon; and Birth of the Demon (also the name of this collection).
I've previously reviewed Bride under its own hardback edition. I enjoyed it, but the first and third instalments are better. My 4 star review is for those two (though each would have probably received a 4 star on its own merits.
Son of the Demon isn't liked by a number of batfans due to some 'uncharacteristic' behaviour by Batman - teaming up with gun-toting and lethal allies; and leaving 'the mission' for his personal life. My suspicion is that those reviewers are either relatively recent converts (and I mean 90s and post) or those who just prefer the colder / darker versions of Batman which have been en vogue. For those who remember (and liked) him in the 70s and early 80s, I doubt the same factors will be issues. In fact, Son serves as a nice bridge between those two eras. It contains more focus on his skills as a detective (as all the best Ras tales do).
Birth of the Demon is different again. The artwork is much more in the modern style than Son and Bride, and for the most part is excellent. The largest part of Birth give us an origin tale for Ras, which is the first detailed one I have seen.
Really enjoyed this collection - definitely recommended.
I've previously reviewed Bride under its own hardback edition. I enjoyed it, but the first and third instalments are better. My 4 star review is for those two (though each would have probably received a 4 star on its own merits.
Son of the Demon isn't liked by a number of batfans due to some 'uncharacteristic' behaviour by Batman - teaming up with gun-toting and lethal allies; and leaving 'the mission' for his personal life. My suspicion is that those reviewers are either relatively recent converts (and I mean 90s and post) or those who just prefer the colder / darker versions of Batman which have been en vogue. For those who remember (and liked) him in the 70s and early 80s, I doubt the same factors will be issues. In fact, Son serves as a nice bridge between those two eras. It contains more focus on his skills as a detective (as all the best Ras tales do).
Birth of the Demon is different again. The artwork is much more in the modern style than Son and Bride, and for the most part is excellent. The largest part of Birth give us an origin tale for Ras, which is the first detailed one I have seen.
Really enjoyed this collection - definitely recommended.
June 19, 2016
This is a collection of three titles; Son of the Demon, Bride of the Demon and Birth of the Demon. Each story is loosely linked and fills out the history behind Ra's Al Ghul and his daughter Talia.
The Good
- I enjoyed the classic artwork. The artist and style had changed by the time the third story rolled around in 1992, but seeing as it was pretty much all flashback the change worked.
The Good
- I enjoyed the classic artwork. The artist and style had changed by the time the third story rolled around in 1992, but seeing as it was pretty much all flashback the change worked.
June 28, 2023
Cool. The third story was really cool.
Just a little long in the tooth. And a little old language wise (a little hokey).
Just a little long in the tooth. And a little old language wise (a little hokey).
October 7, 2020
More like 2.5 (come ON Goodreads - let me rate things as half a star).
Really the only tale worth reading is Dennis O'Neil's last tale of the origin of Ra's Al Ghul and mostly because the art by Norm Breyfogle is the best I have ever seen him do. Do crisp and stylistic. It is a thing of beauty.
The first two tales by Mike Barr are forgettable except for the fact they hint THIS is where Damian (Batman's son) comes from. The first story, Batman acts very out of character and decides to have a baby with Talia. Now, personally, I like the idea that Talia is Batman's true love (more so than Catwoman) but the way the romance is handled here doesn't fit with the Batman we know. He - with very little motivation - decides "screw it, I am in love with Talia" and once he finds out she is pregnant "screw it that is the only thing I care about". The art is very "Neal Adams" like and good for that reason.
The second tale is less focused and is a long winded tale of Batman going against Ra's and Talia. The one good thing is that it clarifies Ra's goal and shows on the one hand "he is trying to save the Earth from the destruction by people" a noble idea but he is also insane "he wants to rid the Earth of all it's people through a huge disaster which would hurt the Earth". The art also tries to ape Neal adams but not as successfully.
Overall - I don't think the first two stories captured the mystery and threat of Ra's Al Ghul like the very first O'Neil and Adams tales did. And O'Neil coming in for the third story showed that he is really the master when it comes to the character he created.
Really the only tale worth reading is Dennis O'Neil's last tale of the origin of Ra's Al Ghul and mostly because the art by Norm Breyfogle is the best I have ever seen him do. Do crisp and stylistic. It is a thing of beauty.
The first two tales by Mike Barr are forgettable except for the fact they hint THIS is where Damian (Batman's son) comes from. The first story, Batman acts very out of character and decides to have a baby with Talia. Now, personally, I like the idea that Talia is Batman's true love (more so than Catwoman) but the way the romance is handled here doesn't fit with the Batman we know. He - with very little motivation - decides "screw it, I am in love with Talia" and once he finds out she is pregnant "screw it that is the only thing I care about". The art is very "Neal Adams" like and good for that reason.
The second tale is less focused and is a long winded tale of Batman going against Ra's and Talia. The one good thing is that it clarifies Ra's goal and shows on the one hand "he is trying to save the Earth from the destruction by people" a noble idea but he is also insane "he wants to rid the Earth of all it's people through a huge disaster which would hurt the Earth". The art also tries to ape Neal adams but not as successfully.
Overall - I don't think the first two stories captured the mystery and threat of Ra's Al Ghul like the very first O'Neil and Adams tales did. And O'Neil coming in for the third story showed that he is really the master when it comes to the character he created.
April 16, 2018
3.5 stars for this one. Late 80s & 90s comic book nostalgia does play a huge part in this review as the era comes shining in almost all aspects of this trilogy series. This book collects the entire series Son of the Demon, Birth of the Demon, & Bride of the Demon.
Son of the Demon is 90s nostalgia at its finest! The art, dialogue, and story telling all fall into the 90s vibe and is honestly bittersweet. It's great to see the pop-art style & laughable "computer science" logic to the 90s way of "hacking" computers but it also shows how dated the storytelling really was back in the day. Also the dialogue is pretty bland & unfitting (most of the time) as it has Batman explaining every little detail behind his reasoning for figuring something out WE GET IT. Other than that my main gripe with this collected, is that Batman hands Ras a gun and tells him to use it...yeah no.
Birth of the Demon is really the origin story of Ras Al Ghul and the art is a switch up from the first volume. The art is very retro yet detailed, it really enhanced the experience for me. It shows how Ras came to be and how he turned to the twisted sadistic villain as we know him today. It's a great origin story and is the strongest part of this series. The battle between Batman & Ras is EPIC and the storytelling (for its time) is very well done. It also leads a back lingering story arc that seems like it'll be more thriving in the next volume.
Bride of the Demon once again puts Batman and Ras together and is the low point for me in this series. The story is pretty bland and I wasn't a fan of some of the Batman decisions made in this final act of the series.
Son of the Demon is 90s nostalgia at its finest! The art, dialogue, and story telling all fall into the 90s vibe and is honestly bittersweet. It's great to see the pop-art style & laughable "computer science" logic to the 90s way of "hacking" computers but it also shows how dated the storytelling really was back in the day. Also the dialogue is pretty bland & unfitting (most of the time) as it has Batman explaining every little detail behind his reasoning for figuring something out WE GET IT. Other than that my main gripe with this collected, is that Batman hands Ras a gun and tells him to use it...yeah no.
Birth of the Demon is really the origin story of Ras Al Ghul and the art is a switch up from the first volume. The art is very retro yet detailed, it really enhanced the experience for me. It shows how Ras came to be and how he turned to the twisted sadistic villain as we know him today. It's a great origin story and is the strongest part of this series. The battle between Batman & Ras is EPIC and the storytelling (for its time) is very well done. It also leads a back lingering story arc that seems like it'll be more thriving in the next volume.
Bride of the Demon once again puts Batman and Ras together and is the low point for me in this series. The story is pretty bland and I wasn't a fan of some of the Batman decisions made in this final act of the series.
May 23, 2018
Long, dense, and boring. I went from not really liking this book, to absolutely hating it by the end. I've never really like Ra's Al Ghul in the first place, and this book certainly did not help. And I know that Batman comics aren't usually the epitome of feminism, but seriously with the sexism? All the women are fragile, delicate, flowers who need to be saved by men, while men are 100% expendable. There are multiple instances where Batman stops doctors from attending to grievously injured men so that they can instead attend to pregnant women who have nothing wrong with them. Women are metaphorically stuffed in refrigerators to motivate male characters, while all the surviving female characters seem to be tripping over themselves to do whatever the men in their lives want them to do. Talia seems to exist primarily to wear stupid outfits and fawn over Batman. She doesn't count as Ra's heir because... only a son can be an heir I guess? Even without all the sexism creeping around every corner, the stories were uninteresting, and it was a serious chore to slug through all the text-heavy thought bubbles and internal monologues.
Read
April 9, 2019Collecting the Ra’s al Ghul trilogy of graphic novels, Birth of the Demon offers a solid look at one of Batman’s best and most mysterious foes.
Son of the Demon. Easily the best story here. It’s an exciting James Bond-esque thriller, with Batman and Ra’s teaming up to overcome a worldwide threat. There’s some great interpersonal scenes between Bruce, Ra’s, and Talia. And I love Jerry Bingham’s art: realistic, action-heavy, and emotive when it needs to be.
Bride of the Demon. The weakest of the trilogy. The story - Ra’s’s complex scheming to reinstall the ozone layer - is familiar and overlong. Mike Barr’s writing, too, took a nosedive from Son; it’s full of cringey dialogue and narration. I wasn’t a fan of Tom Grindberg’s inconsistent art either.
Birth of the Demon. Ra’s’s origin. This one is quite different from the international action thrillers offered by the first two. It takes place hundreds of years ago in North Africa, and reads like an ancient quest saga. Norm Breyfogle’s art really elevates the story and gives it a grand feel. Like Bride, though, it drags in the middle.
Son of the Demon. Easily the best story here. It’s an exciting James Bond-esque thriller, with Batman and Ra’s teaming up to overcome a worldwide threat. There’s some great interpersonal scenes between Bruce, Ra’s, and Talia. And I love Jerry Bingham’s art: realistic, action-heavy, and emotive when it needs to be.
Bride of the Demon. The weakest of the trilogy. The story - Ra’s’s complex scheming to reinstall the ozone layer - is familiar and overlong. Mike Barr’s writing, too, took a nosedive from Son; it’s full of cringey dialogue and narration. I wasn’t a fan of Tom Grindberg’s inconsistent art either.
Birth of the Demon. Ra’s’s origin. This one is quite different from the international action thrillers offered by the first two. It takes place hundreds of years ago in North Africa, and reads like an ancient quest saga. Norm Breyfogle’s art really elevates the story and gives it a grand feel. Like Bride, though, it drags in the middle.
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