Batman Arkham: Ra's Al Ghul

Batman Arkham Collections #12

by Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams (Illustrator), Michael Golden (Illustrator)

Like Batman, Ra's al Ghul is wealthy and intelligent. He's also a brilliant strategist and a master martial artist. Unlike Batman, however, he's immortal, and the leader of a deadly and elite warrior alliance known as the League of Assassins.

Over the years, Ra's al Ghul has proven to be one of the Dark Knight's most dangerous and destructive adversaries. Known worldwide as the Demon's Head, he is the only person capable of going toe-to-toe with Batman on every level, mentally and physically. Now, for the first time, the greatest tales of Ra's al Ghul and Batman are collected in one amazing anthology.

Featuring the combined talents of Denny O'Neil, Greg Rucka, Peter J. Tomasi, Peter Milligan, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, Michael Golden and Jim Aparo, Batman Ra's al Ghul collects Batman #232 and #243-244, Batman Annual #26, Batman and Robin #23.3, DC Special Series #15, The Brave and the Bold #159, Detective Comics #750 and Nightwing #152. Also included is a Ra's al Ghul profile from Who's Who in the DC Universe #13.

Genres: Comics, Batman, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Crime, Science Fiction

232 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2019

About the author

Dennis "Denny" O'Neil was a comic book writer and editor best known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retirement.

His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. From 2013 unti his death, he sat on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee.

Reviews

[Ashkin Ayub · Rating 3 out of 5]

once again, anthologies like this are intriguing seeing as they show not only the evolution of a specific character, but also the transformation of the comic book industry and of society in general.

this particular series looked at ra's al ghul, an impressive villain because he's not a criminal or a chief of the group of thugs, unlike most of batman's adversaries. he is the leader of the assassin league, both an old and international group and an immortal group. an entertaining relationship to watch progressing, in particular since the two of them eventually share a relative—damian wayne is the strange respect of the detective and the 'head of the demons.' the dc universe evolves over the years, including in this collection.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dennis O'Neil is one of my favorite Batman writers without question. Ra's Al Ghul is a big part of that. But there are still some stories I still haven't had a chance to read. A lot of the best Ra's best stories are a hard to find cheap even in reprint. So this collection is worth it for it just for the first four or five stories in here. Granted, the N52 or Rebirth stories aren't quite as good as the classic but they are still strong. And were not was quite as repetitive retellings of his origin like many of these other Arkham Collections have been. Which again, earns it some point. Even the Nightwing story was very strong. It might be the best of these Arkham collections to date.

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman Arkham: Ra's al Ghul is a compilation of some of the best representative of the Ra's al Ghul stories over the years centering one of the more iconic foes in the Batman Rouges Gallery. This collection features the Ra's al Ghul in all his many incarnations throughout the years.

This trade paperback collects Batman #232 and #243-244, Batman Annual #26, Batman and Robin #23.3, DC Special Series #15, The Brave and the Bold #159, Detective Comics #750 and Nightwing #152. Also included is a Ra's al Ghul profile from Who's Who in the DC Universe #13.

Ra's al Ghul is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the crime-fighting vigilante Batman. Created by editor Julius Schwartz, writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, the character first appeared in Batman #232's "Daughter of the Demon". The character is one of Batman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery, though given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Superman and other heroes in the DC Universe.

As a whole, Batman Arkham: Ra's al Ghul is a rather mediocre anthology of Ra's al Ghul stories. Story selection must have been difficult to say the least. Ra's al Ghul has a long and varied history and has been featured or cameos in many stories over many titles and it is no easy feat to pick out the best or favorite from the masses.

The thing is those measuring sticks are subjective and will never reach perfect consensus. Actually, we all can agree that in a collection like this, we could all agree on one story: Batman #232 – the first appearance of the Ra's al Ghul – the rest is debatable. This anthology served its purpose – giving the reader a nice overview of Ra's al Ghul.

Regardless, I think the editors picked a somewhat nice selection, would I swapped some stories out for others – sure I have my favorites, but it is difficult if not impossible to please everyone, since everyone is different. Overall, I was happy of which stories were presented.

All in all, I think Batman Arkham: Ra's al Ghul is a somewhat good selection of stories that gives a nice glimpse into the psyche of one of the most endearing villain in Batman's Rouge Gallery – Ra's al Ghul. It is a good anthology for both the avid and subdued fan alike. However, for the newly initiated I would recommend a collection that is more substantial and cohesive.

[Omar Misdaq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent collection of ten Ra's Al Ghul stories spanning the past 50 years.

One thing that did strike me was the bizarre juxtaposition of random orientalist tropes of the 'exotic Islamic East' in the 70s Neal Adams stories - during a trip to the slums of Calcutta in 1971's "Daughter of the Demon", we witness some bystanders sporting Fez and others in full Arabian dress complete with Ghutra and Agal! India, Turkey, and Arabia all rolled up happily in one superlatively 'Islamic' locale.

The first three stories are the best artwise, since it's Neal Adams in his prime, but the coloring is all redone modern-style with those awful digital gradients despoiling everything. Moreover, the overwrought and downright silly writing by Dennis O'Neil just leaves you shaking your head. You don't know whether the laugh or cry, but ultimately it's all part of the fun of 70s Batman. But Neal Adams pencils - wow, what a sight to behold, and his depictions of Talia are the most beautiful I've ever seen.

The rest of the collection slows down a bit after that, with some superficial action/James Bond style capers. Nice to see some early Jim Aparo artwork - less polished that he was a decade later when I bought my first Batman comic. Sadly they skip 20 years of Ra's Al Ghul (1980-2000) but the remaining stories gradually get better, notable Rucker and Martinbrough's excellent "Dependence" (2000) which may be the collection's high point. Martinbrough's clean urban noir style and stark color palette somehow work perfectly here.

There's an interesting look at Damian Wayne and his story in "Resurrection Shuffle" (2007) and the collection ends on a high note with 2013's "The Demon's Tower". Ultimately, you get the sense that Ra's Al Ghul is a villain who's still waiting for a great writer to really get us under his skin and deep into his fascinating psyche, in a way that the Batman Begins movie partially did, before going off into Christopher Nolan plot twist nonsense. He reminds me of The Master in Dr Who in many ways.

Anyway, this was my first exposure to the man from the Lazarus Pit, and it's not a bad place to start.

[Eggs Benedictis · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no doubt that Ra’s Al Ghul is one of the most outstanding villains in the Batman rogues gallery. He is a brilliant megalomaniac who is a formidable opponent for the Dark Knight. The Joker has always been considered the perfect contrast to the Dark Knight, however in many ways, the complex relationship between the Batman and Ra’s supersedes that between the Clown Prince and the Bat.

The Demon many be an enemy of the Bat, however he demonstrates that he respects and admires the Batman as well. Ra’s even offers the Batman his daughter’s hand in marriage and the honour of being his successor when he can no longer be rejuvenated by his Lazarus pits.

The selection of stories in this edition of Batman Arkham provide excellent insight into the fascinating relationship between Batman and Ra’s Al Ghul. We are given Ra’s first appearances as well as many more fascinating stories featuring Ra’s in later years.

The stories from the 70s seem very dated when compared to the other ones featured in this book. When I read Batman, I normally hear Kevin Conroy’s voice in my head, but I was robbed of that experience when reading the early appearances of Ra’s from the 70s. The dialogue from the 70s is very clunky and laughable at times. I heard Adam’s West’s voice more at that point in the book. It didn’t start feeling like Batman for me until I arrived to the Detective Comics 750 issue.

I understand why those 70s stories were included in this book and this edition certainly wouldn’t be complete without them. I just had to keep reminding myself that the writing style was different back during the Bronze Age.

Overall, this collection is a great introduction to the Ra’s Al Ghul character and highlights the most important moments in his almost 50 year history with the Batman.This is an essential edition to read for any Batman fan as well as any fan of the Demon’s Head.

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another collection of comics about one of Batman's villains. This collection is about Ra's Al Ghul, AKA The Demon's Head. He has lived for centuries, cheating death with the use of the Lazarus Pit. My favorite stories are (in order of publication this time) "The Demon Lives Again!" (Batman #244, a continuation of Batman #243's "The Lazarus Pit!"), where Ra's Al Ghul and Batman battle in a desert; "Resurrection Shuffle" (Batman Annual #26), where Talia's son Damian must remember his grandfather's life story; "Eminence Front" (Nightwing #152), where Nightwing and Ra's al Ghul fight; and 'The Demon's Tower" (Batman and Robin #23.3), where Ra's Al Ghul vows that no matter how others may try to change the world in their image, he will continue to change it in his own. One last note: I'm not sure how I feel about White Ghost. I think I prefer Ubu.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, collections like this are interesting because they show, not only how a particular character has evolved, but also how the comic industry and society as a whole have as well. This particular graphic looked at Ra's Al Ghul, an interesting villain because, unlike most of Batman's foes, he isn't a thug or a mob boss. He's the head of the League of Assassins, an ancient and international group, as well as an immortal. The odd respect the detective and the "Demon's Head" have for each other is an interesting relationship to watch evolve, especially since the two eventually share a relative--Damian Wayne. This collection also showcases the Lazarus Pits, making it doubly interesting to see how that part of the DC Universe has evolved over the years.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit underwhelming, truth be told, but it was an alright collection of issues to read to pass the time. The first five issues were written by Dennis O'Neil and although they were the ones that introduced the character, they were also arguably the weakest of the lot. He may have created the Ra's Al Ghul but the power and intrigue I associated with him growing up seems to have been given to him by future writers and not the creator.

[Tim Omstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of Ra's So Ghul stories.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like how this collected some of Ra's' best stories. Ra's is one of my favorite DC villains, second to maybe Deathstroke, so reading this was a lot of fun.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked most of the stories featured. A couple weren't my taste. The older stories were easily the best of the bunch.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A waste of long life. Interesting dynamic between the villain and the vigilante. Talia adds a complication. Ra's Al Ghul's goals aren't always clear but he is a good foil for the Batman.