Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al GhulFather-Son Relationships (spoilers)
While the events of this graphic novel depict the return of Ra's Al Ghul to the land of the living, I noticed that the real theme of the story was about the relationship between a son and his father. Batman and his two adopted children, Tim Drake (the 3rd Robin) and Dick Grayson (Nightwing), join forces to protect his only biological son, Damian. In the mean time, Ra's Al Ghul is again presented as the complete opposite of Bruce Wayne, as it shows glimpses of his relationship with his father and son. While some thought the action was a little sparse, to me, the relationships explored here were far more interesting. Damian, Bruce Wayne's son and Ra's Al Ghul's grandson, plays an integral part in the plan to bring Ra's back to life. He has been raised in the lap of luxury and has known no hardship. Naturally, he's completely insufferable, and is a very easy character to hate. In what could perhaps become a redeeming quality, however, what Damian desires above all else is the approval of his father, even though Bruce could really care less, and is much more interested in ensuring Ra's remains comfortably dead. Nightwing and Robin, Bruce's two "adopted" sons, also seek the respect of Batman, but I think deep down they know they already have it. Neither want to fail him, but also, it seems both would rather have their biological parents back if they could. By far, the best parts of this graphic novel are the scene written by Paul Dini where Ra's tempts Robin with bringing his parents back, and the resolution of that situation later on. The second Robin, Jason Todd, is only mentioned in passing, but it should be noted that he was killed by the Joker while looking for his biological mother. I'm not sure if that fits into this theme, choosing his biological mother over Batman, as his biological parent was still alive. Batman does feel great responsibility for Jason's death, however, and we know he considers it to be his greatest failing. Bruce's relationship with his parents is well known. His entire crusade against crime is a result of a promise he made on his parents grave, and he desperately wants his work to be something his parents would be proud of. Alfred is his surrogate father figure, and this is the relationship that is displayed as an ideal father-son relationship in this comic. Both Bruce and Alfred try hard to protect each other and not to let down the other, they care for each other and work together. Ra's, on the other hand, has a very destructive relationship with his father (Sensei) and son (the White Ghost). He overthrew his father as leader of their clan a young man, and in the course of this story the two attempt to destroy each other completely. Meanwhile, Ra's son, The White Ghost, has been his only faithful servant for centuries, yet Ra's never calls him by his name or refers to him as his son. Ra's only seems to appreciate The White Ghost in the very moment he possesses his body. In the end, Ra's has outlived his father who he despised, and destroyed his son who loved him unconditionally. In this regard, Talia Al Ghul really doesn't fit in. She's one of the only women in the novel and really just seems to follow Batman and run around punching and kicking ninjas. While she's attempting to protect her son, it's clear he's not interested in her protection, and doesn't seem to think she needs protection herself. She had to be in the story, as she's Ra's daughter and Damian's mother, but there doesn't seem to be much other justification for her being there. In the end, this graphic novel succeeded in some areas more than others. Some thought there wasn't enough action, but I disagree. Just because people aren't beating each other up doesn't mean there isn't exciting stuff going on. In all, I thought the story was very good, it provided an intriguing look into some of the relationships that make Batman interesting, and it gave a believable way to bring back one of Batman's greatest villains.
True Ghul
The funny thing about comic books is that -- no matter how hard the hero tries -- you can never keep a good (or bad) man down, and Ras al Ghul defies death (kinda/sorta) in the latest hardcover Bat-release, BATMAN: THE RESURRECTION OF RAS AL GHUL. In a recent radio interview on Coast-to-Coast, Neal Adams remarked that he and Denny O'Neil -- in their massive stint at re-creating the Batman mythology in the 1970's and 1980's -- were tasked at one point in creating a stellar Bat-villain: much like Sherlock Holmes has his Professor Moriarity, they gave Batman his Ras al Ghul ... an almost evil mirror-image to Bruce Wayne: Ras had vastly greater wealth and power than his Gotham playboy counterpart, and he represented the worst the could have happened to Bruce had he allowed the death of his parents to push him onto a more violent, more vengeance-fueled path. Ras was the perfect foil -- where Bruce was a socialite, Ras was an introvert. Where Bruce used his influence in Gotham, Ras' playground was the entire world. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be: Ras perished in a fiery doom and was thought to have at last found rest in peace. His return, however, is far from perfect: his flesh has been denied the healing powers of the Lazarus Pit for far too long so a new host body is required ... and, lo and behold, Batman and Ras' daughter's tryst (oh, the ever lovely Talia) in BATMAN: BRIDE OF THE DEMON produced a male child -- Damian -- and now the Caped Crusader must race against time to thwart his adversary's dark plans to inhabit the soul of the son he never knew he had. That said, there's probably as much to celebrate in RESURRECTION as there is to -- well -- loath. Young Damian is wreckless and arrogant, reminding Bat-readers of all of the worst elements regarding the short and largely unpopular career of Jason Todd (the second young man to wear the mask of Robin). The cast of characters involved in the tale to resurrect Ras grows to involve some additional mystical ne'er-do-wells, but there's very little backstory provided to justify bringing too many incidentals into the fold. And the ever-lovely Talia is present (mostly) to serve as a butt-kickin' Desperate Housewife -- the kind of Soccer-mom you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley -- and she isn't drawn particularly exotic, she never seems entirely interested in working toward the resurrection of her "deceased" father, and she doesn't appear nearly enough in the 250+ pages. Any Bat-graphic novel (this is a collection of individual issues rather than a brand-spanking-new tale) has plenty of reason to celebrate (there's a massive Ninja showdown at stately Wayne Manor very early in the tale that almost begs to be filmed); but these moments are either too few, too uninspired, or too badly drawn. Ghulists can still celebrate, though. Ras is back -- maybe not in top form -- but let's hope the next time he rears his ugly head there will be more action, more mayhem, and much much more at stake.
He's back
This trade is the latest entry in what has become a subgenre all of its' own, the multi-title Batman crossover, a successful and prodigious format that still has many critics. The melding of different creative teams can be a recipe for failure, hence the saying "Too many cooks..." This story regrettably does illustrate that main flaw, the surprising and frustrating irony being that the big guns of Grant Morrison and Paul Dini are the ones who don't carry their own considerable weight and let the rest of the team and the project as a whole down. The saving grace comes from the unexpected but certainly talented pens of Peter Milligan and Fabian Nicienza with their respective Robin and Nightwing issues, and in the process make it a Robin/NW story moreso than a Batman one. The central attraction here is not so much the welcomed return of Ra's, which is still somewhat unclear and confusing, but the temptation by Ra's of Robin regarding the possible resurrection of all of the loved ones that he has painfully lost, with Nightwing right alongside him providing support and guidance. Dick and Tim have developed a wonderful relationship over the years and that is greatly emphasized here as these two brothers by choice grapple with this very enticing but potentially quite disastrous moral dilemma. For Ra's, it remains to be seen how his return will play out in the forthcoming months, including his role in the current R.I.P. storyline, and that includes Talia and Damian as well. Here Talia is once again written in a different style. A general consensus can't seem to be reached on how to portray her. Not only is there inconsistency from story to story, but in this case scene to scene. One moment she is endearingly referring to Batman as beloved, and the next impassionately as Detective, the cold and impersonal name that her father so callously calls him. Is this dichotomy a way of showing her conflicted emotions, or just poor editorial oversight? And just where do her loyalties presently lie; with her father, with her son, or with the father of her son? We may get the resolution to many of these questions soon. So despite a few flaws and some erratic artwork, thanks to Messrs. Milligan and Nicienza we have yet another entertaining but admittedly far from perfect Batman crossover. How ironic that the story's heart and soul were comprised from the very issues that were originally considered to be its' least important parts.
Mixed bag
What happens when one of Batman's most powerful enemies comes back from the dead? Nothing too good, as Batman, Robin, and Nightwing and are about to find out in The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul. The story picks up with Damian, the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul, seeking Batman for help when his grandfather returns from the grave to use him for a new body. Soon enough, Batman is on the scene, as Robin struggles with playing second fiddle to Damian, and Nightwing gets thrown into the mix as well. The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul is pretty much a crossover of a number of Batbooks, and feature contributions from writers including Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, Peter Milligan, Keith Champagne, and Fabian Nicieza; and artists including Tony Daniel, David Lopez, Jason Pearson, Freddie E. Williams II, Don Kramer, and Ryan Benjamin among others. The biggest problem with this hardcover collection is that a majority of the book just feels uneven and disjointed thanks to having so much talent on board throughout so many books. The brilliance of Grant Morrison's run on Batman in particular gets lost in all of this, but for the most part, The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul manages to be pretty entertaining regardless. Still though, it just seems that the story as a whole could have been much better too. Flaws aside though, The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul is a decent and entertaining Batman saga that you will get some enjoyment out of, but if you're looking for some Batman stories that really prove memorable, just stick with Grant Morrison's current run.
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