Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul [Hardcover]

Grant Morrison (Author), Paul Dini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 20, 2008

Batman's immortal foe, Ra's Al Ghul, should be dead at last -- so how has he returned to haunt The Dark Knight?

And what does his return have to do with Batman's teenaged son, Damian -- whose mother is Ra's Al Ghul's daughter, Talia? It will take the combined skills of Batman, Robin and Nightwing to get to the bottom of these mysteries and stop Ra's Al Ghul's insidious plans!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Buzzing with action, Resurrection will appeal to Batman's fans, but it is not a good starting point for readers unfamiliar with the series history. Ra's Al Ghul has miraculously returned from what was thought to be a fiery demise. His features badly burned, Ra's needs a completely new host body to continue his evil ways. His candidate is bratty Damian-his grandson, who happens to be the child of Batman and Talia, Ra's Al Ghul's daughter. When Damian is eventually captured by his grandfather, Batman and Ra's face off to determine the boy's fate. The artwork varies with each chapter. Violence is depicted, and images of women may strike some as objectification. The exaggerated, comic-book-style illustrations are consistently well done, although characters are rendered differently by each artist, a fact that may throw off some readers. The writing also fluctuates with each chapter, from standard heroic platitudes to tongue-in-cheek sarcasm. This is not an essential purchase, but it will be welcomed by readers with knowledge of the characters and backstory.—Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI
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From Booklist

Although a relative latecomer, Ra’s al Ghul has become one of the most prominent Batman archvillains, as attested by his pivotal role in the movie Batman Begins. This multipart saga of the criminal mastermind’s return from the dead is intended as the ultimate Ra’s epic but doesn’t quite measure up because of its disjointedness. Originally spread over four different Batman-related monthly comics, the story was produced by a quintet of writers, whose round-Robin (and -Batman, and -Nightwing) approach shows. Eight primary artists of varying talent don’t help cohesiveness, either. Still, Bat-fans will find plenty to enjoy in the continent-spanning epic. --Gordon Flagg

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (May 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401217850
• ISBN-13: 978-1401217853
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.6 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #454,610 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Father-Son Relationships (spoilers), May 28, 2008

By 

Jose Ibanez "woofboo" (Eatontown, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul (Hardcover)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed bag, May 20, 2008

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul (Hardcover)

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.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars He's back, May 20, 2008

By 

Jon Repesh (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul (Hardcover)

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 Nicieza 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 Nicieza 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.