Customer Reviews

Batman: Tales of the Demon

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is a beautiful, complete reprint of the original 1970's stories that shaped Ra's al Ghul and Batman's relationship.
It includes issues #232, 235, 240, 242, 243 and 244 of Batman Comics, Detective Comics #411, 485, 489 and 490, and DC Special Series Volume 2 #15.
Since they are collected in a single volume in the same format that they were originally printed and released (from non-sequential issues), when reading from cover to cover there are many gaps in the story line, some seemingly unresolved endings and a few abrupt beginnings. Remember, Ra's al Ghul's case was one Batman kept open between his usual obligations to Gotham.
Also noticeable is the fact that neither Batman nor Ra's al Ghul live up to their present-day personalities in these stories. But, it's fair to keep in mind that Adams and O'Neil's was the first attempt to return the Dark Knight to his dark, gothic origins and break the stride of his 1960's camp characterization. This they cleverly did by matching him against an antagonist that not only respected him and constantly tested his prowess and investigative abilities, but that also wanted to recruit him as his successor, making the Batman doubt his own morality.
This volume's value is mostly archival, collecting every appearance of Ra's al Ghul and containing the sources of other events in the life of the Caped Crusader like his marriage to Talia, Ra's's daughter, the death of the first Batgirl, and the origins of Matches Malone.
As a bonus, it also includes a delightful introduction by Sam Hamm, explaining the villain's creation, and an afterword by Dennis O'Neil, looking back at his involvement with Batman over the years.
Printed in great colors and illustrated in the traditional 1970's style, this is definitely an interesting look at the history of Batman and the first appearances of one of his most memorable nemesis.
Also recommended: Son of the Demon by Jerry Bingham and Mike W. Barr.
--Reviewed by M. E. Volmar

This book collects the entire 70's run of stories involving Ra's Al Ghul (the demons head) and Batman. It was written mostly by Denny O'Neil and penciled by the Neal Adams, one of the most famous Batman artists ever.


It involves eco terrorist Ra's Al Ghul as he takes on Batman. Ra's has one daughter, Talia. Whom Ra's wants Batman to marry as he is the only man worthy of her, and whom Ra's wants to take over his operations after he dies.


Some view The Joker as Batman's greatest foe. But I say it is Ra's. He is Moriarty to Batman's Sherlock Holmes. And while there is an animus between both men. There is also a grudging respect. Almost like a father and son relationship.

Anyone familiar with the James Bond films, will notice a startling simlarity between this book and the movie "On Her Majesties Secret Service". I don't know whether it was intentional or not but it seemed that movie(or book) was heavily refrenced in this book.

The story is not that engaging, but I am not going to fault it for that because it was written back in the 70's. And writing styles have changed. However this book is a must for Batman fans and those who want to know how the Ra's Al Ghul saga started.

"Tales of the Demon" highlights the issues of the comic in which the infamous villain, Ras Al Ghul, was introduced. Ras Al Ghul is one of the best Batman villains out there. He knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman, he is the leader of powerful assassin groups, and he can be revived from death or serious injury by using his "Lazarus Pit," implying that he may outlive Batman. However, Ras would actually like Batman to replace him and take his beautiful daughter Talia as his wife. So the relationship between the two is very complex.

Batman realizes that in terms of strategy, power, and longevity, Ras may be his greatest challenge. Threatening worldwide destruction, Ras is a villain whose scope of tyranny oustretches even the Joker's. Batman desperately seeks to bring Ras to justice. Not even his affection for Talia can deter him from this single goal.

The stories depict two men who conceive justice in extremely different ways. This book chronicles the personal war that wages on between two men who are strikingly similar and yet worlds apart. If you want to read the history of one of the greatest Batman villains, this is for you.

While most of the material was originally published during the early 1970s, none of it appears outdated or lacklustre; a testimony to Dennis O'Neil & Neal Adams' vision of comic book storytelling. This trade paperback edition also includes stories that first appeared in 1978, 1979 & 1980. These later tales lack the intensity and drama of Al Ghul's earlier appearances but they still overpower the nonsensical sagas of Bruce Wayne: Murderer & Batman: War Games.

There is no doubt that The Joker is the most recognizable nemesis of Batman's rogue gallery. Alongside The Penguin, Two-Face, The Riddler and the original, criminal version of Catwoman, these characters have helped define as well as elevate The Caped Crusader's popularity in all mediums whether it be comic books, animation or film. However, what separates Ra's Al Ghul from the other villains is that he is not grotesque in appearance nor is he prolifically insane. Contrary to Batman's high profiled enemies, this character is treacherously intelligent, logical and relies on order instead of chaos to further advance his plans. Another distinctive trait is that by harnessing the earth's magnetic currents and the properties of certain chemicals, he has invented a method to revive his body when death approaches'. The aptly named `Lazarus Pit' has allowed Ra's Al Ghul several lifetimes in which he created a network whose goal is to cleanse the earth of a parasite that is destroying the planet. That is, the over abundance of human population that is making the air non-breathable, the water undrinkable and rapidly depleting our planet's life giving resources. Al Ghul has no desire to completely wipe out the human race but rather to downsize it at a level that the earth can sustain and of course, would usher this new age as its master. He views himself as a visionary that will save mankind and the environment but Batman regards him as nothing more than a dangerous madman who must be stopped at all costs. Obviously, Ra's Al Ghul's goal is not to commit crimes in an attempt to best Batman in a match of wits or brawn. This is beneath him. In fact, he regards Batman as his most fitting successor and husband to his beautiful daughter, Talia.

With such a complex and unique character, Dennis O'Neil chronicled some of the greatest Batman tales ever. He returned Batman to his roots as a creature of the night but does not shy away from showing a defeated Caped Crusader in combat situations against the likes of The Bronze Tiger or lagging behind an Olympic ski medalist. This important aspect allows the hero to be accessible to the audience. Bruce Wayne's tragedy is obviously still at the core of the character but O'Neil does not hammer down this point incessantly where we can no longer differentiate Batman from his cast of villains. O'Neil's Dark Knight Detective is an intense and determined crime fighter but can still interact with his entourage while prone to failure. In fact, this Batman is not above seeking help in order to bring down Ra's Al Ghul. Quite a contrast from the angst filled and anti-social persona that is presently found in the Batman titles and been overbearingly interpreted as such for the past fifteen years. These hack writers and short-sighted editors should go beyond Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns to discover that the likes of Steve Englehart, Frank Robbins & Archie Goodwin wrote some Batman stories that are as valid as any other. It makes me wonder if they ever bothered to read the Bob Kane & Bill Finger material.

Neal Adams' contribution to the North American comic book industry is impossible to measure or quantify. His style has directly as well as indirectly influenced comic book artists for four decades. Adams' facet to perspective and anatomy brought a heightened realism to the character that led the way for future Batman artists such as Marshal Rogers and Alan Davis. While Tales Of The Demon does not feature the best of Don Newton's work, he certainly belongs as one of the top Batman pencillers who could bring out the moody and dark atmosphere of the Dark Knight's world. His four year run on Detective Comics and Batman is still sadly overlooked while unskilled, non-talented shmucks such as Michael Turner are revered as the greatest ever. Go figure. Irv Novick is another artist who never seems to get the proper recognition for his astounding body of work. His slick pencilling style puts him in the same league as Gil Kane, John Buscema and Ross Andru. Novick was an artist who could convey all the vibrant action and dynamic pacing of a story that made Batman come to life. This trade paperback also reprints the excellent Dennis O'Neil/Michael Golden collaboration from DC Special Series #15. His highly detailed work from the late 1970s and 1980s made him one of the most relevant artists in the comic book medium during those decades.

Tales Of The Demon is a worthy companion piece to other editions such as Batman: Black & White and Batman: Year Two. While Bob Kane and Bill Finger are the ones responsible for creating this wonderful character, it is Dennis O'Neil who brought back the approach that made him great during The Golden Age of comics. For over six decades, many writers and artists have left their stamp on the Batman legacy but most of them pale in comparison to the inspirational work of O'Neil & Adams.

Review by Brian Grindrod

It's funny reading the negative reviews by people who must be in their 20s (or younger) because they obviously don't understand the historic importance of some of the stories in this collection--or in what form the stories were originally released. Instead, they want to focus on the continuity between chapters without knowing why the lack of chapter transitions is part of why they are great stories.

I remember when the 1971-72 stories first came out (back when I was 11 and 12 years old). Some of them were in BATMAN while others came out in DETECTIVE COMICS. They were not released in consecutive issues the way "story arcs" in comics are now. Instead, there might be three to five months between each Ras Al Ghul issue.

The overall effect was that the Ras Al Ghul plot was an ongoing case that Batman was working on for two years while attending to his other "monthly" duties in-between. Everything eventually came to a head when Batman travelled to the Alps and the Sahara desert for the "final" three-issue showdown with Ras Al Ghul.

The stories from 1971 and 1972 are classic and historic Batman tales that any discriminating fan must not be without, and the true origin of Matches Malone is in these stories. The Neal Adams artwork alone is worth the cost of the book.

I thought that this was a great story, we see Ra's Al Ghul desperately trying to recruit the Dark Knight to be his successor, and he considers Batman the only one worthy enough in all the world. A very tempting offer, as it included his very attractive daughter to be his bride, so it's clear that Batman must remember to keep his focus and not let his personal feelings get in the way of his mission.

Also in the TPB, we see Batman square off against The Bronze Tiger, who proves to be Batman's match in martial arts combat. This just solidifies that Batman is a top 5 martial artist, because The Bronze Tiger was trained by Richard Dragon, who is supposedly was the greatest martial artist in the DCU. Dragon also trained Lady Shiva, who quite easily can beat Nightwing in open combat (Nightwing isn't exactly a slouch, either!).

Oh man, this new printing of TOFD is really bad. DC put new coloring in this paperback and obscures alot of the the great artwork.
Since this book has Ra's al Ghul (who appears in the Batman Begins)As a tie-in to the movie DC decided to update the colors, using new advances in printing; then they could sell it to a new generation of comic book readers who might have seen the movie.
I would try to get the original edition with the colors untouched and avoid this new one at all costs.

A fairly good look at Ra's al Ghul in the seventies. Contains:
"Into the Den of the Death-Dealers!"-An fairly good story(8)
"Daughter of the Demon"-excellent(9.5)
"Swamp Sinister"-very good(8.5)
"Vengeance for a Dead Man!"wonderful still(8.5)
"Bruce Wayne-Rest in Peace"-not so good(6.5)
"The Lazarus Pit"-better(8)
"The Demon Lives Again!"(8.5)
"I Now Pronounce You Batman and Wife"(8)
"The Vengeance Vow"(8)
"Where strike the assassins"(7)
"Requiem for a Martyr"(8.5)
Highly recommended if you want a great look at Ra's al Ghul,or Batman for that matter,in the seventies.

VERY nice compilation!.

The first thing that catch my attention is the quality of pages in this book. i don't think the art was restored or inked or re-colored, but the regular colors in this new paper quality looks beautiful.

The art is also so much better than I expected. There's stories from the 60's and 70's here but it looks great. Pencils, Inks and color looks impressive!.

The stories comes from the first appearance of Ras Al Ghul in the Batman world. I expected that this wasn't going to be the usual Batman we (recent fans) are used to. In fact there's a lot of moments that Batman seems out of character by appearing in the day or being near reporters and that sort of stuff.

I honestly don't have a problem with this. I like to think this is Batman just begining his career as crime-fighter and still made mistakes.

What I like about this is that Ras and Batman's relationship is unique. Both respect themselves more than they would admit, however they're mortal enemies.

Although this is a great book to have is far from being complete. I would love to have this material in another book (perhap an omnibus) and also containing "Bane of the Demon", "Son of the Demon" and "Lovers and Maidens". THAT would be a great Ras Al Ghul book.

As a big batman batman fan, I thought I would get a good volume of original Neal Adams work. When I first opened this book I saw perhaps, the most color enhanced work since Batman: Gotham After Midnight. For some reason,the publishers thought that they should color enhance Neal Adam's masterpieces of Ra's Al ghoul. WE WANT THE ORIGINAL ART! This stuff looks like it came from 1995. Go with the original version, not this stuff!Batman: Tales of the Demon