Comic Book Review: Batman: Tales of the Demon
Batman "Tales of the Demon" (1998)
Collecting Batman 232, 235, 240, 242, 243 and 244, Detective Comics 411, 485, 489 and 490, and DC Special Series Volume 2 15. Writer: Denny O'Neil, Artists: Dick Giordano, Neal Adams, Irv Novick, Bob Brown, Michael Golden, Don Newton, and Dan Adkins. Originally published by DC Comics throughout the 1970's, trade paperback published in 1998.
I went to the comics store on Saturday for Free Comic Book day, because, free is a good price. But, I didn't want to go just for the free ones, because I thought it made me look cheap. So, I decided to grab a trade paperback. I was going to get Batman: The Long Halloween but it was 30 bucks. So, this one caught my eye, since the villain the set revolves around, Ra's al Ghul, will be featured in the upcoming Batman Begins movie, but I really didn't know anything about him. So I figured it was time I read up.
This collection seemed to be the best place to start, as it collects all of Ra's appearances throughout the 70's since his first appearance in Batman 232. Sadly, by the time the set is over, I still had very little idea about who al Ghul is and what it is he can do. He seemed to just drift in and out of Batman comics throughout the decade, seeming menacing and conniving while never being given real motivations or a thorough examination. He seems powerful, in a Lex Luthor-mastermind kind of way, and seems to be able to fight well. He figures out Batman's identity, and plays games with the detective, but never seems to have an ultimate goal. The Lazarus Pit is shown to revive Ra's from the dead, but it's never established that he's been doing it for centuries.
As a story, the set is simply a collection of stories, many of which were single story arcs. So it doesn't read that well as a continuous set or theme. Worse, is that it is very indicative of the era, with hackneyed dialogue and plotting that sometimes is too convenient to be taken seriously. At the time, Batman was moving away from the campy portrayal made famous by the TV show, but it's still not the Batman we know today. He banters with criminals. It's kind of off-putting. Worse than the bantering Batman and undefined Ra's al Ghul is the whole Batman/Talia (al Ghul's daughter) love angle. In the first issue, Batman rescues Talia and there's a bit of flirtation. The next issue (which was three issues later when originally published) Ra's cooks up a scheme to test Batman to see if he'll make a worthy son-in-law. Because Talia luuurves Batman. In a later issue, Ra's kidnaps Batman, drugs him, and marries the two (while Batman is unconscious), thinking that this will cause the detective to look the other way while he plots. Ooooh-kay. It's the sort of storyline (hero falls for villains daughter) that could be really good, but isn't the way it's portrayed. Seriously, the issue in question is titled "I Now Pronounce You Batman and Wife!". Ugh.
There is a three part story in the set, collecting issues 242-244 which is pretty decent. Batman fakes the death of Bruce Wayne so he can go after Ra's in Asia (Ra's al Ghul, AKA The Demon's Head, is from some unidentified country in Asia) without alerting Ra's (who learned his identity in issue 235). After recruiting some accomplices (non-super-heroes), he gets to Ra's liar only to learn that his foe is already dead. Of course, Ra's is resurrected thanks to the Lazarus Pit, and defeats Batman. Batman eventually tracks him down in the desert and defeats him. This story has some really corny parts, but manages enough excitement, intrigue, and pathos to be considered a good tale from the era.
But ultimately, I should've spent my money elsewhere. Since this is all pre-Crisis, I don't think it's even canon anymore. It seems as though writers have picked up where O'Neil left off and added some motivation and purpose behind The Demon's Head, besides his being a mysterious Asian foe who dies sometimes. I would've been better off getting more recent depictions, like Birth of the Demon, which apparently has his re-vamped origin in it (damn impulse buys. Why didn't I do this research before hand?). The value of this trade paperback is mostly archival. It's a fine look at 70's era Batman, but not the best use of my time and money.
2/5