Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Batman and Robin #23.3 Ra's Al Ghul


Don't try to deal with the Demon.



Ra's Al Ghul has been out of the spotlight for a few years now.

The last time he had a prominent arc was his resurrection, which wasn't handled very well. It is a great injustice to the man who is probably one of the best of Batman's rogues gallery.

But now with his daughter's death in the pages of Batman Incorporated, he's back just in time to see the Crime Syndicate take over. But Ra's doesn't go down easily.



The flashbacks were not that exciting nor enlightening, cutting away at the very moment it should have stayed and lingering where it shouldn't. Ra's power and reach were both handled better in the present story than in the flashbacks.

Seeing Batman spar with Ra's never gets old. We also gets flashbacks to the Ebola virus, which recalls the Contagion storyline, so that seems to be in continuity (though No Man's Land seems to be non-canon, thanks to Barbara mentioning that her father never pursued any relationship after his separation from her mother).



But the true menace lies in the Ra's speech and the writer got more right. Ra's may be shown to be under attack (apparently by someone who likes Tim's costume too much) but he always seems in control. That is Ra's Al Ghul.

And he delivers a true in-character response to the Syndicate's messenger. Ra's bows to no empire, and always tears it down.

Looking forward to the chaos he causes.

So, I give it 7.5 out of 10.

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