Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul (Batman)

by Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, Peter Milligan, Fabian Nicieza, Keith Champagne, Don Kramer (Illustrator), Jason Pearson (Illustrator), Tony Daniel (Illustrator) , more…

3.54 of 5 stars 3.54 · rating details · 1,627 ratings · 76 reviews

Batman's immortal foe, Ra's Al Ghul, should be dead at last — so how has he returned to haunt The Dark Knight? Find out in this 256-page hardcover volume collecting the intense tale originally presented in Batman Annual #26, Batman #670-671, Robin #168-169, ROBIN ANNUAL #7, Nightwing #138-139, and Detective Comics #838-839!

Ra's al Ghul is back…but what does his return have...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published May 20th 2008 by DC Comics (first published 2008)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Grant Morrison Batman Reading Order

5th out of 12 books — 3 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 2,207)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 19, 2012 Emily Green rated it 4 of 5 stars

Batman: The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul, collectively written by Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, Peter Milligan, Fabian Nicieza, and Keith Champagne, pits Batman against Ra’s Al Ghul in a fight to save his son, Damian, who also happens to be Ra’s Al Ghul’s grandson. Also joining the battle are Robin, Nightwing, Talia, and, to the great amusement of the audience, Alfred.

The collection shows some sophisticated character development, especially for Robin, who must choose alliances and decide whether he...more Batman: The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul, collectively written by Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, Peter Milligan, Fabian Nicieza, and Keith Champagne, pits Batman against Ra’s Al Ghul in a fight to save his son, Damian, who also happens to be Ra’s Al Ghul’s grandson. Also joining the battle are Robin, Nightwing, Talia, and, to the great amusement of the audience, Alfred.

The collection shows some sophisticated character development, especially for Robin, who must choose alliances and decide whether he will gamble on trusting Ra’s Al Ghul’s promises to bring back the dead. An interesting offer, especially in a Batman storyline, in which the majority of the characters happen to be orphans.

Damian, too, introduces interesting possibilities, as his mother has not always batted for evil, and has not always shown sane judgment. Can Damian overcome where he came from? It’s a good question, one that everyone must ask themselves: can we challenge our upbringing and breeding to be something greater?

Admittedly, Batman is not the star of this feature. Instead, the three heirs play greater roles: Damian, Robin, and Nightwing. Nightwing is even granted an interior monologue, which none of the others is allowed. With his age and perspective, he does not fall prey to the squabbling over Batman’s affection that Damian and Robin do. Both Damian and Robin find themselves seeking approval as well as wanting to win the fight, even seeking to win the fight in order to win Batman’s approval. So who does Batman love more? Wouldn’t be fair to spoil that, now would it?

A curiosity at the beginning of the collection: a brief introduction to all of the major characters, with illustrations. Seen at the beginning of other graphic novels, it is reminiscent of a printed play, in which each role is briefly named and described before the first act. Sometimes, the introductions feel like a waste of space, or worse, are simply confusing because of the amount of characters introduced. But for this book, it was quite helpful, because some of the characters, I-Ching, for example, are not properly introduced within the text, and indeed, a lengthy introduction often feels contrived and makes an otherwise smooth plot appear to have a large blister in the middle.

With several different artists at work on the collection, as well, there are many styles of writing and drawing, but they play off each other well to create a plotline that is not light on character or action. Quite artful and skillful, one of the best superhero comics that I have read. Well done.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 10, 2012 Sesana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, comics, fantasy, magic, multiple-viewpoints, superhumans

This was a crossover event between four of the Bat-books: Batman (Grant Morrison), Detective Comics (Paul Dini), Robin (Peter Milligan), and Nightwing (Fabian Nicieza). The major ones, in other words. These guys must have had some serious plotting discussion before they went to work, because the usual pitfalls of crossovers (uneven writing, stories that have little to do with each other) are minimized here. No, it's not exactly 52 levels of cooperation, but it's better than I usually expect such...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 01, 2012 Jon Lynch rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Nov 07, 2011 Sam Quixote rated it 2 of 5 stars

SPOILERS

So Ra's Al-Ghul is back from the dead. Again. He's after a new body to insert his spirit into and picks his daughter Talia and Bruce Wayne's kid, Damian, for the task only Damian doesn't want to be a shell for a centuries old nutjob so he runs to Gotham to hide. Enter the Bat.

This is a pre-cursor to the huge saga that Batman went on that Grant Morrison masterminded, so maybe coming to this after I've read the series is a bit late, but I guess I was hoping for some sh*ts and giggles, but...more SPOILERS

So Ra's Al-Ghul is back from the dead. Again. He's after a new body to insert his spirit into and picks his daughter Talia and Bruce Wayne's kid, Damian, for the task only Damian doesn't want to be a shell for a centuries old nutjob so he runs to Gotham to hide. Enter the Bat.

This is a pre-cursor to the huge saga that Batman went on that Grant Morrison masterminded, so maybe coming to this after I've read the series is a bit late, but I guess I was hoping for some sh*ts and giggles, but saying that it's kind of a chore to read and not that brilliant a book.

Ra's Al-Ghul's return was always going to have a confrontation with Batman, and this happens, and there's a bunch of fighting as Batman fights his way through the legions of henchmen that Ra's throws up along the way and of course he deals with them too.

There are a lot of side stories that seem to detract from the overall story arc such as the three sub-par superheroines in Gotham, the whole Batman in Australia thing, the "death" of White Ghost which doesn't explain why 100 pages later he re-appears without explanation, or the pointless fight between Tim Drake and Dick Grayson that was a waste of time even before it started, let alone an issue later. This might have been because of the various writers involved - Grant Morrison and Paul Dini are emblazoned on the cover but they only wrote two issues each, so the majority of the book was handed over to lesser writers to pick up.

Ra's is kind of an ok villain but because of his extreme longevity coupled with a seeming indestructibleness and what appears to be magical powers to transfer himself from one person to another, he's the kind of ethereal villain that shouldn't be in Batman. Batman's villains are real and less magical and the grittiness matches Batman's own lack of superpowers, making for more engaging stories. With Ra's and his various powers, including the bizarre Lazarus Pits, it makes the Batman stories that less compelling and more parodying superhero comics.

Overlong, overwritten, and in many places meandering, I can't say this was an essential book for any Batman fan and having read the rest of the Grant Morrison Batman saga, I can say it isn't necessary to pick up to enjoy the rest of the story. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 17, 2011 Joy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 21c, superhero, comics

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

May 01, 2011 Trekscribbler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more 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. (less)

like · see review

Oct 25, 2010 Madeleine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel

Overall, this is a good story. Overall it's a good story, DESPITE some of the writers.
I'm not sure how much control Grant Morrison had over the stories revolving around his Batman, but it seems like a fair amount based off the themes and characters used throughout this story arc/Trade. However, this collection is not just taken from Grant Morrison's Batman comics but also from Robin, Nightwing, a couple Annuals, and so there's around four other authors (Paul Dini, to mention one.) and mostly th...more

like · see review

Aug 30, 2010 Ragnell rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hate to be this person, but honestly I only liked a few parts of this story, and those were the ones written by Morrison. Dini's parts were passable, the stuff by Milligan was irritating, and the stuff by Nicieza was infuriating. I really like Damian, he's the latest in a line of heroes descended from villains who inherited a really terrible demeanor from their villain progenitor (Pietro Maxioff, Soranik Natu), and the one closest to being an actual villain. Fortunately, his homicidal tendenci...more I hate to be this person, but honestly I only liked a few parts of this story, and those were the ones written by Morrison. Dini's parts were passable, the stuff by Milligan was irritating, and the stuff by Nicieza was infuriating. I really like Damian, he's the latest in a line of heroes descended from villains who inherited a really terrible demeanor from their villain progenitor (Pietro Maxioff, Soranik Natu), and the one closest to being an actual villain. Fortunately, his homicidal tendencies aren't compulsive, they're learned from a twisted upbringing, and at only 10 years old he's been brought into the Batfamily just in time to cut his budding villainy off at the pass. (Though do you notice, the male Robins are getting steadily darker? Dick was lighthearted, Jason was an angsty streetkid before he died, Tim is constantly in danger of turning into Bruce, and Damian is Bruce distilled, concentrated, and mixed with the morals learned in the League of Assassins).

I'll give Milligan some credit for softening Damian up in a sensible way. He's a brat, but he's going through a tough time in here. He irritated me by arranging the plot so he could manufacture some unnecessary fight scenes between Tim and Damian and make Tim into the aggressor this time around, rather than having Tim as a calm, skeptical helper. Tim thinks with his brain not his feet. Still, neither boy comes off really terrible.

No, the person who comes off bad in this is NIGHTWING, and that's by his internal monologue. He comes to the house thinking to himself that Damian's not worth fighting a few hundred ninjas to save because "no one likes" him.

What. The. Fuck.

Okay, the kid's psychotic, but he's TEN YEARS OLD. Come ON.

And second, this is DICK GRAYSON. Since when does he think about how likable someone is before he saves their ass? He's been a superhero since HE was ten years old. Yes, it's nice that he likes Tim and thinks of him as a brother, but it is NOT in character for Dick to having second thoughts about saving a ten year old boy, even if it is one who's cut off someone's head in the past. He shouldn't have to tell himself he's doing this for Tim, and wonder why he should do anything for Damian--he should just know that he's doing this because he's Dick Grayson and that's the sort of person he is.

And there's later in the book, when he sees Damian in his baby Robin with the hooded white cloak costume, and thinks that he needs to smack the kid later. Also not in character. Maybe if he'd heard Damian being arrogant and made a joke about how that meant he was okay, that'd be a bit more Grayson. Maybe if earlier he hadn't been questioning whether or not this ten year old kid is worth fighting ninjas over, it wouldn't have seemed so... dickish? Either way, it pissed me off too. This is not Dick Grayson. Dick Grayson wouldn't think twice about helping someone no matter how awful they are--ESPECIALLY against a big bad like Ra's Al Ghul. Batman raised him better than that.

Also, Talia went into simpering love interest mode way too often. I can take Talia as a cold-hearted villainess, or a protective she-bear mother, or both (that latest Batman and Robin appearance? I want to see the actual confrontation, because as much as she wanted to manipulate the kid back to her side I don't believe for a second she's dropped the protective mother aspect and wll let anyone kill her son. She was preying on his jealous nature) but this simpering love interest shit? Some of these conversations between her and Batman made no sense. It was like a bad romance movie, where the heroine is contractually obligated to accuse the hero of denying his emotions when he is focusing on solving the real problem. She was good in a fight, and as a maternal figure, but when they tried to play up her romantic side she looked just plain nonsensical.

Dreadful book. Skip it and just be happy with the exposition dialogue or flashbacks if this stuff ever comes up.

And I advise you never to read Nicieza's Dick Grayson. Ever.(less)

like · see review

Aug 11, 2012 Lloyd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2000s, comic-book-graphic-novel, grant-morrison, batman

I tackled this book on my read through Grant Morrison's run on the Batman title. While many fans don't actually list it in the bibliography of reading Morrison's Batman run, and with it not being written ONLY by Morrison, I guess it wouldn't HAVE to be read in checking out his Batman stuff, but I'm glad I did.

I hadn't read much on the character of Ra's al Ghul before. The only knowledge I had of came from Christopher Nolan's trilogy of Bat-films (the last of which recently been released as I typ...more

like · see review

Jun 11, 2012 Shane rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's always a mixed bag when you have a story going through Annual short stories and multiple other comics, and this one did have some drawbacks from that, however, it was a satisfying telling of the return of Ra's al Ghul and his attempts to place his soul into the son of Batman and Talia. Arcing through Batman, Robin and Nightwing's comics you have several interesting guest 'heroes' and villains that are trying to stop Ra's in his quest to permanently return to a living host body. I found the...more

like · see review

Sep 29, 2010 Justyn Rampa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: batman, graphic-novels

Okay, so this volume covers an epic story that is told through various issues of four Batman titles: Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Detective Comics. You also have four different authors and four different artists. The storyline is very well done, all four authors (only two of which I was familiar) came together to tell an awesome, touching, crazy, kick-ass, emotional story. I really enjoyed this much more than I expected too, but yeah, it was pretty solid.

There are two reasons why it did not get a f...more

like · see review

Feb 25, 2013 Randy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, feb13

Batman travels to the remote temple of Nanda Parbat, where immortality can be achieved. He travels in pursuit of the seemingly immortal Ra's al Ghul, who will stop at nothing to achieve the immortality he has been seeking for thousands of years. Of course, there is Damian, Batman's son and Ra's a; Ghul's grandson who is being used as a pawn in the struggle, and there are also Nightwing and Robin along with Damian's mother Talia who will all complicate the story.

I picked this up after reading an...more

like · see review

Apr 15, 2012 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: batman

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Apr 24, 2013 Bob rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this after reading Batman: The Black Glove deluxe edition which included Batman and Son. Of the many lists of suggested reading order for Grant Morrison's Batman run I looked at, only one (which happened to be here on Goodreads.com) had this in its list.

Bat's family and Ra's family intersect and merge creating drama and chaos as they mix it up due to events caused by the return of Ra's al Ghul. Damian is a little shit and I sometimes wonder, along with some of the characters, why they bot...more

like · see review

Jul 22, 2012 Alejandro Casanova-vázquez rated it 3 of 5 stars

Una excelente historia y a la cual le hubiese puesto 5 estrellas, de no ser por esa terrible tendencia de los editores a subestimar a los lectores de cómics: un personaje importante que ya estaba muerto, aparece en esta saga -no diré spoilers- súbitamente vivo y como si nada, sin explicaciones ni argumentos. ¿De verdad creen que no nos daríamos cuenta? Aquí estaba todo para una gran historia del goddamn batman, pero no, esos horribles océanos argumentales (hay muchos más, el ejemplo mencionado f...more

like · see review

Aug 30, 2009 Ryan Mishap rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel

Normally I stay away from collections from the ongoing comic series, preferring the one-offs or collections of comics that only ran for a few issues, but I got tricked by this one.
The problem is that the publisher can't reproduce everything from a series (or from mutliple series, Dark Night and Nightwing, etc.) because the book would be huge. So, they cut a ton of shit trying to follow one story thread, but this leads to gaps in the storyline--how did that character get here, how did they get...more

like · see review

Mar 18, 2009 Michael Wilson rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

This book would have gotten 3 stars if it wasn't for the villain. Ra's Al Ghul is really a boring figure, and bringing him back to life... well boring. Ra's brings out all of the worst cliches of comics... ninja's, zombies, immortal villains, more ninjas, villains who tempt the heroes with what they want most, villains that have a cult of blindly loyal followers, still more ninjas. And, of course, the ninjas are easily defeated... ninjas numbering in the hundreds, mind you by Bats, Robin, Talia...more

like · see review

Dec 05, 2012 Nick rated it 2 of 5 stars

Batman Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul reminds me why I usually hate multi-series story arcs. Issue to issue the artwork is horribly inconsistent, settings change, characters are shuffled a bit, and the story feels largely inconsistent. Continuity issues run amuck and all in all the story isn't really what you might expect from a writer of Morrison's caliber. Having created the infuriatingly arrogant but powerful Damien- he really doesn't shine in this series as an aged Ra's goes after Batman's son...more

like · see review

May 20, 2012 Jake Kilroy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: batman, graphic-novel, absurd

Ra's al Ghul is a dope villain. He's dope because he's wise, masterful and cruel. That's why Darth Vader was terrific. There was an endearing quality about someone so well-informed about the world and still decides that evil is the right path for them. In this, several notable comic book writers take on the god amongst men and tries his damnedest to come back to the world after a more permanent death. Batman, Nightwing, Robin and Alfred come together to save Talia and Damian, sure, but it's most...more

like · see review

Feb 02, 2010 Kathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comics, fiction, read-in-2010

Oh Nightwing, of course the thousand ninjas are to deal with Tim. Damian is foolish, egotistical, and has entitlement issues that make him a guaranteed easy capture. And you're right, a thousand ninjas is the bare minimum of what I would send against Tim, too. If he didn't have to protect Damian so much, they never would have taken him.

I really loved the parallel fights between Tim and Damian and Tim and Dick. Because the bat-family is so far beyond hugging their problems out that I find it amaz...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 25, 2009 Devowasright rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphicnovelcomics

i read this with low expectations, and was actually pleasantly surprised. having come from 4 or 5 different series and as many authors, it was fairly cohesive and well paced, though the second grant morrison piece was again a bit disconnected and off kilter. he seems to either rush his story lines or have so much going on a good amount must be omitted, but it seems that there are pieces missing.
overall, it was a good read, and i am beginning to really dig Nightwing as a character.
(disclaimer: i'...more

like · see review

Jul 13, 2009 Dufour rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novels

I don't know why I keep diving into Grant Morrison stories and expect to find some kind of logic to the storytelling. I think this guy is so batshit crazy that he doesn't even know he's writing half the time. Which is what makes this collection, a crossover between the Bat-titles, so uneven. And ultimately, the underlying throughline of Ra's al Ghul's return is just damn... uninteresting.

There are SOME really good pieces to this story though, primarily what's going on with Tim Drake Wayne. Tim's...more

like · see review

Dec 01, 2008 The Man In The Hat rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics-dc

Disappointing. What should have been an epic storyline turned into sometihng of a shambles - primarily due to all the different writers each with a different style of writing from one chapter to the other. Grant Morrison's chapter 4 is particularly weird with three instances of a "what the hell just happened" in as many pages.
The best moments, as usual these days with Batman and supporting characters, are the character moments. The action just never lives up to the intensity of Tim Drake and the...more

like · see review

Jun 25, 2010 Steve rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

This is what you get when you have a book written by committee: vastly different characterizations from one chapter to the next, important actions that happen off-panel because each writer thinks they other one covered it, and huge gaps in the plot filled in by deus ex machina revelations. It doesn't explain though how there are inconsistencies within the work by ONE writer in this book, who kills a character in one chapter and then makes him just be alive without any explanation in the last. (T...more

like · see review

Feb 16, 2011 Bludhaven rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, comics-and-graphic-novels

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Collecting issues from the ongoing Batman, Nightwing and Robin comic books series the quality of the issues wasn't on the same level for all of them. But this is more than the story of how Ra's Al Ghul cheated death again.

It the story of Batman/Bruce Wayne and his sons. This gives intersting glimpses into his relationship with his two adopted sons Dick Grayson and Tim Drake and it's another step in integrating Damian into the canon. And as such it really worked for me. I love all three "Robins"...more

like · see review

Mar 26, 2011 Jeff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In bringing back Ra's Al Ghul, Morrison sets out to tell an ambitious tale: a book about fathers and the raising of sons, told through the history of the Al Ghul clan and Bruce Wayne's real and adopted sons. Sadly, the sum never adds up to the whole of its parts, which is attributable to the number of writers and artists involved in the story, which was told in a number of issues and annuals across the Bat-centered titles at DC. I think that if Morrison had crafted the story from beginning to en...more

like · see review

Aug 07, 2012 Subroto rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels-comics

Note to Self : Thy shall not venture into superhero territory unless the story is the superhero vs a comic about superheroes kicking super villain ass . No more ventures into finding out what's happening in any of the DC / Marvel space till you are convinced it is in the same league of Alan Moore or Frank Miller.

Money Making / Super Successful creator that he is -Grant Morrison does not rock my boat.

Very entertaining, great action, good humor - all in a all a very nice comic - not my cup of tea...more

like · see review

Nov 13, 2008 Stephen Theaker rated it 3 of 5 stars

This suffers from the usual problems of a crossover between different titles: important events falling into the gaps between issues; oddly in-depth accounts of minor plot points (Robin and Nightwing spend a full issue arguing about whether Robin should take a sample from the Lazarus pit); a contrived plot; and inconsistency of writing, artwork and tone.

And though Grant Morrison's name appears prominently on the cover, he contributes only two issues to this collection - four other writers contrib...more This suffers from the usual problems of a crossover between different titles: important events falling into the gaps between issues; oddly in-depth accounts of minor plot points (Robin and Nightwing spend a full issue arguing about whether Robin should take a sample from the Lazarus pit); a contrived plot; and inconsistency of writing, artwork and tone.

And though Grant Morrison's name appears prominently on the cover, he contributes only two issues to this collection - four other writers contribute. He's in good company on the periphery, though, since Batman himself is a fairly minor player in the book. This is really a Ra's Al Ghul story, with the Bat-gang being occasional obstacles rather than protagonists.

One other slightly unwelcome aspect of the book is that in it we see the gravity effect at work, by which over time major characters absorb the powers, attributes and motivations of lesser ones - here Ra's takes on the desire to control his descendants that is normally Vandal Savage territory and the body-swapping of the Ultra-Humanite. Once this story's over let's hope he sticks to his normal shtick.

But despite that it's fairly entertaining. It reads more like a Wolverine or an Iron Fist story than your usual Batman, and that makes a nice change. It also does a good job of getting the casual reader up-to-date on the Bat-universe, and seeing all these Robins together is good fun.

It does give the impression that Tim Drake (Robin III) isn't long for this world - the stress put on all his friends, family and contemporaries being dead makes him feel like a loose end. That's a shame, but Damian, Batman's new son, is an interesting character and would make a good replacement (if they really must replace Tim, who is my favourite Robin by far), though long-time readers might remember thinking similar things about characters like Azrael and Anarky.

Readers who bought this for twenty quid will probably rate it more harshly than someone who borrowed it from the library, but if you've ever fancied seeing Batman in a martial arts action movie, this will entertain. Just don't expect the fireworks you normally get when Grant Morrison's name is on the cover of a comic book.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 13, 2009 Gavin Rehfeldt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Much like the events that preceded this book you get a solid sense that Batman is more interested in justice/vengeance than his family or his "feelings." We get it. It's just not that interesting. Ra's has always tried to insert himself into the detective's family but has not proven himself to be in alignment with Batman; but son Damian inches closer. This is a fun adventure yarn but not the best Batman story. I'd just skip it and jump into the new Morrison/Quitely Batman and Robin. =)

like · see review

Nov 27, 2011 Gordon Pennington rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul is a dark story of a man who simply cannot be killed. Ra's Al Ghul, although dead, can come back to life through mysticism, ultimately trying to take Batman's son hostage to inhabit his body. This was a great book, though dark. Due to the adult theme and language used, I would not let a younger crowd read this book. The dialogue in the book is well-written, and the love of a mother is fully fleshed out due to Talia doing whatever she can to save her son.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 73 74 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (4)

Genres

Sequential Art > Comics

95 users

Sequential Art > Graphic Novels

77 users

Dc Comics > Batman

56 users

Superheroes > Dc Comics

20 users

Comics > Superheroes

10 users

Comics > Comic Book

9 users

Graphic Novels Comics

7 users

Fantasy

3 users

Science Fiction

2 users

Adventure

2 users

See top shelves...

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Batman: The Resur...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul
avg rating	preview: Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul Goodreads rating: 3.54 (1627 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2183913.Batman?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340139807l/2183913.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2183913.Batman?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul by Grant Morrison[/url]

Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul (Batman)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (4)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Grant Morrison

Books by Grant Morrison

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Batman: The Resur...