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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
This is one of my favorite Batman stories of all time and Greg Rucka is most of the reason for that. Nyssa is a complex villain who was sadly squandered by later writers, which is why I'm glad she'll be appearing on the Arrow series if only because it might make more people pick up this book.
One of the other things that makes it stand out to me is that is Martha Wayne, a character who sadly gets very little character development in most other stories, with a large part of her character being the fact that she was wearing pearls the night she was killed. The Martha in this story may or may not be anything other than a hallucination, but she still steals the show and actually gets in a few digs at her son to make him confront things he doesn't want to. One exchange that stands out to me is when Bruce is talking to Martha and says “I don’t like seeing you this way” in reference to how she appears with a bloody hole in her face, and she counters “then change it” and when he protests she says “This is how you remember me. Shot in the neck, coated in gore, dying in an alley. Not the nicest memory to have one of one’s mother. And if you don’t like it, son, maybe you should remember me in a different way.”
And Ra's al Ghul, despite being the primary antagonist, also gets several good lines directed at Batman that add some moral greyness into this story, such as when he accuses Batman of killing him via the destruction of his Lazarus Pits and compares it to denying a diabetic insulin, to which Batman can only offer a half-assed reply.
The one criticism I have is that the art seems off in several places, particularly one panel where Talia's waist just looks wrong and leaves her looking semi-insectoid. However this only appears once and seems to have just been a one-off error, but nonetheless is distracting when it does show up during a big dramatic reveal, especially since earlier in the book there are several actual concentration camp survivors who look equally as spindly but are supposed to look unhealthy.
One of the other things that makes it stand out to me is that is Martha Wayne, a character who sadly gets very little character development in most other stories, with a large part of her character being the fact that she was wearing pearls the night she was killed. The Martha in this story may or may not be anything other than a hallucination, but she still steals the show and actually gets in a few digs at her son to make him confront things he doesn't want to. One exchange that stands out to me is when Bruce is talking to Martha and says “I don’t like seeing you this way” in reference to how she appears with a bloody hole in her face, and she counters “then change it” and when he protests she says “This is how you remember me. Shot in the neck, coated in gore, dying in an alley. Not the nicest memory to have one of one’s mother. And if you don’t like it, son, maybe you should remember me in a different way.”
And Ra's al Ghul, despite being the primary antagonist, also gets several good lines directed at Batman that add some moral greyness into this story, such as when he accuses Batman of killing him via the destruction of his Lazarus Pits and compares it to denying a diabetic insulin, to which Batman can only offer a half-assed reply.
The one criticism I have is that the art seems off in several places, particularly one panel where Talia's waist just looks wrong and leaves her looking semi-insectoid. However this only appears once and seems to have just been a one-off error, but nonetheless is distracting when it does show up during a big dramatic reveal, especially since earlier in the book there are several actual concentration camp survivors who look equally as spindly but are supposed to look unhealthy.
More like a 4.5. Some of the art bugged the hell outta me, which is part of the reason for the deduction. I think Cry for Blood was a much stronger story than this. But the history geek in me loved the backstory so much. Full review later.
I’ll never pass up a Batman - Ra’s al Ghul story. I enjoy the character of Ra’s too much. Plus, this story had the added draw of being written by Greg Rucka, a favorite writer of mine. WIth all of that going for it, I was surprised I didn’t enjoy the book more than I did. The story is certainly compelling. The visuals from Klaus Janson are moody when they need to be and exhilarating when the story calls for action. But overall the story just didn’t seem to fit together correctly. Flashback scenes seemed to come at odd times. The narrative seemed to move in fits and starts. For a book with 9 chapters and over 230 pages, the story never seemed to find its flow. I’d recommend it for Greg Rucka fans or those who love seeing Batman and Ra’s al Ghul lock horns, but I can’t recommend it for anyone who doesn’t fit into one of those two categories.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ra's al Ghul has long been one of Batman's most fascinating enemies, and he occupies a unique position in that world, sometimes serving as a temporary ally, as well as a Father-in-law figure. The setup for this self-contained Batman story (which I recommend as a graphic novel over the more recent [b:Batman: Damned|44526680|Batman Damned|Brian Azzarello|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566280431l/44526680._SX50_.jpg|69105025]) is this: Since Ra's has lived for centuries by using Lazarus pits around the world, is Batman breaking his biggest rule by preventing him from continuing to do so? This is the argument Ra's uses to appeal the revered Detective. Previously, Batman/Bruce Wayne dated Ra's al Ghul's daughter Talia. But here we get to know a different member of their small family that resists mortality and sees human genocide as a means to a virtuous end.
I won't spoil the plot, but Greg Rucka makes Nyssa al Ghul a compelling and fearsome character.
For some reason, the art really suffers at the tail end of this book. Klaus Janson turns in satisfactorily quality pages (especially for early '00s comics) and then starts using panels that look like sloppy sketches and ruinous feminine anatomy in the final chapter of this saga.
I won't spoil the plot, but Greg Rucka makes Nyssa al Ghul a compelling and fearsome character.
For some reason, the art really suffers at the tail end of this book. Klaus Janson turns in satisfactorily quality pages (especially for early '00s comics) and then starts using panels that look like sloppy sketches and ruinous feminine anatomy in the final chapter of this saga.
first good Ra's al Ghul story!!!! wow!! a bit too edgy in some instances, which I won't even get to, but overall, I liked Nyssa!! UNTIL SHE COMPLETELY BACKTRACKED AT THE VERY END :D did not enjoy that a lot.
I also felt a bit confused at the end?? She already failed her dad?? How?? Not sure, guess we'll see.
but overall I had fun! I liked Talia and Nyssa's relationship, as well as their general story arc, starting out as Totally Incidental Neighbours and moving on from there. I feel like the counterbalance of Nyssa might make Talia a somewhat more beatable character for me, it kind of started to feel that way.
The Bruce Meets His Parents Through Alchemy was also great! Grimm but great!! Really enjoyed it.
Also, if Ra's actually stayed dead I'd be like. So happy. You have no clue. At least Nyssa has more motivations to destroy humanity than Ra's"boo hoo I think people bad let me kill" al Ghul.
I also liked the little Clark cameo.
I also felt a bit confused at the end?? She already failed her dad?? How?? Not sure, guess we'll see.
but overall I had fun! I liked Talia and Nyssa's relationship, as well as their general story arc, starting out as Totally Incidental Neighbours and moving on from there. I feel like the counterbalance of Nyssa might make Talia a somewhat more beatable character for me, it kind of started to feel that way.
The Bruce Meets His Parents Through Alchemy was also great! Grimm but great!! Really enjoyed it.
Also, if Ra's actually stayed dead I'd be like. So happy. You have no clue. At least Nyssa has more motivations to destroy humanity than Ra's"boo hoo I think people bad let me kill" al Ghul.
I also liked the little Clark cameo.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
so i saw this on my GR recommended read and i remembered reading it , i Was not particulary a big fan of this one , as the whole Nyssa broke Talia ANGLE, made a mess of things for a long time (Remember that weird Jason and Talia angle that nobody talks about anymore?) . Besides this felt less about Batman and more about Nyssa . not to forget the countless flaws i mean if Nyssa had a Lazarus pit why couldn't she just save her family members? especially since she was apparently capable of using one pit multiple times. The fact that Nyssa was forgotten in furthur future DC comics makes me feel more satisfied that her character was pretty much a Dead End . Not to forget the Red Herring angle where until the last part you can't guess whether Nyssa was a lover or daughter to Ra's still pisses me off , it's just Weird and CREEPY. Talking of CREEPY i don't even want to talk about the implications given in the conversation of Bruce with his mother .it wasn't thought out well , but oh well not like this is the worst comics or anything
Greg Rucka writing a Batman story - yeah this is going to be good. I read this in one sitting and highly enjoyed the story. I can't say I liked the artwork as much. Maybe if this was done as a black and white versus color comic I would have been able to become more absorbed in the graphic flow of the story. But there were times I was too caught up in looking at strange perspective views resulting in distorted body parts being used in a 1970s color palette. So if you're looking for a good Batman story, I would recommend this - just try not to be distracted by the art too much.