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Batman: Tales of the Demon by Dick Giordano, Irv Novick, Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, J.C. Wells
abinthebooks's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5
This was fine. I didn’t really find that many stories too interesting or entertaining. I’m not a huge fan of Detective Comics. But I love Talia Al Ghul, and the way Bruce x Talia was written before Gr*nt Morrison started writing them is so well done. Ra’s Al Ghul is also, probably, my favorite *comic* Batman villain (I’d say live action wise, it’d be 2022 Riddler), so seeing his and Talia’s early stories and introduction was really fun. The last few stories were good as well as the first few. Everything else was just above mediocre. Not bad, but not great either. Still an enjoyable reading experience overall. I love reading old DC stuff, it’s so much better than old Marvel.
This was fine. I didn’t really find that many stories too interesting or entertaining. I’m not a huge fan of Detective Comics. But I love Talia Al Ghul, and the way Bruce x Talia was written before Gr*nt Morrison started writing them is so well done. Ra’s Al Ghul is also, probably, my favorite *comic* Batman villain (I’d say live action wise, it’d be 2022 Riddler), so seeing his and Talia’s early stories and introduction was really fun. The last few stories were good as well as the first few. Everything else was just above mediocre. Not bad, but not great either. Still an enjoyable reading experience overall. I love reading old DC stuff, it’s so much better than old Marvel.
dozmuttz's review against another edition
3.0
If you're really into Ra's al Ghul then this is the book for you...Maybe? Tales of the Demon is the early appearance of one of Batman's greatest foes, Ra's al Ghul. We get to see his first appearance along with his daughter and early lover of Batman, Talia al Ghul. All in the stories are short and fun. A bit campy and silly for the most part, but I still appreciate Denny O'Neil's writing, as it still flows nice and easy and the overall creation of these characters are really interesting. Along with that you get some really nice and consistent artwork by Neal Adams and some fill in artist (Bob Brown, Irv Novick, Don Newton, and Michael Golden). All in all a fun way to look back at some important Batman history. It can just get a bit mozzarella at times.
cmcrockford's review
3.0
Knocked back a star for having no cover art and even skipping parts in the arcs. For shame DC!! Otherwise some gorgeous, James Bond-esque 70s Batman with great hyperbole in the captions and dialogue. Neal Adams and Dick Giordano at their most rugged and globetrotting, great layouts as well.
howattp's review against another edition
2.0
I did not hate this, but this Ra's al Ghul had a lot less menace than he does later, and I agree with other reviewers who assert that Batman's relationship with Talia is somewhat contrived. The current storyline (as far as I am in it...) seems to have made up for that with an excellent, compelling plot. Overall, I think that these do little more than to give background, which I appreciate, but do not love.
tidestriders's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bruce was so real to call talia the most beautiful, intelligent, loyal woman.
luana420's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely the Batman shit I'm here for, with globetrotting On Her Majesty's Secret Service bullshit and Doc Samson desert swordfights.
Ra's and Talia's swingin' Dracula AD1972 duds and Amicus style incense-smellin' lairs? Heck yeah! Maybe it's due to the fact that 1971 comics writers* didn't really know women have normal brains but I kind of love the fact Talia is both supremely capable and completely lives in her own world.
Her dad may be a supervillain but she just thinks Batman is REAL COOL and wants to MARRY him and you know her day job may be assasseenation and all but come now my beloved...
I understand that "lethal airhead princess" doesn't really fly anymore but lemme tell you I'm a fan. Leave it to dipshit hack Grant Morrison to make her a bad guy!
Also a kudos for being a RARE DC collection that you can follow from start to end without UNIVERSE (or at least Gotham) WIDE EVENTS becoming a thing.
*tbf not just comics writers
Ra's and Talia's swingin' Dracula AD1972 duds and Amicus style incense-smellin' lairs? Heck yeah! Maybe it's due to the fact that 1971 comics writers* didn't really know women have normal brains but I kind of love the fact Talia is both supremely capable and completely lives in her own world.
Her dad may be a supervillain but she just thinks Batman is REAL COOL and wants to MARRY him and you know her day job may be assasseenation and all but come now my beloved...
I understand that "lethal airhead princess" doesn't really fly anymore but lemme tell you I'm a fan. Leave it to dipshit hack Grant Morrison to make her a bad guy!
Also a kudos for being a RARE DC collection that you can follow from start to end without UNIVERSE (or at least Gotham) WIDE EVENTS becoming a thing.
*tbf not just comics writers
socialpsysteph's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I finally found a copy of this so I could continue my read through of the Batman trades. This one was definitely different from the others I have read so far. This one is the 60's and 70's era Batman, so really cheeky and over the top, not at all dark. The story was just OK for me but I'm happy to continue on to some darker issues.
ailed's review against another edition
3.0
Usually, I don't like reading older comics because they are filled with racist, chauvinistic, and/or jingoist language that gets really hard to ignore. But sometimes, my curiosity propels me enough that I finish reading one. Batman: Tales of the Demon was one of those. Recently I decided to start reading more DC comics since I've been giving almost my entire focus to Marvel comics. And to do that, I planned on going back to the old comics before Crisis on Infinite Earths and get a bit acquainted with the heroes of the time. My perusal took me to a handful of issues that centered around the introduction of Ra's al Ghoul and his daughter Talia and the transformation of Batman into the Dark Knight we are more familiar with.
This handful of comics were written by Denny O'Neil, an author I don't have a very high opinion of since he was one of those responsible for setting back feminism in comics by stripping Wonder Woman of her powers in the '60s. Anyway, despite his own recognition that almost none of the comic writers of the time would admit to taking comics seriously, he managed to write a cohesive narrative that doesn't rely too much on coincidences and deus ex machina. It's kind of a fun story. Admittedly, you have to ignore the offhanded racist or chauvinistic remarks now and then to be able to find any enjoyment in reading this collection.
This handful of comics were written by Denny O'Neil, an author I don't have a very high opinion of since he was one of those responsible for setting back feminism in comics by stripping Wonder Woman of her powers in the '60s. Anyway, despite his own recognition that almost none of the comic writers of the time would admit to taking comics seriously, he managed to write a cohesive narrative that doesn't rely too much on coincidences and deus ex machina. It's kind of a fun story. Admittedly, you have to ignore the offhanded racist or chauvinistic remarks now and then to be able to find any enjoyment in reading this collection.
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