BATMAN YEAR ONE: RA’S AL GHUL.
June 11th 2008 00:22
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Batman originally created by Bob Kane.
Publisher: DC Comics.
Production team: Devin Grayson – writer, Paul Gulacy – penciller/cover art, Jimmy Palmiotti – inker/cover art, Laurie Kronenberg – colourist, Phil Balsman – letterer.
Cost: US $9.99.
As I was wandering around the stacks in my local library, as is often my wont during the few moments of free time, I came across this graphic novel sitting on the shelves. With no hesitation on my part it was swiftly removed from its place of repose and along with a volume of Tokyopop manga it was borrowed and taken unto my humble abode to be read and reviewed. Anyone who has seen the movie Batman Begins will recall the name Ra’s Al Ghul; it was the moniker of Liam Neeson’s character, the villainous leader of the League of Shadows, an order of assassins that briefly Batman was associated with in his quest to find a means of fighting criminals and crime in general. In a way Ra’s became something of an inspiration for the Batman as well as a mentor and father figure, unfortunately the agendas of Batman and Ra’s where incompatible and the two clashed on Gotham City’s metropolitan rail network with explosive consequences.
Of all the many antagonists that Batman has crossed swords with, both literally and metaphorically, Ra’s Al Ghul is probably one of the more interesting ones in contrast to characters like the Riddler or the Penguin. Unlike these characters Ra’s has an agenda that is not motivated by petty concerns like getting rich quick, settling scores with rivals or getting his own back against Batman and his allies. Ra’s literally does have a far longer mindset and view that has come from his own unique status and abilities. Certainly the Ra’s that appeared in Batman Begins was more concerned with a larger picture than just the petty concerns of penny ante criminals – his objective was the complete and total destruction of Gotham City no less, the excision of what he and his minions believed to be a cancerous and decadent influence on modern society. Apparently the League of Shadows of which he was the leader had existed to perform such purposes, from the days when Constantinople was overrun by the Turks into the present era; such was the purpose of the League to excise the rot and decay of society by brutal means whenever necessary.
In some ways there is not much difference between the movie Ra’s and the Ra’s of the comics, where the two do significantly differ, at least as far it seems, is in lifespan and history. The Ra’s Al Ghul of the comics is literally hundreds of years old, an individual who has seen the ebb and flow of human history and lived to tell the tale; it is not known whether the same could be said of his silver screen version. As denoted by the very nature of his name Ra’s is of an Arabic origin, originally hailing from one the many desert tribes that roamed the regions of the Arabian peninsular approximately six hundred years ago. This particular date would put him as being born at the time when the Ottoman Empire was first emerging as a major power in the politics of both Europe and the Near East. So how on earth did he manage to survive for such an extended period of time?
His secret is something known as the Lazarus Pits, a means through which the astute and discerning can extend their lifespan beyond that of a normal human being. As pointed out Ra’s himself has lived for at least six hundred years, and that is due to the earliest known record of his existence, he may have even been alive longer than that. So a villain who has lived for at least six centuries and is capable of coming back from the dead, literally he’s definitely one tough customer Although after being around for such a long time you’d have to wonder what precisely is his beef with Batman, or the Detective as he calls him. Remember me mentioning long term agendas and big picture planning? Well Ra’s has an extensive interest in conservationism, in environmentalism and has taken this to the extreme. His feelings are that for the world to return to a healthier and cleaner state than what it now currently exists in requires the death of at least eighty per cent of the world’s population. That’s a real downer, especially if you’re a member of the eighty per cent that is about to be surgically removed.
Instigating a near extinction event on humanity then is naturally going to draw the ire of Batman and it is this reason that has lead to the many confrontations between the two. During these clashes Batman managed to learn the secret of Ra’s seeming inexhaustible vigour and ability to come back from the dead to once again plague the world. In so doing he decided that enough was enough, Ra’s had to be put out of commission for good. So with the precision and determination that only a master detective could achieve Batman tracked down the locations of all the Lazarus Pits and destroyed them; thus making it impossible for Ra’s to utilise their abilities any longer. Case closed, bad guy done and dusted…at least that is what Batman believed.
Events open with a robbery gone horribly wrong, one of the perpetrators accidentally shoots his comrade and attempts to flee the scene, Batman is there and puts him out of commission leaving the unconscious criminal for the members of the GCPD to find and apprehend. Whilst he watches the police do their job he receives a call on his Bat Mobile from his long serving and faithful butler, Alfred. It appears that he has just received a letter from Ra’s Al Ghul, one dated from prior to his last confrontation with the long lived criminal mastermind. And so begins a journey that will take Batman to various locations around the world in effort trying to resolve the current crisis that has beset Gotham City, a crisis that has occurred due to his attempts to bring about an end to Ra’s and his use of the Lazarus Pits.
This journey is not also purely about Batman’s efforts to avert disaster and chaos in his hometown, we are also treated to the early years of Ra’s as he travels the world on his own quest seeking answers and seeking out the places where other immortals dwell. It seems that in discovering the abilities of the Pits Ra’s had also discovered several other facets, namely that they are part of the natural order in the grand scheme of things and that by disposing of them in his efforts to defeat him all Batman has done is created the potential for a literal world of hurt, and that soon becomes apparent as events unfold after he starts reading the posthumous letter. It seems that in removing the Pits he has instigated the suspension of the natural cycle in Gotham City and its environs, people, animals etc are not dying in spite of sustaining horrible injuries and even the dead are slowly rising from their graves and terrifying the inhabitants of fair Gotham. Batman Year One: Ra’s Al Ghul is an interesting addition to the vast corpus of stories involving the Detective, well worth getting your hands on a copy and enjoying a leisurely read.
Publisher: DC Comics.
Production team: Devin Grayson – writer, Paul Gulacy – penciller/cover art, Jimmy Palmiotti – inker/cover art, Laurie Kronenberg – colourist, Phil Balsman – letterer.
Cost: US $9.99.
As I was wandering around the stacks in my local library, as is often my wont during the few moments of free time, I came across this graphic novel sitting on the shelves. With no hesitation on my part it was swiftly removed from its place of repose and along with a volume of Tokyopop manga it was borrowed and taken unto my humble abode to be read and reviewed. Anyone who has seen the movie Batman Begins will recall the name Ra’s Al Ghul; it was the moniker of Liam Neeson’s character, the villainous leader of the League of Shadows, an order of assassins that briefly Batman was associated with in his quest to find a means of fighting criminals and crime in general. In a way Ra’s became something of an inspiration for the Batman as well as a mentor and father figure, unfortunately the agendas of Batman and Ra’s where incompatible and the two clashed on Gotham City’s metropolitan rail network with explosive consequences.
His secret is something known as the Lazarus Pits, a means through which the astute and discerning can extend their lifespan beyond that of a normal human being. As pointed out Ra’s himself has lived for at least six hundred years, and that is due to the earliest known record of his existence, he may have even been alive longer than that. So a villain who has lived for at least six centuries and is capable of coming back from the dead, literally he’s definitely one tough customer Although after being around for such a long time you’d have to wonder what precisely is his beef with Batman, or the Detective as he calls him. Remember me mentioning long term agendas and big picture planning? Well Ra’s has an extensive interest in conservationism, in environmentalism and has taken this to the extreme. His feelings are that for the world to return to a healthier and cleaner state than what it now currently exists in requires the death of at least eighty per cent of the world’s population. That’s a real downer, especially if you’re a member of the eighty per cent that is about to be surgically removed.
Instigating a near extinction event on humanity then is naturally going to draw the ire of Batman and it is this reason that has lead to the many confrontations between the two. During these clashes Batman managed to learn the secret of Ra’s seeming inexhaustible vigour and ability to come back from the dead to once again plague the world. In so doing he decided that enough was enough, Ra’s had to be put out of commission for good. So with the precision and determination that only a master detective could achieve Batman tracked down the locations of all the Lazarus Pits and destroyed them; thus making it impossible for Ra’s to utilise their abilities any longer. Case closed, bad guy done and dusted…at least that is what Batman believed.
Events open with a robbery gone horribly wrong, one of the perpetrators accidentally shoots his comrade and attempts to flee the scene, Batman is there and puts him out of commission leaving the unconscious criminal for the members of the GCPD to find and apprehend. Whilst he watches the police do their job he receives a call on his Bat Mobile from his long serving and faithful butler, Alfred. It appears that he has just received a letter from Ra’s Al Ghul, one dated from prior to his last confrontation with the long lived criminal mastermind. And so begins a journey that will take Batman to various locations around the world in effort trying to resolve the current crisis that has beset Gotham City, a crisis that has occurred due to his attempts to bring about an end to Ra’s and his use of the Lazarus Pits.
This journey is not also purely about Batman’s efforts to avert disaster and chaos in his hometown, we are also treated to the early years of Ra’s as he travels the world on his own quest seeking answers and seeking out the places where other immortals dwell. It seems that in discovering the abilities of the Pits Ra’s had also discovered several other facets, namely that they are part of the natural order in the grand scheme of things and that by disposing of them in his efforts to defeat him all Batman has done is created the potential for a literal world of hurt, and that soon becomes apparent as events unfold after he starts reading the posthumous letter. It seems that in removing the Pits he has instigated the suspension of the natural cycle in Gotham City and its environs, people, animals etc are not dying in spite of sustaining horrible injuries and even the dead are slowly rising from their graves and terrifying the inhabitants of fair Gotham. Batman Year One: Ra’s Al Ghul is an interesting addition to the vast corpus of stories involving the Detective, well worth getting your hands on a copy and enjoying a leisurely read.
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