He first appeared in 1971s Batman #232 by Denny ONeil and Neal Adams, and tormented Batman for years. Ras al Ghul was a villain who wasnt cut from the same cloth as Batmans other foes Ras wasnt a freak, a half monster bent on revenging a wrong or petty crime. Ras was a force to be reckoned with a James Bond style villain for whom the world was his target. For over three decades, Ras tormented Batman in any variety of ways in a
complicated relationship which saw Batman and Ras daughter, Talia having a child together (Damian, currently appearing in Batman).
And then, in 2004s Batman: Death and the Maidens, Ras died.
And was cremated.
But still, could a man who had died and come back to life any number of times, thanks to his Lazarus Pits, ever really die?
Apparently not, and thats whats at the heart of an eight-part story taking place in DCs Batman titles this fall: The Resurrection of Ras al Ghul. It kicks off with a prelude in Octobers Batman #670, and gets rolling with the November titles. WE spoke with Batman group editor Mike Marts about the storyline.
Newsarama: To start Mike, with a name like "The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul" - there's not a ton of mystery left in the story...but still - where did this one come from? Was it part of Grant Morrison's larger Batman plan all along?
Mike Marts: We decided right from the start to let readers know exactly what the story was abouthence the straightforward storyarc title, The Resurrection of Ras al Ghul. That being said, this tale has plenty of mystery throughout its entire run. The fact that Ras might be resurrected is just one piece of the intricate puzzle that Grant and crew have cooked up.
The involvement of Talia al Ghul and Damian and the al Ghul lineage is an ingredient that Grants been playing with since he started on Batman...but the decision to bring Ras back into the picture was cooked up between Grant and Dan DiDio at last years San Diego Comic-Con, I believe.
NRAMA: As you said, Talia and Damian have played a large role in Grants Batman to date, but what specifically gets the ball rolling on this, story-wise? Damien misses grandpa?
MM: A few things get this party started...to kick things off, I-Ching (an old Wonder Woman character for those of you keeping score) is attacked by a group of assassins...it seems theyre after a talisman which may lead them on the secret road to Nanda Parbat. Enter Batman. Meanwhile, Talia receives an unexpected house guest...
NRAMA: Just so we're all factual here, Ra's died in Death and the Maidens, right? In terms of the DCU, how long has he been gone?
MM: Correct, Ras died in Death and the Maidens. And figure that took place a little over a year ago in DC Continuity time.
NRAMA: What's Batman's response to this? He and Ra's have been enemies and uneasy allies over the years. Where does Batman's view fall on keeping the dead in the ground?
MM: Lets just say that Batman felt this particular chapter of his life was closed for good...if Ras is indeed back, I dont think Bruce is going to be too happy about it.
NRAMA: Editorially - why bring a character like Ra's back? What's the difference in Batman's larger "world" without a Ra's compared to a world with one?
Lets face itBatman has the best rogues gallery of villains in all of comics. Penguin, Riddler, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, the list goes on and on...but even with all of these great villains, if the one or two arch-villainslike Joker or Ras al Ghulgo missing for too long, theres just this void that needs to be filled. A villain that great cant stay dead forever, right? Especially one with a knack for immortality!
NRAMA: What's the scope of the story? Obviously, this is Grant Morrison's story to kick off and get rolling, but Ra's has always loomed large - perhaps the largest of Batman's modern-day enemies. Will this be spilling out to involve any of the other titles?
MM: All of the core Batman Family titles will be involved: Batman, Detective, Robin and Nightwing. In fact, this is the first inter-group Batman crossover that weve attempted in some time.
NRAMA: Any other changes coming in those titles at this point? (creative changes)
MM: Our biggest change is the arrival of Tony Daniel as the regular artist on Batman. Tonys been wanting to draw the Dark Knight for a long, long time and weve finally been able to hand him the reins. And fans of Andy Kubert shouldnt worryAndy is working on a top secret Bat-project as we speak...something we hope to be able to tell you more about soon.
Other than Tony, we have a combination of some regular Batman talents along with some exciting guest creators...Grant Morrison and Paul Dini will write the Batman and Detective chapters, of course, while guest writers Peter Milligan and Fabian Nicieza step in for two months to pen Robin and Nightwing, respectively. Freddie E. Williams stays on as Robin artist, while Don Kramer moves over to take on the two Nightwing chapters. And to cap things off, Wildstorm regular Ryan Benjamin will draw the two Detective installments.
NRAMA: How long will this story run?
MM: Eight parts. A prelude in Batman #670 in October. And then 7 parts running throughout Robin, Nightwing, Detective and Batman in November and December.
NRAMA: Broad strokes, obviously, but how will Batman's world be different as a result of this when it's all said and done?
MM: Well, its tough to answer that questions without spilling the beans on how things end, but suffice it to say that when all is said and done the lives of all the characters involvedBatman, Robin, Nightwing, Talia, Damian and Raswont be the same.
