Batman vs. Ra’s al Ghul #1 Review and **SPOILERS**

Our Story So Far

Written, Drawn and Colored by Neal Adams 

Lettered by Clem Robins 

Covers by Neal Adams 

Assistant Editor: Liz Erickson 

Editor: Kristy Quinn 

Cover Price: $3.99 

On Sale Date: September 4, 2019

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

What’s this? Another six-issue miniseries written, drawn and colored by Neal Adams? And it’s a continuation of the last two miniseries created by Mr. Adams? This is sure to confuse the hell out of everyone. See what I make of Batman vs. Ra’s Al Ghul in my review, posted here!

Explain It!

Right, so where did we leave off? Something about Deadman had a twin brother named Cleveland, who was taken by Ra’s Al Ghul at a young age and turned into a Winter Soldier? And Commissioner Gordon had to check up on a Japanese nuclear facility for some reason? To be honest, I forget the details. And really, the details would probably make this more complicated. So the first thing you should know, and which I’m not sure we knew before, is that this story takes place during the events of the 1990s Bat-event No Man’s Land. That was when an earthquake leveled Gotham City and the federal government pulled out completely, leaving the territory to be carved up by criminals. Well, Ra’s Al Ghul is now offering his League of Assassins to Commissioner Gordon to try and restore the peace in old Gotham town. Huh. It was surprisingly easy to detail the plot of this issue in one sentence. 

The devil is in the details when it comes to a Neal Adams comic book, and we’re treated to the insanity right away, in the first scene, where some guy has been leashed to his dog, which has then been loaded with dynamite. Batman rescues them in such a way that makes it look like he killed the dog, and the loopiness goes on from there. Ultimately, Batman is against Gotham City Police Department using the League of Assassins as proxies, and says as much to Commissioner Gordon in the crumbled lot where the deal is being brokered. Other than this, I can’t tell what Batman is doing here, except (curiously) dragging two Robins and a Nightwing around with. him. 

Like the most recent Neal Adams miniseries, this one just drops off in the middle of a panel with a “to be continued” caption, which gives me the impression that he’s totally winging the plotting of this thing. It does get more cramped and sped up towards the end of the issue, exacerbating this impression. Neal Adams’ rendering is as good as it ever was, and since he’s doing his own inking you can feel every bit of his style. But he also does his own coloring once again, which is not great, and the script plus the layout make this thing nigh unreadable.

Bits and Pieces:

If you’ve read Neal Adams most recent work, then you know the deal. Prepare to be delighted and confused.

 4/10

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