Book: The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul
Pen: Grant Morrison and others
Pencil: David Lopez and others
Too many cooks spoil the broth. It is a saying that rings true in almost every field. Except comic books. These have different writers and artists for different issues. And those who follow it religiously rarely have a problem. It is when these single issues are collected as a graphic novel that the grapes turn slightly sour.
Resurrection is more of a crossover storyline than an individual episode. That meant there were too many different moods and styles. We had the Batman, Detective Comics, Nightwing and Robin lines, all coming together for a brief period. Too many cooks.
Talia is asked to prepare her son Damian for a ceremony to resurrect her father Ra’s Al Ghul, somewhere in Australia. Unfortunately, she is not told the full story. When she finds out that Ra’s intents to be reborn in Damian’s body, she helps her son escape. Meanwhile, Batman is investigating the disappearance of two ecologists and arrives at the same place.
Damian escapes to Gotham where he has another run-in with Robin. Before things got really ugly, a horde of ninjas attack the Wayne Manor. Luckily, Batman requested former-Robin-present-
When the globe-trotting family finally comes together, Ra’s gives Batman a choice. He can save Robin or Damian. Ra’s would move into the other’s body. Batman proposes a third alternative. Which way will things turn out? Will the Caped Crusader save both his sons? Will the Demon’s Head finally rise from wherever he is?
For most part the artwork is consistent, except a segment drawn by David Baldeon. His style is too simplistic for such a serious tale. Despite three preludes, (Three!), despite not having a complete cohesion between its chapters, despite its rushed conclusion, you cannot tear yourself from Resurrection. And the reason is it is such a rollicking tale. If only there was one cook to write and one to draw, this would have ranked right at the top of Batman stories.
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