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blackbird9805's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
trilobiter's review
3.0
I think I was expecting something different from this collection. The blurb on the back implied the three stories formed some sort of trilogy. However, apart from their titles and the centrality of Ra's al Ghul, there doesn't seem to be much of a plot connection between any of them. They're clearly not all canon (or at least not equally canon), as certain details contradict each other.
So we have three Batman stories, all concerned with Ra's al Ghul and his legacy. The first two stories, Son of the Demon and Bride of the Demon, are both concerned with al Ghul's attempts to secure a male heir in the event his perpetual resurrections should cease. In the first he allows Batman to marry his daughter Talia as part of an alliance; in the second, he restores an aging Hollywood actress to youth and marries her himself. Neither of these stories reference each other. Both are very interesting stories with excellent artwork, Son in particular. Son is also superior, in my view, for being less creepily misogynistic in execution (since Batman and Talia al Ghul genuinely love each other, as opposed to whatever the hell is going on in Bride).
The third, Birth of the Demon, is mostly an origin story for Ra's, and features a significantly more stylized art style. Apart from truly disturbing scenes of death and sexual violence, I quite enjoyed this as well. However, considering the entire package, I found it somewhat uneven.
So we have three Batman stories, all concerned with Ra's al Ghul and his legacy. The first two stories, Son of the Demon and Bride of the Demon, are both concerned with al Ghul's attempts to secure a male heir in the event his perpetual resurrections should cease. In the first he allows Batman to marry his daughter Talia as part of an alliance; in the second, he restores an aging Hollywood actress to youth and marries her himself. Neither of these stories reference each other. Both are very interesting stories with excellent artwork, Son in particular. Son is also superior, in my view, for being less creepily misogynistic in execution (since Batman and Talia al Ghul genuinely love each other, as opposed to whatever the hell is going on in Bride).
The third, Birth of the Demon, is mostly an origin story for Ra's, and features a significantly more stylized art style. Apart from truly disturbing scenes of death and sexual violence, I quite enjoyed this as well. However, considering the entire package, I found it somewhat uneven.
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