Batman: Death and the Maidens #1 (of 9)

DC Comics
Batman: Death and the Maidens #1 (of 9)
By The Editor
August 21, 2003 - 13:06

DC Comics
Writer(s): Greg Rucka
Penciller(s): Klaus Janson
Inker(s): Klaus Janson
Cover Artist(s): Klaus Janson

Batman: Death and the Maidens is a story that pairs two of the most compelling arch-enemies in all of comicdom: Batman and the much feared Ra's Al Ghul, who has provided quality stories for Batman fans for decades now. I have heard rumors that this story will be the last Ra's story ever told, and regardless of whether one receives that as truth or not, Batman: Death of the Maidens seems to be written with the Batman fan in mind. The story begins with the introduction of a new character, one that may actually surpass Ra's in cruelty. This, of course, remains to be fully explored, though hints are dropped throughout the issue that lean in that direction. The story proceeds to give (yet another) recap of the origin story, which, were it not for the interesting direction that Rucka hints at, would be boring and extremely unnecessary. The twist that Rucka provides leaves me salivating, though, so I don't mind the retelling (or should that be re re re re re re re re…telling) of Batman's beginnings. Much of this story takes place in the past, but when the present finally catches up, it has taken its toll on Ra's. After a confrontation with the aforementioned new character about the condition of his Lazarus pits, a defeated Ra's takes his case to the one man he feels can help him…the Batman (oh by the way, did I mention that the two are mortal enemies? That might be important). He then accuses the Batman of a personal foul and questions his methods. And then…DUM DUM DUM! To be continued…

Rucka does a good job with the writing chores on this one, but to be honest, I just wasn't blown away. The new character is introduced, but she is not written in such a way that makes me want to purchase volume after volume of this book just to find out who she is and what she's up to. Again, the retelling of the Bat-origin left me intrigued, but also…kind of frustrated. Let's face it…the reason I picked this book up is probably the reason a lot of Bat-fans did…Ra's Al Ghul. Rucka paints an interesting portrait of him, giving him a…fear that I haven't seen before. It's different for Ra's, and I don't know if I like it yet, but at least Ra's still has some of that trademark (confidence? Arrogance? Words fail me). At any rate, a large part of the problems with this book can probably be attributed to the fact that it happens to be the first in a nine issue series. And the problems are miniscule, really; overall, the book was an enjoyable read, but one that demands more detail than was given. Hopefully, Rucka will provide these details, and soon…$2.95 is a lot of money to spend on a book that goes nowhere quickly.

Janson's art is dark and gritty, perfect for a story like the one Batman: Death and the Maidens purports to be. He uses a lot of scratchy lines and dark colors, giving the book a raw feel that sums up the message that Rucka seems to be trying to get across. I am not familiar with Janson's work in other comics; this was my first exposure to it. He is a very talented artist, and while I think I will like his art for this run, I'm not sure that it would fit just anywhere. His take on Ra's is near perfect, however, capturing his confidence, fear, and despair flawlessly.

Overall, the book was good, but details need to come and quickly. I'm not even sure what the plot is yet, and while the first issue is always setup, I still feel that a little more information could and should have been provided to the readers. I trust the creative team though, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Batman: Death and the Maidens is an enjoyable read; not the best I've seen (so far) but certainly worthy of a try.

Rating: B+