Add Greg Rucka's name to a very short list... a list of writers who can handle the enigmatic and lofty character of Ra's Al Ghul well. Rucka offers up an intelligent and emotional story that's quite engaging, but the real draw here is the mysterious new character the writer has introduced into the world of the Dark Knight. That atmosphere of mystery and quiet intensity is brought out by Janson's dark, gritty linework and some eerie, muted colors. This series is beginning to remind of the longer Batman stories that Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale told in such books as The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, only with a much greater focus on particular characters rather than the larger cast of creeps lurking about the dark corners of Gotham City.
Ra's Al Ghul approaches the Batman in order to negotiate. To live, he needs a Lazarus Pit, but through his corporate interests, the Dark Knight is arranging for their destruction. Al Ghul doesn't plan to strongarm his old enemy, and he realizes that his philosophical arguments are falling on deaf ears. All that is left for him is to make Bruce Wayne an offer, one more tempting than anything else the hero can imagine. Meanwhile, two women from Ra's Al Ghul's past meet for the first time.
Janson's artwork reminds one of Frank Miller's work right away, but that comes as no surprise, given that Janson inked Miller's pencils on The Dark Knight Returns and illustrated a good number of his Daredevil stories as well. But I'm reminded of other Batman artists' work as well, notably Jim Aparo's distinctive style. Buccellato's colors add a lot to this story. The dark, muted tones reinforce the enigmatic and tense quality of the tale.
Presenting Ra's Al Ghul as an aged, frail man does more than reinforce his desperate need for rejuvenation. It brings a new dynamic to play when it comes to his odd relationship with the Batman. He looks like a father figure here, and in particular, a comparison to former police commissioner Jim Gordon -- a significant father figure in the Batman's life -- is unavoidable. Rucka doesn't refer to such an effect directly, but this issue is all about manipulating the title character's grief and his longing for a stronger connection with his parents.
It's fitting that Ra's Al Ghul makes reference to the Batman's parents in this issue, as the main story seems to be about the villain's failures as a parent himself. Of course, the relationship between Nyssa and Ra's may not be a daughter/father one, but it's certainly playing as such here.
Furthermore, Rucka brings Talia, Ra's daughter, into the mix here. He touches upon her current position as a part of Superman's world, but he doesn't let the story get mired in that tangent of continuity. One needn't be intimately familiar with the established characters' histories in order to follow the story. Such an accessible tone in the midst of a story steeped in mystery -- namely, the question of Nyssa's intentions -- is no small task.
