Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Chapter 4
Written by: Greg Rucka
Art by: Klaus Janson
Lettered by: Clem Robins
Colored by: Steve Buccellato
Assistant Editor: Nachie Castro
Editor: Matt Idelson
Publisher: DC Comics
Talk about a cinematic flavor!
To be honest, I’ve been a little down on this miniseries since it launched a few months ago. For one thing, I hate the idea that this is supposedly the last story to feature Ra’s al Ghul, ever. You never say never in comics, but just the idea that this classic villain may be lost for all-time, except in back issues, is appalling. Yet, going in with the sizable chip on my shoulder concerning the book, it has slowly won me over.
Greg Rucka is crafting the ultimate Ra’s al Ghul tale, the one that if this is it, will be remembered for greatness, not just for it being the last. The story is taking its time to build up, there’s no rush to reach a conclusion. While it’s got a little bit of padding, most everything serves to tell the greater story, and the characters and their actions are all well structured, and make sense within the story.
Things are becoming clearer
Ra’s al Ghul, and his impending demise, is the focus of the series. Batman has made it impossible for Ra’s to procure new Lazarus Pits, which Ra’s uses to stay eternally young, and now a former lover of Ra’s, Nyssa, is doing the same. Ra’s attempt at reasoning with Batman falls largely on deaf ears. Ra’s though, does finally make the Dark Knight waiver some, when he offers a potion that may allow him to speak to his long dead parents. After a somewhat meandering beginning, the pace of the story really begins to pick up this month.
The series includes a great deal of back-story, concerning Ra’s and Nyssa’s failed love. This excellent character work serves the book beautifully and is absolutely necessary to the story fulfilling its promise. Instead of shoehorning it all into a single issue, we are given tidbits each month. Rucka’s use of this technique, has allowed for some pretty big revelations thus far, but also leaves a great deal up in the air, as the series continues to play out. Nyssa is the x-factor in Death and the Maidens, and the sense of mystery around the character heightens the tension in the book.
While the storyline with Ra’s is central, the Batman is given moments to shine as well. This month the events of the first three issues finally catch up with Batman. Rucka has painted our hero into one hell of a corner. First, but not allowing Ra’s to enter a Lazarus Pit, is he in fact killing his nemesis? Secondly, what does Batman do about the mysterious potion that Ra’s gave him? Would you trust a concoction given to you by a man whose name in Arabic means, “the demon’s head?†Well, we are finally given some answers this month; answers that I won’t give away.
It took me some time to get used to Klaus Janson’s work. Like the story though, the realistic, heavily shadowed artwork has really grown on me. While very few Batman tales are particularly cheerful, this story is even more of a down note than usual. Janson’s work perfectly captures the dark, grizzled adventure that Mr. Rucka is crafting.
In a pretty good year, is this the best Batman story?
It would be a drastic understatement to say, 2003 was a good year for Batman stories. We have had Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s “HUSH.†Not to mention, Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso’s work currently unfolding in Batman. Then you cannot forget some very underrated stories by Scott Beatty in Gotham Knights, or a pair of nice arcs by Ed Brubaker in Detective Comics. Before all is said and done though, Death and the Maidens may be considered the best of the year, and quite possibly one of the best of all-time.
