Ok, raise your hands if you’re like me and really hate crossover events, and I mean, REALLY (notice the all-caps, I’m serious) hate them. I don’t know about you but my wallet is really stretched as it is and when these little arcs come around, like the current one running through the Bat universe; The Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul,  I just want to hunt down the person responsible for inventing them and step repeatedly on his/her little toe!........*Deep calming breath*…….Now that I got that out of the way, let’s take a glimpse at Detective #838, part 3 of The Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul.

For those not familiar with him, Ra’s al Ghul is probably the most worldly of the Bat-villains. He is the head of a vast organization called The Demon and thanks to a life-sustaining pool called the Lazarus Pit, is well over 400 yrs old. In the 2004 story Batman: Death and the Maidens, Ra’s al Ghul is killed by his daughter, Nyssa, and later cremated under the watchful eye of Batman. Fast forward to the current story arc and we find that al Gul had transferred his consciousness, upon his death, to another body. But that body is failing due to radiation poisoning and he must find another.

With Detective #838, we begin with a somewhat zombified al Ghul being presented with both his son Damian and the current Robin, Tim Drake. After an ensuing escape attempt, Damian leaves Robin to face al Ghul alone. But the Batman, with the help of Ra’s other daughter, Talia, and the mysterious I-Ching, are not far behind. I won’t spoil what follows but I will say that at the end, Batman is faced with a decision that will potentially haunt both him and these pages for years to come! Don’t believe me, go out and buy it yourself. And be sure to give some kudo’s to Alfred, who displays some fighting talents of his own in this issue.