Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins #1

The latest Bat-Family Forever Evil tie-in issue gives us a look at the leader the League of Assassins whose presence in the New 52 has been only (strongly) suggested up until this point. Although the .1 issue doesn't deal with the man's origins from the language used it appears Mike Barr's Birth of the Demon remains largely intact.

Instead, Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins #1 examines the man's rise to power and the creation of the League of Assassins, his battles with Batman, and his goal to reform the world in his own image in the form of the myth retold as Ra's al Ghul is sought out by a messenger of the Secret Society of Super-Villains hoping to bend The Demon's Head to their will.

Writer James Tynion IV and Jeremy Haun deliver a solid retelling of the various aspects behind the character even if he's decidedly lacking in the kind of crazed evil malice that has defined Ra's al Ghul since his creation. It's far from a great Ra's al Ghul story, but for those needing a primer on the character it's sufficient. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]