With this issue, "The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul" is finished.

And so is my patience with DC Comics and its treatment of Batman.

First, some background.

In 1987, Mike W. Barr wrote a graphic novel called SON OF THE DEMON. Batman and Ra's Al Ghul's daughter, Talia, made love all over the place and she became pregnant. At the end of the story, Talia lied to Batman and told him that she'd miscarried. Batman was crushed.

But in the epilogue, a couple was shown adopting a mysterious baby boy. And that was the last we heard of Batman's son with Talia until Dennis O'Neil, who has written some of the best Batman stories of all time, explained in his position as group editor of the Batman books that the story wasn't canon. Many fans who felt the story presented an out-of-character Batman, not to mention the unnecessary complication of the baby storyline, breathed a sigh of relief, and "Son of the Demon" became a distant (though often decently regarded) echo of a past that, according to DC Comics, never really happened.

End of story, right?

Not if your name is Grant Morrison.

In 2006, DC Comics began its “One Year Later” saga, in which all of DC's series jumped ahead one year following the events of the company-wide INFINITE CRISIS crossover (which unfortunately took the wind out of some really excellent stories being told in many of the individual books, as such crossovers often do).

The details of the missing year would be told in a weekly series called 52, while the individual books themselves would carry forward from the “One Year Later” starting point. The mandate was that “One Year Later “would be a jump-off for new stories and new directions for DC's classic characters such as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. The new directions were meant to be free from decades upon decades of confusing and often totally irreconcilable continuity. Stories like SON OF THE DEMON for example.

Sounds like a good plan, right?

Not if your name is Grant Morrison.

BATMAN and DETECTIVE COMICS came out of the gate in style with a story called "Face the Face," which gave us a Batman who was more at peace with himself and his mission than The Dark Knight had been in years. The story reestablished Two Face and set him up to cause all kinds of problems for The Batman.

But following its conclusion, the writing gig on BATMAN was handed to Grant Morrison, whose stories are often bizarre and even ridiculous but still almost always fun.

Morrison's first storyline, called "Batman and Son," found the Scottish scribe revisiting SON OF THE DEMON and bringing the son of Batman and Talia back into continuity.

What?

If the mandate of "One Year Later" was to move forward with new stories and new directions, why was Morrison allowed to bring back a 19-year-old story that had long since been ruled out of continuity by DC Comics?

If the reason behind the mandate was a streamlining of continuity with fewer narrative complications, why was Morrison allowed to do something that couldn't possibly be more confusing or complicated?

Normally I'd scold Morrison for thinking himself above and beyond the rules of -- and the very reason behind -- the "One Year Later" event.

But blame should fall squarely on the shoulders of DC's editors for allowing it to happen in the first place. Someone should have said, "Grant, we know you love that story, but we're trying to move in new directions right now, and we're working on a new Batman movie, and revisiting a story that's almost two decades old and out of continuity anyway would really undo everything we're trying to accomplish with Batman and our other characters right now."

But instead, Morrison's story was given the green light and an expensive reprint of SON OF THE DEMON hit comic shops to coincide with the return of Batman's son.

(A further complication came with the fact that Bruce Wayne adopted the current Robin, Tim Drake, shortly after the beginning of the “One Year Later” storyline. Tim's mother had died years ago; his father was murdered in the INFINITE CRISIS storyline that served as somewhat of a precursor to INFINITE CRISIS. I was looking forward to some interesting character stuff involving Bruce and Tim, especially after all the excellent starting points each of them got in the "Face the Face" storyline. Morrison threw everything away and moved forward with his own thing. And that really rubs me the wrong way.)

I'd never liked the idea behind SON OF THE DEMON, but because I was a fan of much of Morrison's previous work, I shelled out almost eight bucks for the reprint so that I'd at least be up to speed when Morrison's story began.

But when Morrison introduced the boy, whose name was now Damian Wayne, he completely changed the origin of the boy's conception! Instead of the boy being a product of tons of happy lovemaking by Batman and Talia, he was suddenly the result of some kind of crazy eugenics experiment that Batman barely even remembered because he was forcibly drugged into his participation in it!

If Morrison was just going to make up a new origin for Damian, then why did I have to shell out eight bucks for a reprint of SON OF THE DEMON, when that book's origin was no longer even valid anyway?

When pressed about the issue by Wizard Magazine, Morrison said he hadn't read SON OF THE DEMON in a long time and had forgotten the details.

What?

You're writing a sequel to a story and you don't even read it?

And when you can't remember the details, you just make up your own instead of checking the original story?

I guess Grant Morrison didn't want to shell out eight bucks for a SON OF THE DEMON reprint, either.

Which, in itself, leads to an even bigger problem. Where are the editors? Are you telling me that the Batman editors have so little knowledge of Batman history that not one single person at DC Comics noticed the mistake?

Did anyone actually read SON OF THE DEMON during the process of resizing and reformatting it for the reprint?

Couldn't artist Andy Kubert have looked at the original scene from SON OF THE DEMON to make sure he drew the flashback of Damian's conception consistently with the original? Had he done this, he could have said, "Hey, Grant, I was looking at the original story to make sure I'm drawing this right, and I noticed that your version of the conception isn't correct."

But none of those things happened. Neither Morrison nor the artist nor any of the editors were doing their jobs.

And this, in turn, made an already confusing mess even more confusing.

Morrison never dealt with how Talia got Damian back from the couple that adopted him, probably because he'd forgotten the boy had ever even been adopted in the first place. And while it was bad enough that Damian had been brought back into continuity in such a sloppy way, the boy's characterization was even worse.

I'd think that a boy raised and trained from birth by the League of Assassins to be the heir to Ra's Al Ghul's empire would have respect and discipline and quiet power. Instead, Damian was a rude, spoiled, annoying and murderous little punk.

I'm sorry for all these tangents, but I think they're relevant to the discussion of "The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul."

One more piece of background before moving forward.

In Greg Rucka's "Death and the Maidens" miniseries, one of Ra's Al Ghul's long-lost daughters, Nyssa, "killed" her father and assumed the title of Ra's Al Ghul, The Demon's Head.

I was very excited by this, because a) I knew that Ra's would be back anyway and b) I thought it would be really cool to have a female Ra's Al Ghul calling the shots for a while.

But Nyssa was barely even revisited before issue #148 of ROBIN, where she got into a car that blew up and killed her. And that was that. The eight issues of "Death and the Maidens" were rendered totally useless, and a great character with lots of potential was thrown away in one stupid panel of a satellite Bat-title.

And so the mantle of Ra's Al Ghul was up for grabs once again. DC's team of rocket scientists decided, "Who better to fill it than the original Ra's himself?"

Thus began the poorly contrived, sloppily plotted and weakly written "Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul" storyline, and so it ends now in the pages of DETECTIVE COMICS #839.

At the end of the crossover's last issue (NIGHTWING #139), a very healthy looking Ra's Al Ghul grabbed Damian and, if the green energy field around them was to be believed, began transferring his life essence into Damian's body. (This, of course, after many pages of tragically out-of-character behavior by Tim Drake, who's far too smart and selfless to ever fall for Ra's Al Ghul's temptations about bringing Tim's lost loved ones back to life.)

Poor Paul Dini gets the job here of wrapping up the story, and he doesn't fare as well here as he did in the previous issue of DETECTIVE when he at least wrote some interesting stuff between Ra's and Tim.

First, let's yell at the editors again. At the end of NIGHTWING #139, Ra's looks healthy and he's holding Damian outside on a mountaintop in front of a temple.

On the first page of DETECTIVE #839, Ra's looks like a mummy again, and the action that we'd just seen happening outside is now occurring inside, in Ra's Al Ghul's underground lair.

What?

Why aren't the writers and artists working together to make sure everything flows together?

Where are the editors?

Batman demands that Ra's let go of Damian, and breaks Ra's's mummified arm nearly all the way off with a mighty kick.

Ra's demands of Batman, "What are you doing?"

What the hell do you think he's doing? He's saving his son. This writing is terrible.

Batman says, "I won't kill you, Ra's. I'm not sure anything can. But I'll make damn sure you never move again."

Batman starts beating on Ra's until Dusan, one of Ra's's monks, intervenes by saying, "Unhand him, Batman!"

To which Batman says, "Gladly," and tosses Ra's aside.

Then he punches Dusan so hard that Dusan goes flying. Meanwhile, Batman tells Damian that this is war and orders the boy to pick up a sword and fight.

Meanwhile, outside the temple, Nightwing and Robin and Alfred start fighting ninjas.

Yes, even Alfred.

Fighting ninjas.

With his cane.

At least Nightwing says the only clever thing in this entire issue: "These family reunions are never any fun. I don't know why we go anymore."

Dusan makes a mysterious offer to Ra's that Ra's reluctantly accepts, while Talia starts yelling at Batman about how he has no right to endanger Damian by asking him to fight.

Of course she's doing this in the middle of a giant ninja battle, therefore further endangering Damian, who needs to be protecting himself rather than standing around waiting for some ninja to chop his face off. Sloppy writing, but that's to be expected from this crossover.

Damian, upset that Mommy and Daddy are arguing in the middle of the giant ninja battle, runs away, while Alfred continues to fight ninjas with his cane, which transforms from a cane to a ninja sword between panels because artist Ryan Benjamin can't even keep his own art straight.

Pathetic!

Dusan drags Ra's to a quiet place, and we get a big conversation about how Dusan is really Ra's Al Ghul's son, and he's never felt worthy, nor has Ra's ever particularly consider him worthy, either.

Dusan wants Ra's to use his body as a new vessel, so that Ra's can live again. Ra's accepts and jumps into Dusan's body.

"Of all my offspring, only he never faltered," Ra's says. "He whom I called the flawed one ... the unworthy one."

Then Ra's rips open Dusan's robes, which are now his robes since he's now inside Dusan's body, and yells, "Now shall you bear a new name! A name to be respected, obeyed and feared across a thousand centuries! Ra's Al Ghul!"

The new-bodied Ra's rallies his ninjas. Talia says, "Father?" Damian, in typically awful Damian dialogue, says, "He put himself inside the creepy guy? That is so gross!"

Then Ra's says to Batman, "Detective." And Batman replies, "Degenerate."

Well, I think Ra's said it. Only Ra's would say that, and Batman replies to Ra's, but the word bubble is coming from off the page instead of from Ra's. Yet another sloppy art/editing mistake.

Over the course of the next two pages, the balding, worn-out old body of Dusan grows a full head of thick, wavy hair and develops huge muscles.

Meanwhile, Talia knocks out Damian and carries the boy away over her shoulder. Batman asks, "Why?" She says, "Because you are going to die here. Allow me to save the final legacy of the man I once loved." And she runs off. And he doesn't try to stop her. And the ninjas don't try to stop her.

Ra's, in his newly muscled body that has also suddenly sprouted a sexy, trendy haircut, attacks Batman "for the Demon's eternal glory!"

Batman and Ra's fight over the next several pages. Nightwing gets stabbed in the shoulder by an arrow from Ra's's archer-for-hire, Merlyn.

And then, something crazy happens.

Ryan Benjamin's art ends, and Don Kramer takes over the issue's art.

However, Benjamin and Kramer must not have been in any kind of communication whatsoever, because nothing looks the same.

Benjamin first drew Alfred with a cane and then with a ninja sword. Kramer draws Alfred with a long wooden pole, which the trust butler uses to fight even more ninjas.

But where Benjamin had been drawing Dusan/Ra's as a massive, muscled man with a full head of hair, Kramer draws Ra's in Dusan's original body, which is frail and has a bald head.

Again, where are the editors?

And why weren't the artists coordinating?

Batman and Ra's rush each other for what's sure to be a battle-deciding blow, just as the monks intervene with a lightning bolt or something. I can't even tell what happens.

The monks banish Ra's, and the ground opens up between Ra's and Batman. Batman tells Ra's he'd better leave, and then Batman follows his own advice and ... leaves.

Are you kidding me?

For pages, Batman has been going on and on about how it's got to end here. But then he just leaves without trying to stop Ra's? I guess he's honoring the monks, but I still don't think that a little fissure in the ground would stop Batman from stopping Ra's.

Anyway, Batman and Robin and Nightwing and Alfred escape to their waiting plane.

Tim asks Bruce about Talia running off with Damian. Bruce says, "If Damian wants [a life with Batman], he'll choose it ... just as you and Dick did. For now he deserves a life free from destiny ... mine or anyone else's."

Yeah, Bruce. The boy is totally going to get what with Talia Al Ghul, right?

Come on!

Then Alfred reminds them it's Christmas and they all share a laugh and some hot chocolate.

The end!

Are you kidding me?

It took seven issues and two prequel annuals to tell a story that was barely even a story?

And what's the deal with the resurrected Ra's?

We don't even know what he looks like!

Does he look like the muscled, full-haired 25-year-old that Ryan Benjamin's art morphed Dusan's body into after Ra's's spirit took over, or does he look as he did when we last saw him, when Don Kramer was drawing him in Dusan's original, feeble body?

And I can't stop wondering where the editors were during this process, or why the artists and writers weren't working together to make sure everything fit together.

Because this isn't just any comic book.

It's DETECTIVE COMICS, which featured the debut of Batman in 1939.

And this isn't just any character.

It's BATMAN.

The character and his fans deserve better than this.

Even worse is the fact that the arrival of THE DARK KNIGHT in theaters is imminent, and you'd think DC Comics and Warner Bros. would be doing everything they could to make sure the comics were at the peak of quality in the months leading up to the release of a film that just might result in a lot more people picking up the comics.

Instead, we've got these disastrous crossovers that take away from good stories being told.

Don't you see what you started when you let Morrison begin this story, DC?

And it's going to get worse! Not content to simply bring back the son of Batman and Talia, Morrison will be bringing back Bat-Mite in BATMAN #672.

It is the ultimate in arrogance for Morrison to keep bringing back all of these old, ridiculous story elements for his own gratification.

I'd honestly be perfectly okay with Grant Morrison's Batman stories if they were occurring in ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN THE BOY WONDER, which was created as an out-of-continuity repository for writers to do crazy things with the characters.

For that matter, Morrison's work on ALL-STAR SUPERMAN has been brilliant!

But there's just not a place in the primary Batman continuity for such ridiculous drivel, and I'm afraid it's going to get much worse before it gets better.

As for crossovers, it seems we never get a chance to breathe and enjoy good stories. Gotham gets hit by an earthquake. Bruce Wayne is accused of murder. Then “War Games” happens. The “War Crimes.” And then all the INFINITE CRISIS stuff. And then we get a fresh start with “One Year Later,” only to have that undone by Grant Morrison's crazy "Son of the Demon" sequel which leads us to this awful "Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul" crossover.

Only it's not a sequel, because Grant didn't bother to get the details right.

And the crossover itself was riddled with inconsistencies that should never have happened had the writers and artists and especially the editors been on the ball.

The next issue of DETECTIVE finds Paul Dini returning to business as usual. But Dini only has two issues before Peter Milligan steps in for yet another fill-in issue about the stupid armor Batman wore in the Ra's crossover!

Seriously, DC.

This is BATMAN!

Please start acting like you know what that means.