Cover: Neal Adams & Dick Giordano

Batman #235

Sep 1971 · DC · 0.25 USD

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About this Issue

Batman #235 is the second appearance of Ra's al Ghul and the third appearance of Talia al Ghul, cementing this duo as recurring fixtures in Batman's world rather than one-off novelties introduced mere months earlier. The issue deepens both characters in ways the debut (Batman #232) deliberately withheld: Ra's is now shown to have a genuine organization with rogue scientists and bio-weapon research, and Talia is revealed as a capable, morally ambiguous fighter willing to kill — a stark evolution from her more passive first outing in Detective Comics #411 that foreshadowed her eventual status as one of the most complex women in Batman's life. The story's unusual structure — Batman pressed into an uneasy alliance with Ra's rather than opposing him — established a recurring tension that would define the relationship for decades and later inform adaptations from Batman: The Animated Series to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. The Neal Adams cover also marks the first time Talia al Ghul is prominently featured on a Batman cover, giving the character a visual prominence that signaled DC's confidence in her long-term viability.

Contains 3 stories

Swamp Sinister

15 pp · Superhero

Batman [Bruce Wayne]Ra's al Ghul (villain)Talia al Ghul (villain)Alfred PennyworthSolomon T. LondonStriss (Ra's al Ghul's technician, death)Polard (Ra's al Ghul's technician, death)

In "Swamp Sinister," Batman is drawn into a deadly game when Ra's al Ghul commands him to track down Striss, a fugitive who’s stolen a volatile chemical formula—unaware of its true, lethal nature. With the swampy wilderness closing in and the formula’s danger still unknown, Batman must outwit both the assassin and the secrets buried in the mire.

The Outcast Society

7 pp · Superhero

Robin [Dick Grayson]Nanci BeekerPat WhalonTerri BergstromJonathan

Castle with Wall-to-Wall Danger!

14.34 pp · Superhero

Batman [Bruce Wayne]Robin [Dick Grayson]Commissioner James GordonAlbert MaunchVincent Maunch [Frank Pragnel]

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $64

CGC 9.8 · 17 in census $2,356*

CGC 9.6 · 36 in census $734

CGC 9.4 · 42 in census $441

CGC 9.2 · 44 in census $406

CGC 9.0 · 45 in census $323

CGC 8.5 · 61 in census $192

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CGC 8.0 · 28 in census $192

CGC 7.5 · 52 in census $185

CGC 7.0 · 28 in census $105

CGC 6.5 · 27 in census $99

CGC 6.0 · 26 in census $99

CGC 5.5 · 17 in census $99*

CGC 5.0 · 19 in census $99

CGC 4.5 · 14 in census $77

CGC 4.0 · 9 in census $77*

CGC 3.5 · 4 in census $66*

CGC 3.0 · 3 in census $58*

CGC 2.5 · 2 in census $57

CGC 2.0 none in existence

CGC 1.5 none in existence

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

More listings for this title

VF $15 GD $49.99 VG+ $76.46 VG $79.92 VG $79.99 FN $90.6 VG $103.99 VF $105

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History

The issue grew directly out of the Ra's al Ghul project launched by editor Julius Schwartz and writer Denny O'Neil, who had together identified the need for a fresh kind of Batman antagonist — a philosophical equal rather than another costumed Gotham rogue. O'Neil has recalled that Schwartz came to him with the name 'Ra's al Ghul' and the mission to build a character smarter and tougher than Batman himself. Talia had originally been created for a single story in Detective Comics #411 with no intent to revisit her, but by the time Batman #235 went to press, the creative team had expanded the concept into a sustained saga. Credits for the lead story — script by O'Neil, interior pencils by Irv Novick, inks by Dick Giordano, and cover by Neal Adams — were confirmed from Julius Schwartz's own editorial records, later made available to historians by DC Comics. The letters column of this very issue contains an early published letter from a then-unknown Dave Sim, future creator of Cerebus.

Trivia · 7 facts

Cover date: September 1971; on-sale date: July 22, 1971 (DC/National Periodical Publications).
Second appearance of Ra's al Ghul (first: Batman #232, June 1971) and third appearance of Talia al Ghul (first: Detective Comics #411, May 1971; second: Batman #232).
Lead story 'Swamp Sinister' written by Denny O'Neil, penciled by Irv Novick, inked by Dick Giordano; cover by Neal Adams (inked by Giordano) — all credits confirmed from Julius Schwartz's editorial records.
First time Talia al Ghul is prominently featured on a Batman title cover.
The letters column contains an early published letter from Dave Sim, future writer-artist and publisher of the landmark independent comic Cerebus.
The issue has been reprinted in at least eleven collections worldwide, including Batman: Tales of the Demon (DC, 1991 and 2020 editions), Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 3 (DC, 2006/2013), and the Batman by Neal Adams Omnibus (DC, 2016).
The story continues in Batman #236, making this part of an ongoing Ra's al Ghul narrative arc rather than a self-contained adventure.