Cover: Neal Adams

Batman #243

Aug 1972 · DC · 0.20 USD

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“The Lazarus Pit!”

About this Issue

Batman #243 is the issue that introduced the Lazarus Pit — the pool of restorative chemicals that became the defining mechanism of Ra's al Ghul's immortality and one of the most durable concepts in DC Universe mythology. The concept arrived with virtually no foreshadowing and was concentrated entirely in the story's final pages, yet it took root so completely that it reshaped how Ra's al Ghul functioned as a villain for every subsequent decade. Beyond Ra's himself, the Lazarus Pit eventually touched characters as wide-ranging as Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain, and the Riddler, demonstrating how a single Bronze Age invention can ramify across an entire shared universe. The issue also consolidates Batman's undercover identity as Matches Malone — here still a very new piece of his operational toolkit — and deepens the romantic tension between Batman and Talia al Ghul that would eventually produce Damian Wayne.

In "The Lazarus Pit!", Batman confronts the deadly Lo Ling in a high-stakes showdown, tracking Ra's Al Ghul to a secluded Swiss sanctuary—only to discover the villain already dead. But when Ra's Al Ghul is mysteriously revived by the ancient and dangerous Lazarus Pit, Batman faces a foe reborn, with no clear way to stop him. Written by Denny O'Neil and illustrated with intense precision by Neal Adams, with inks by Dick Giordano and letters by Jean Simek, the cover by Neal Adams captures the chilling moment with stark, haunting detail.

writer Denny O'Neil · artist Neal Adams · inker Dick Giordano · letterer Jean Simek · cover Neal Adams

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $42

CGC 9.8 · 4 in census $6,590

CGC 9.6 · 6 in census $1,960

CGC 9.4 · 28 in census $567

CGC 9.2 · 30 in census $354

CGC 9.0 · 39 in census $197

CGC 8.5 · 52 in census $124

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CGC 8.0 · 42 in census $124

CGC 7.5 · 49 in census $83

CGC 7.0 · 40 in census $80

CGC 6.5 · 25 in census $75

CGC 6.0 · 17 in census $65

CGC 5.5 · 22 in census $65

CGC 5.0 · 9 in census $65*

CGC 4.5 · 12 in census $65

CGC 4.0 · 7 in census $59*

CGC 3.5 · 4 in census $49*

CGC 3.0 · 4 in census $43*

CGC 2.5 · 2 in census $33*

CGC 2.0 · 1 in census $29*

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History

The story, titled 'The Lazarus Pit!', was scripted by Dennis O'Neil, pencilled and inked by Neal Adams with inks by Dick Giordano, lettered by Jean Simek, and edited by Julius Schwartz — creative credits confirmed directly from Schwartz's own editorial records. It was the third chapter in an interconnected Ra's al Ghul arc running through Batman #232, #242, #243, and #244, and Adams had been absent from the interior pages of the immediately preceding installment, making his return here notable. Multiple readers and commentators have observed that the Lazarus Pit concept appears to have been introduced very late in the writing process, almost as a last-minute inspiration by O'Neil — absent any buildup in prior issues — which makes the concept's subsequent outsized influence on DC lore all the more remarkable.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of the Lazarus Pit, the mystical chemical pool that restores the dead and dying to life and grants Ra's al Ghul an extended, centuries-long lifespan.
Story title is 'The Lazarus Pit!'; cover date is August 1972 (published June 1972 per Grand Comics Database on-sale records).
Creative team: script by Dennis O'Neil, pencils and inks by Neal Adams, inks by Dick Giordano, letters by Jean Simek, edited by Julius Schwartz — all credits confirmed from Schwartz's editorial records.
Ra's al Ghul and Talia al Ghul both appear; Robin (Dick Grayson) appears briefly in the Matches Malone disguise before being sent back to Gotham, leaving Batman to pursue Ra's alone.
The story establishes the Lazarus Pit's key side effect — temporary madness in the person revived — a detail that carried forward into every subsequent use of the concept in comics, animation, and live-action.
Reprinted in the oversize treasury Limited Collectors' Edition #C-51 (August 1977), which collected the core Ra's al Ghul saga (Batman #232, #242–244) in a prestige tabloid format; that treasury was itself reproduced as a full-size facsimile edition in May 2024.
Also reprinted in The Saga of Ra's Al Ghul #3 (March 1988), Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 3 (2013), Batman by Neal Adams Omnibus (2016), Batman Arkham: Ra's al Ghul (2019), and Batman: Tales of the Demon (2020).
The issue's closing scene — Ra's rising from the Pit in a state of insane, murderous frenzy — was directly adapted in Batman: The Animated Series, specifically the end of 'The Demon's Quest' Part I (aired May 3, 1993), an episode scripted by O'Neil himself.