Cover: Neal Adams

Batman #244

Sep 1972 · DC · 0.20 USD

☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free

About this Issue

Batman #244 is the climactic finale of Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams's original Ra's al Ghul saga — the Bronze Age story arc that permanently repositioned Batman as a globe-trotting, morally serious figure rather than a campy television relic. The issue delivers the saga's most celebrated set pieces: Batman's punishing sword duel with Ra's under the desert sun, his near-death from a scorpion sting, and Talia secretly passing him the antidote through a kiss — a sequence that crystallized the star-crossed dynamic between those two characters for every writer who followed. Neal Adams's cover, depicting a shirtless, fallen Batman at the feet of Ra's, became one of the most reproduced images of the Bronze Age and sparked a well-documented debate with editor Julius Schwartz over Adams's anatomically realistic rendering of the hero's torso. Taken together with Batman #232, #242, and #243, this issue anchors a story that is widely credited with transforming Ra's al Ghul into one of DC's most enduring antagonists and with establishing the template — philosophical villain, international scope, romantic tension — that Christopher Nolan and countless other adapters would later draw upon.

Contains 2 stories

The Demon Lives Again!

15.5 pp · Superhero

Molly PostLo LingDr. Harris Blaine

The Teen-Age Trap!

8 pp · Superhero

Tommy Duffy

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $81

CGC 9.8 · 27 in census $4,268

CGC 9.6 · 78 in census $1,067

CGC 9.4 · 115 in census $548

CGC 9.2 · 126 in census $469

CGC 9.0 · 130 in census $310

CGC 8.5 · 164 in census $310

Show all 22 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 137 in census $304

CGC 7.5 · 156 in census $199

CGC 7.0 · 149 in census $199

CGC 6.5 · 112 in census $153

CGC 6.0 · 96 in census $153

CGC 5.5 · 60 in census $126

CGC 5.0 · 54 in census $126

CGC 4.5 · 65 in census $126

CGC 4.0 · 42 in census $105

CGC 3.5 · 26 in census $75

CGC 3.0 · 11 in census $74

CGC 2.5 · 2 in census $59*

CGC 2.0 · 1 in census $52*

CGC 1.5 · 1 in census $35*

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 · 1 in census $25*

* 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

VG $65 VG $74.95 VG $89 GD $90 FINE $125 VG $134.95 CGC 4 $140 VG $145

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 41 total · seen 29 days ago

Sell my copy

Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.

We Buy Collections ▸

Fast, fair offers · we handle grading & shipping

History

Batman #244 was produced within the collaborative framework that editor Julius Schwartz had built to deliberately darken Batman's world and distance the character from the campy 1966 ABC television series; Schwartz brought in O'Neil as scripter and Adams as cover and interior artist to execute that editorial mandate. O'Neil and Adams worked together on only eleven Batman stories across several years, yet the Ra's al Ghul arc that culminated here is widely regarded as the defining achievement of their partnership. Adams recalled that the cover's realistic depiction of Batman's chest — nipples included — drew an objection from Schwartz, a creative dispute Adams documented in interviews and that became a frequently cited footnote in the history of superhero realism. The Robin backup, scripted by Elliot S! Maggin and drawn by Irv Novick with inks by Dick Giordano, marked one of the earliest DC credits for Maggin, who would go on to become a prolific Superman writer.

Trivia · 8 facts

Cover date: September 1972; on-sale date: July 13, 1972 (DC / National Periodical Publications).
Lead story: 'The Demon Lives Again!' — written by Denny O'Neil, penciled by Neal Adams, inked by Dick Giordano, lettered by Jean Izzo; 15.5 pages.
Backup story: 'The Teen-Age Trap!' — written by Elliot S! Maggin, penciled by Irv Novick, inked by Dick Giordano; 8 pages; features Robin (Dick Grayson) as Dick Grayson helping an inner-city youth near Hudson University.
The issue serves as the climax of the original Ra's al Ghul story arc that ran across Batman #232, #235, #240, #242–244, and Detective Comics issues — the arc that established Ra's and Talia as recurring, A-list figures in the Batman rogues gallery.
Story pivots on two landmark character beats: Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pit-enhanced resurrection and near-defeat of Batman, and Talia covertly saving Batman's life by administering a scorpion-venom antidote through a kiss — the moment that codified their romance.
Neal Adams's cover — Batman stripped of his cowl and costume top, collapsed at Ra's al Ghul's feet — is one of the most frequently cited and reproduced cover images of the Bronze Age; Adams documented Schwartz's objection to the anatomically realistic torso in a 2003 interview published in The Batcave Companion (TwoMorrows, 2009).
The lead story was adapted as Part 2 of 'The Demon's Quest' two-part episode of Batman: The Animated Series (1993), scripted by O'Neil himself with Len Wein.
Major reprint history includes: Limited Collectors' Edition #C-51 (August 1977, treasury format); The Saga of Ra's Al Ghul #4 (April 1988); Batman: Tales of the Demon (1991); Batman Arkham: Ra's al Ghul (2019); Batman by Neal Adams #3 (2020); Batman: Tales of the Demon (2020 edition); DC Facsimile Edition of Batman #244 (2026); and international editions in German, Norwegian, Swedish, Brazilian Portuguese, and other languages.