Usually, I don't like reading older comics because they are filled with racist, chauvinistic, and/or jingoist language that gets really hard to ignore. But sometimes, my curiosity propels me enough that I finish reading one. Batman: Tales of the Demon was one of those. Recently I decided to start reading more DC comics since I've been giving almost my entire focus to Marvel comics. And to do that, I planned on going back to the old comics before Crisis on Infinite Earths and get a bit acquainted with the heroes of the time. My perusal took me to a handful of issues that centered around the introduction of Ra's al Ghoul and his daughter Talia and the transformation of Batman into the Dark Knight we are more familiar with.

This handful of comics were written by Denny O'Neil, an author I don't have a very high opinion of since he was one of those responsible for setting back feminism in comics by stripping Wonder Woman of her powers in the '60s. Anyway, despite his own recognition that almost none of the comic writers of the time would admit to taking comics seriously, he managed to write a cohesive narrative that doesn't rely too much on coincidences and deus ex machina. It's kind of a fun story. Admittedly, you have to ignore the offhanded racist or chauvinistic remarks now and then to be able to find any enjoyment in reading this collection.