Neal Adams was one of my favorite Batman artists back in the day. He was instrumental in reviving the Dark Knight persona at a time when the public perception of the Batman stemmed from the ridiculous and campy TV show in the '60s (although I did enjoy it through the grimacing). But I do not recall Neal Adams ever writing a Batman story, and now I know why. This is a long Batman storyline, set earlier in his career when Dick Grayson was Robin, eventually pitting Batman against Ra's Al Ghul and the denizens of a primitive "underworld" beneath the earth's surface. The story is complex and convoluted, and Adam's Batman is a far more emotional and impulsive character than the one I know. The dialogue is embarrassing ("You won't kill anything ever again, you venomous pusillanimous scum"). I'm even disappointed by Adam's garish artwork here. The most intriguing part for me was the fight sequences between Batman and the Sensei, an ancient master of the martial arts who desires the use of Al Ghul's Lazarus Pit to be reborn. ( )