First Appearance of Ra's al Ghul: Batman #232 Value

Ra's al Ghul first appeared in Batman #232, cover-dated June 1971, in the story "Daughter of the Demon", created by editor Julius Schwartz, writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams (Wikipedia). PriceCharting notes the issue also retells the origin of Batman and Robin. Wikipedia translates his name from Arabic as "Head of the Ghoul", usually given in the comics as "The Demon's Head".

Talia al Ghul appeared one month earlier, in Detective Comics #411 (May 1971) (Wikipedia). If you are collecting the al Ghul family, that issue comes before Batman #232, and it is cheaper at most grades (see the values below).

PriceCharting values retrieved September 25, 2026:

• Batman #232 (Ra's al Ghul): ungraded $264.64 (about three sales a week); graded 4.0 $350.00; 6.0 $524.06; 8.0 $767.93; 9.2 $1,098.00; 9.8 $8,961.36 (about one sale a year)
• Detective Comics #411 (Talia): ungraded $108.75; graded 4.0 $170.00; 6.0 $236.76; 8.0 $420.20; 9.2 $1,299.99 (about one sale a year); 9.8 $7,031.04

In every grade up to 8.0 the Ra's issue costs more; at 9.2 the Talia issue is listed higher, but that figure comes from about one sale a year.

In his way, yes. Wikipedia says Ra's respects Batman's intellect, calls him "Detective", and sees him as a possible successor. He worked out that Batman is Bruce Wayne and keeps the secret. Batman respects him in return but opposes his eco-terrorist plans. The two are also family: Damian Wayne, the son of Bruce and Talia, is Ra's's grandson, and Ra's sees Damian as an heir and a possible vessel for his own mind.

No. Bane's father is King Snake, Edmund Dorrance, a revolutionary who escaped Santa Prisca's justice system; Bane learns this in the "Veritas Liberat" storyline (Wikipedia). Ra's did pick Bane to marry Talia and become his heir, then disowned him after Bane failed in a fight against Batman. Bane himself first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (January 1993).

In Batman Begins (2005), the man introduced as Ra's al Ghul, played by Ken Watanabe, is a decoy. The real Ra's is Liam Neeson's character, who goes by the alias Henri Ducard (Wikipedia). Other screen versions: Matt Nable in Arrow, Alexander Siddig in Gotham, and David Warner in the DC animated series.

Centuries. Wikipedia says he has lived more than 600 years by bathing again and again in the Lazarus Pits, pools that restore the body. In one story he tells Batman he looks about 50 but is in fact well past 400.

• Indicia: the small print on the first page or inside cover gives the title, issue number, date and publisher; reprints and facsimiles say so there.
• Cover price and barcode: a price or barcode that did not exist in the cover year means a later edition.
• Paper: decades-old newsprint tans at the edges; bright white pages on an old date are a warning sign.
• Restoration: color touch, trimmed edges and replaced covers are common on expensive keys; a grading service such as CGC can detect them.

Shoot the front cover flat and straight on in even light, then the indicia and the back cover. Batman #232 has a Neal Adams cover; include the cover price corner so the issue can be told apart from later reprints of the story. ComicLens reads the title, issue number and cover art from the photo, and there are free scans every day.

Research and drafting were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed on this page. Prices are the figures shown by the named source on the date given; they change with the market, and a grade that trades about once a year can move a lot on a single sale.