Title Batman: Death and the Maidens Format maxi-series (also included is the prelude story from Detective 783) Binding standard comic Date October 2003 - August 2004 Writer(s) Greg Rucka Artist(s) Klaus Janson Collects Detective 783, Death and the Maidens 1-9 Storyline Detective 783 Ra's al Ghul arrived in Paris in 1923 and demanded to have the newborn child of a woman named Nyssa. She refused him and escaped with her son, Daniel. Chapter 1 Ra's al Ghul met with Nyssa. He told her about the Detective, about him destroying all his pits as soon as ground was broken on them. Nyssa voiced her approval of the Demon's Head's death. Two years later, Ra's sent one of his Ubu's to find Batman. Back in the cave, Ra's told Batman once more that he wished him to wed Talia and become his heir. He'd been estranged from his daughter and wished to have her back in his life before it was too late. Most of all, he wanted Batman to stop killing him.  Chapter 2 Ra's offered Batman a potion that would allow him to speak to his parents in return for him not destroying the last Lazarus Pit. 18 months previous, he'd taken Nyssa's pit. Nyssa moved into the same building where Talia lived. They had dinner together. Alfred warned Bruce about contemplating Ra's al Ghul's offer - he was a threat to all humanity and the dead had earned their rest. While they were talking, Nyssa arrived at Wayne Manor asking to speak with Batman. Chapter 3 Alfred let Nyssa into Wayne Manor. She introduced herself to Bruce and told him she was also against Ra's al Ghul. Batman visited him and asked about the woman. Nyssa and Talia quickly became friends. Nyssa abducted her. When she awakened, Nyssa killed her and dumped her into a Lazarus Pit.  Chapter 4 Nyssa remembered the circumstances that caused her to first use a Lazarus Pit as she continually killed Talia only to place her into a pit. Bruce took the potion given to him by Ra's and saw his mother.  Chapter 5 Talia begged Nyssa to not harm her again, but she was killed once more and thrown again into the pit. Afterwards, Nyssa comforted her and promised to take care of her as a sister. Bruce's mother told him his father was angry with him and that she appeared as she did (with the gunshot wound) because that's how he remembered her. She led him through Gotham City, questioning why he'd not married. She found his father, Thomas. Chapter 6 Nyssa and Misha (her lover) continued their plan as Talia slept the day away. Bruce's father tormented him and he finally showed them what he'd made of his life - his costume. Alfred left Bruce's bedside when the cave was compromised a third time by Ra's (who'd actually only been two of those times). He demanded Batman give him the location of a Lazarus Pit. Nyssa told Talia they were sisters who shared the same father. Bruce's parents told him it was time to move on - they'd been dead 25 years. Chapter 7 After remembering her time served in a Nazi concentration camp in WWII, Nyssa left on a boat with Talia. Bruce found something missing from the cave and suited up. He went straight to Ra's, who demanded the location of the Lazarus Pit he'd been promised by their deal. After telling him, Batman learned that Nyssa had taken the Kryptonite from the cave. She wished to kill Superman so the entire planet would weep. Ra's left for the pit and was dipped inside it. Batman located Misha, who was ready to snipe the Man of Steel. Chapter 8 Superman, posing as Batman, stopped his would-be assassin. He got the information from him and fed it to Batman, who was already en route to the Lazarus Pit. As Ra's al Ghul's daughters entered his tent, Batman parachuted toward them. He was held back by the tribe of Ubu as Talia went at him with a sword. Ra's stabbed her through the stomach. As Batman tended her, Ra's named Nyssa his heir and handed her his sword. She stuck it through him. Chapter 9 Ra's al Ghul died, leaving Nyssa to carry on his legacy. She had Batman detained and dropped into the desert with her father. The Detective burned the man's dead body. Back in Gotham City, Batman verified the identities of both Ra's and Talia. Batman eventually caught up with Nyssa and questioned her. She answered just as her father would have. Talia entered with a gun to Batman's head. She pledged loyalty to Nyssa, the Demon's Head. Nyssa told him her father's last words - "take care of your sister, Nyssa...care for her the way I never could." Batman returned home after making new enemies.