First Appearance Of
Batman #243 (1972). Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams. The Lazarus Pit's first explicit appearance.

1st Appearance

First Appearance of Lazarus Pit

Batman #243

July 1972 · DC · Bronze Age

Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams's 1972 mystical resurrection mechanism. The Lazarus Pit is a chemically-and-mystically active pool that Ra's al Ghul uses to extend his life across centuries. The mechanism explains Ra's al Ghul's age-defying abilities and has become a recurring plot device across Batman storylines.

Key Issue

Created by Dennis O'Neil · Neal Adams

By Atomm Updated

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DC Comics Artifact Ra's al Ghul's resurrection pool.

The Lazarus Pit first appears in Batman #243 (July 1972), Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams. The mystical resurrection pool is the mechanism Ra's al Ghul uses to extend his life across centuries. Using a Pit resurrects the dead but causes temporary madness. Multiple Pits exist worldwide. The framework has been canonical across DC publishing and has appeared in nearly every Ra's al Ghul-related storyline. Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (2005) adapted Lazarus Pit-derived imagery; the Arrowverse Arrow series (2012-2020) extensively adapted the Pit framework.

First Appearance

  1. Batman #243 cover
    First Appearance July 1972

    Batman #243

    By Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams

    Dennis O'Neil writes; Neal Adams pencils. The Lazarus Pit debuts as the mechanism Ra's al Ghul uses to extend his life. The framework explains Ra's's age-defying abilities (the character was introduced in Batman #232, June 1971, but the Lazarus Pit explanation came one year later).

What the Lazarus Pit is

Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams introduced the Lazarus Pit in Batman #243 (July 1972) as the mechanism Ra’s al Ghul uses to extend his life across centuries. The framework: a chemically-and-mystically active pool that resurrects the dead and grants longevity, with the side effect of temporary madness on the resurrected. Multiple Pits exist worldwide. The mechanism has been canonical across DC publishing since 1972 and has appeared in nearly every Ra’s al Ghul-related storyline.

Collector context

Batman #243 trades in the four-figure range at CGC 9.4 and above.

Frequently asked questions

The questions readers and collectors ask most.

What is the Lazarus Pit's first appearance?

Batman #243 (July 1972), Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams.

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Linked characters

2 characters that originate in or use this.