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David McK (3425 KP) rated Batman: A Death In The Family in Books

Jan 28, 2019

Batman: A Death In The Family

Jim Starlin | 1989 | Comics & Graphic Novels

6.2

(5 Ratings)

Book Rating

Ah, 1988/89.

I was just entering double digits, the Cold War was still in force, and DC decided to bump off Robin.

Of course, when I say 'Robin' I actually mean the second character (Jason Todd) to take that mantle (with the first being the more famous Dick Grayson, who has now become Nightwing), and when I say DC I actually mean the DC readers - in a (then) unprecedented move, DC had actually left it open to the readers to decide his fate, via a telephone poll.

It is, of course, Batman's nemesis Joker who is responsible for the killing, after he (yet again) breaks out of Arkham Asylum and heads to the middle East to sell a nuclear weapon that he just-so-happened to have lying around. Batman goes off in pursuit, with a sidelined-by-Batman (due to his erratic nature) Robin on the trail of his real parent; a trail that leads to the two of them meeting up (amazing coincidence, Batman!), Robin ignoring Batman's advice and proceeding to put himself in harms way.

Apparently there was also a media storm around this; around the fact that over the course - and due t 0the events of - this plot-line, that Batman was moving back to his nihilistic vigilante loner roots rather than the kid-friendly character he had become: he even goes so far, in this, to punch out at Superman! The horror!!