But the real murderers are the BATMAN readers.
– Newsweek
A Death In the Family
One phone number became the difference between life and death for the new Robin, Jason Todd, in A Death In the Family when it debuted in 1988.
Jason decides to search for his birth mother when Batman tells him he needs to take a break from being Robin. When Jason runs away, Batman has to make a choice between preventing the Joker from wreaking havoc and chasing down his adopted son.
Ultimately, Batman’s need for justice and his obsession with taking down Joker, as well as Jason’s stubborn disobedience, costs the Dark Knight his sidekick. Even though I knew Robin was going to die — I mean, have you seen the cover? — it still hit me hard to see Batman endure such pain. Regardless, I think I would have voted for the Joker to kill Robin if I had been old enough at the time to dial a phone number.
Usually, I have a tough time picking sides between Batman and Joker, because I love them both and love the dynamics of their relationship. They’re a more complicated Tom and Jerry; they are always waging war, neither of them ever win, and I think that, secretly, they both enjoy the game they play. It gives them both the opportunity to play at being the hero (Batman) and the villain (Joker) that they could otherwise never be. In “Death,” I wanted Batman to kill Joker, or at least beat the face paint off of him.
What I liked most about “Death” — aside from the storyline: Jason searching for his biological mother, Batman versus Joker — was that most of the story was set internationally in the Middle East. The writers clearly had a strong sense of the crime culture, political situations, and social situations in the countries that the main characters interacted in.
This particular story arch is a catalyst for the bitter Batman we know in the present and in the future as the retired Caped Crusader who passes on his legacy to the young Terry McGinnis.
The more Batman stories I soak up, the more I love this franchise.
What’s your favorite Batman story arc?
