Batman: A Death in the Family

A very interesting, exciting story of the Dark Knight and his sidekick. Very well written, nicely drawn, and brutal. In this one the Boy Wonder, Robin faces Batman's darkest enemy, the Joker, and he might not be able to win against him. It's a true classic, I highly recommend to those who love Batman at his best.

Didn't care much for the story. It didn't really interest me and I didn't find it all that entertaining either. I don't know...maybe my expectations were too high. People hyped it up as a great comic but I wasn't really feeling it. Not a fan of the art either.

I have been a Batman fan since kid, almost 30yrs. I was looking for this compilation awhile ago and definitely found it here. This is one of the most emotionally comics ever seen. You can feel the soft human side of the Bat. I will treasure this one as one of my fav.

I heard ... was killed off by a Rigged polling system where a fan set his computer to vote ...'s death repeatedly till the end of the polling but as I view batman and what he is in my mind. What he represents is encompassed by the hardships he overcomes. ... ...'s death portrayed the difficulties batman faces, and overcomes, perfectly. Some may even say ...'s death was fate.

The first storyline written is "A Death in the Family" by Jim Starlin and FIVE Star worthy. The second Batman storyline written by Marv Wolfman is a separate continuation of the storyline titled "A Lonely Place to Die" and isTHREE star worthy making for an overall FOUR stars.

Good story, I felt like some of the parts really showed the age/time in which they were written however. That would be my main complaint. I really enjoyed the stories that followed the main attraction however. They almost surpassed the actual story in my view!

The book is about the death of Jason Todd the second Robin. The story is in 4 chapters. Plus, there is A Lonely Place of Dying a 5 part after story about Batman and the New Titans. Great story overall

All of the other reviews do a good job of telling you about the story, so I won't rehash that here. What they don't tell you is that this new edition of A Death in the Family also contains the rare out of print TPB A Lonely Place of Dying. That makes this a great value worth getting in that you have the death of one Robin, Jason Todd, and the introduction of the next, Tim Drake. Unfortunately for me, I didn't know about that when ordering these stories and now I have a TPB copy of a Lonely Place of Dying that I'll need to sell now... :(

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!

When Dick Grayson moved on to become Nightwing, it left the role of Robin wide open. When Batman discovers a young boy boosting the tires off the Batmobile, he is amazed at the kid’s moxie and natural ability. Adopting Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne now has a new Robin as his sidekick.

But Jason Todd is not Dick Grayson. Jason has his own ideas and is not content to simply follow orders. The partnership is often a bit messy as Batman and Robin continue to have words.

Jason is chasing his real mother and ignores all of Batman’s orders. Finally tracking his mother down, he discovers that she doesn’t have clean hands and is in fact currently in a deal with the Joker.

The Joker now captures Jason. He beats the lad within an inch of his life with a crowbar, then sets an explosive to kill both Robin and his mother.

But for the first time in comic history, there were two endings offered to the public. In one scenario, Jason Todd would survive both the beating and the explosion. It would take a long time to heal, but he would live. In the second scenario, Jason Todd would die before Batman could save him.

And in September of 1988, the ending was put to the readers. For thirty-six hours starting September 15, the public would cast their votes. Jason Todd was the first comic character to be voted to death!

This is the full story of that saga, along with a continued story leading to the next Robin, Tim Drake. And the art is beautiful, the story a real tear-jerker, and the lead into the next Robin very well done!

I give this book five stars plus!

Quoth the Raven…

Oh my. I get chills whenever I read this again. This is such an emotional graphic novel that harkens to what I feel "would be" Batman's true nature if given the chance. Jason does what Batman cannot. Pushes violent criminals off roofs to their deaths, beats many to the edge of death, for that is Jason's nature. With Jason Todd as Robin, there is no black & white, only grey. Many readers see Jason as an immature punk who just won't listen (to Bruce/Batman) and WHY there is that line you shouldn't cross. I feel Jason Todd as Robin is one of the most misunderstood characters ever created. I know if I had the chance (being a woman) to push a rapist off the rood to his death -- I certainly would do it & never look back, even if Batman was hiding in the shadows. Jason's human & he's a "boy". That means he's impulsive, "knows everything", & angry. And so Jason feels the need to deal out HIS brand of justice to Joker. Jason wants to send Joker to Hell. Period. Yet with impulsivity, being over-confident, & such innate anger come mistakes. And when up against the Joker -- that can cost you your life. And it did. This is a MUST HAVE for any Batman fan. Was brilliantly done.

For Batman, the death of his parents was the biggest tragedy of his life. Two bullets took them both away from him. Bullets shot by a random mugger. These bullets would scar Bruce Wayne for the rest of his life. These bullets would lead him towards becoming the Batman. He was motivated by the loss of his parents to rid Gotham City of the criminal element that took his parents lives. He would carry that promise for the rest of his life. But he would not do it alone.... for he had Robin, The Boy Wonder. And the decision to recruit him into his dangerous mission would ultimately lead to tragedy....

THE DEATH OF THE SECOND ROBIN, JASON TODD.

Yes, I did say "second" Robin, because more than one person has worn the mantle of Robin. The first person to become Robin was Dick Grayson, who was the most well known Robin, as he wore the costume from the late 30's, all the way to the mid 70's. But Dick soon outgrew the role, and set off alone as the adult crime fighter Nightwing. Batman would continue to fight solo, until he met Jason Todd, a troubled orphan who literally tried to steal the tires off the batmobile. Batman felt sorry for the young boy and decided to take him in as the second Robin. But Jason Todd never set well with readers of the day. He was reckless, brutal, and was fueled by his anger. While I myself never had a problem with this (I actually thought it was an interesting depiction of Robin), the readers continued to complain about Jason, and the editorial board at DC decided they had to do something about it. But since they couldn't figure out what to do, they decided to let the readers choose Robin's fate!

The story itself shows that Batman is starting to realize that Jason's recklessness is becoming a serious problem. In order to keep his anger under control (and to not let himself get killed), Batman forces Jason to go off active duty. When Jason hears about this, he angrily leaves the Wayne Manor, and walks towards his old apartment in Crime Alley. When he gets there, he finds a startling discovery. He finds his birth certificate, where his mother, Catherine Todd's signature isn't there. Instead, there is a blacked out name starting with the letter "S" in its place. Realizing that Catherine Todd was not his mother, he travels across the world to search for his real mother. His search leads him to the Middle East, where the Joker is busy selling nuclear weapons to Arab terrorists. I bet your wondering why he would be doing trade with terrorists. Well it's because the police started seizing his funds after he recently crippled Barbra Gordon in THE KILLING JOKE, and he's trying to recover his lost money. Plus he's also insane! When the Joker finds Jason, he takes advantage of the opportunity, and beats the boy wonder near to death before leaving him to die in an explosion.

This was where the readers were able to decide Robin's fate. DC Comics gave the fans two phone numbers. One would allow Jason to survive the explosion, and the other would send him into his grave. In the end, the death phone number won by a slim margin, and Jason was found dead in the rumble by Batman. It's a scene that will have readers moving with tears.

The story about Robin's death may be controversial, but it's an amazing story that plays a key role in the life of the dark knight! Jason's death shows us the risks that Batman is taking by allowing a young boy to fight crime along side him, and transforms Batman into more of a loner as he limits his partnerships with his other allies in the future. But more importantly, this story makes Batman's obsession with the Joker even more personal. During the 1980's, the Joker was becoming a darker and more murderous foe as his crimes became more heinous. A powerful example of this was in Alan Moore's THE KILLING JOKE (a personal favorite of mine), as he cripples Barbra Gordon in an attempt to drive her father insane. He ended her career as Batgirl with a single bullet, and has now gone over the edge once again by murdering the boy wonder. These two crimes would cause Batman to no longer hold back on the Joker, and in some cases, would even be tempted to break his one rule with the Joker. In short, these factors make Jason Todd's death the second greatest tragedy in Batman's life.

It's a tale that will truly move you away, and prepare you for how Batman will decide his actions in the future. Controversial or not, I will always treasure this as a truly sensational story of the dark knight!

May Jason Todd rest in peace...

Batman has noticed that Robin is acting very strange. He's far more aggressive than usual, so Batman believes that he still hasn't gotten over his parents deaths. He moves Robin to inactive status which doesn't sit well with the boy at all. He soon leaves the mansion and heads to his old neighborhood in Crime Alley. From there Robin goes on his own personal mission. -summary

Back in the mid 80's DC had began its universe anew with the storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths. This 12 part story ended by resetting the entire DC universe, which lead to the rebooting of characters stories along with some origins being changed; with that, a new attitude also came with the change, and this was DC's transition into sometimes darker and edgier stories. The first character in their line up to go through that change was Batman. To follow up on it, DC decided to pull a page out of Marvel's playbook and whack a character important to a main character's storyline. In this case, it was Batman's sidekick Robin, but not the Robin aka Dick Grayson that many fans came to love. He eventually grew out of being Batman's sidekick and took up the name of Nightwing to become his own man.

The Robin to bite it was the second one to don the outfit Jason Todd; a character most fans despised because he was very rebellious and hard-headed. Batman even noted that attitude was going to get him killed, in which that was the end result. The crazy thing about this though, DC left the fate of the second Boy Wonder in the hands of the fans. Where the fans were able to call in a 1-900 number and vote whether he should live or die. In the end, the Jason Todd haters would have their way by a narrow margin, and this decision would later result in Batman's greatest failure. Written by Jim Starlin, this TPB collects the storyline A Death in the Family across Batman issues 426 - 429, and another story which follows up A Lonely Place of Dying across issues 440 - 442 and The New Titans 60-61.

Jason learns that his biological mother may still be alive and she could be one of three women. He travels on his own to the Middle East searching for her. At the same time, Batman is on the trail of the Joker, whom is attempting to sell a disassembled cruise missile to a terrorist outfit in the same region. Eventually all three of their paths cross and tragedy soon strikes. Although there's a good amount of action with a battle against the martial arts master Lady Shiva. The plot is somewhat uninteresting and put together rather sloppy. This is actually a surprise when taking under consideration this is Starlin behind the pen, whom was known for putting together some very good stories for Marvel. This story is put together way too simple and has the feel of everything being too much of a coincidence. Thankfully the second half picks up, and you're made to believe that this time Batman is getting rid of the Joker, forget the consequences of him doing it. This part made for some good storytelling back then, and the ending makes up for this story.

The second story is by far the best, and I mean it's very good. A Lonely Place of Dying sees Batman heavily disturbed by Jason's death. He's thinking with his fist before his brains and coming back home wounded way too often. His moodiness is so obvious a young boy by the name of Tim Drake notices it and goes out of his way to help him. To add to Batman's trouble, Two-Face is on the loose with the sole purpose of putting the Bat six feet under. Once this story gets going it becomes very entertaining watching Batman and Two-Face trying to outwit each other. They give off this mirror-image feel as they seem to know each other so well and it builds up to an epic conclusion. This story also puts into perspective the belief that Batman does need a Robin. The only problem I have with this story element is that it feels heavily beat on, but I can understand the reinforcement on it since Batman is so obviously vulnerable.

When looking back at A Death in the Family though. I think it's crazy people consider offing this Robin a bold move by DC. If it was Grayson then yes, but in the case of Jason Todd it really meant nothing since more than 50% of the fans hated him. Despite how it influenced Batman's feelings later on, this death seriously lacked emotional punch and I think it was too much of a gimmick that was handled in bad taste. It can't at all compare with The Death of Gwen Stacy from the pages of Spider-Man.

I can say that I enjoyed the artwork overall. The action panels are done well enough, and the sick beating Joker gives to Robin can feel quite uneasy. I still think Nightwing has one of the coolest designs ever, and Two-Face will always be creepy looking. And watching Batman holding Robin's dead body in the middle of that wreckage is still pretty cool.

A Death in the Family does have a significant place in Batman lore. It's the story that's considered Batman's greatest failure, and it's the first moment that had one believing he was going to finish Joker for good. However, it's the second story I think that makes this TPB worth reading. It's driven very well by its characters, the plot is fun to read, plus it introduces Tim Drake who would go on to become the third Robin. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys comics. It's newbie friendly as well, and to me that's always a plus.

Pros: Second story is awesome, character driven

Cons: Average writing in first story

This best selling 1980s graphic novel let the readers decide if the second Robin, Jason Todd, would live or die after an explosion. In this late 80s graphic novel there's an actual copy of the advertisement and the 900 number to call to decide upon the fate of the Boy Wonder. The fans decided they didn't like Jason Todd much and voted to kill him and no that isn't a spoiler based on the title and cover. Apparently the vote was close. Over 10,000 votes were cast, with the final vote being 5,343 votes for Jason to die over 5,271 for him to live (Wiki). There is a copy of the cover which shows Jason Todd surviving (in case the fans voted for him to live).

The story in of itself ranges from very good to questionable. I don't want to give spoilers but some felt the Joker to Africa connection was too coincidental and others didn't like the Joker and Iran connection though back in those days I think there was a lot of hostility towards possible Middle Eastern terrorists and look what happened during 9-11 so maybe it's not so farfetched or maybe it still is? Additionally, the graphic novel covered issues that concerned the country/world at the time: the IRA, Reaganomics, the Lebanese War, nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, Iran, rogue states, the famine in Ethiopia, Iran-Contra affair and much more.

After the death of Robin II you get to see the Batman going down the wrong road even though his friends try to guide him back to the light (he even punches Superman surprisingly). It isn't really until Tim Drake (the future Robin III obviously) takes action on his own and brings Dick Grayson, the first Robin who is now Nightwing, to his senses that Batman begins to recover. For those not in the know Robin serves as a reminder of who Batman/Bruce Wayne used to be before his parents were horribly murdered before his eyes.

The artwork is traditionally classic with a distinctive almost bright blue coloring to Batman (which makes it really hard to believe he can surprise people in the desert by sneaking around) which I haven't seen in a while. Also, emoting obvious emotions is more prevalent than in later comics.

IGN comics ranked this as #15 on the top 25 Batman graphic novels.

At the time this was presented the killing of superhero characters was a new thing. These days they die and then come back with the old bait and switch or when writers want to look for some reason to bring them back. Denny O'Neil, editor of the Bat-comics at the time of Todd's death, stated on the back cover of A Death in the Family trade paperback: "It would be a really sleazy stunt to bring him back." However, O'Neil would later regret his decision. Uh huh.

This is a must read for Batman fans simply for its history. Get it.

ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B; BATMAN MYTHOLOGY/FRESHNESS: A minus (for its time); STORY/PLOTTING: B to B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; WHEN READ: June to July 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.

Before I even knew who Jason Todd was, I knew there was a Robin who died. I didn't start reading comics much up until recently, but I have always Loved watching the cartoons (Batman the animated series, Batman Beyond,justice league, and even a bunch of marvel cartoons including spiderman and the x-men) because my dad used to collect comic book movies.

Sometime a year or two ago my husband and I were bored and headed to a local redbox to find some entertainment for the night. Under the Red Hood just happened to be in stock and as soon as we read the description the rabid geeks in us were like "OMG we have to see this tonight!!" Finally I was gonna learn a little something about Bat History! We were just blown away! If anything inspired My husband and I to start trying to read comics besides The Dark Knight movies, it was Under the Red Hood the animated film alone. We own the bluray now and have watched all the documentaries on that disk more than once. We decided to get A death in the Family as we started collecting and I just finished reading it. I was not disappointed in any way, shape, or form! And I still almost cried when Jason died (even though I knew it was going to happen anyways.) It took a tremendous amount of willpower to maintain my composure. The animation is also very good because You see sooooo much pain on Batman's face as he holds the young man hopelessly in his arms.

It is now one of my top 3 and I have a feeling it will always be there. I did not find Jason to be the nasty smart @$$ brute people claimed he was. Was he reckless, yes. Ruthless, a little. Human, Absolutely. More so than anybody in the bat family ever has been. If ever he was a jerk in the comics, as soon as you open up the pages you start to see him grow as a character and quickly at that. Which makes losing him at the end of the story all the more painfully profound and moving. You also see more of Batman's humanity too. You see how deeply he loves and cares even though he would never tell a soul. Most importantly, it reminds you that Batman is not infallible! It's a painful eye opener about what it costs to be "The Batman." It also raises the untimely question, What Price is too high for "Justice?" This book is a MUST if you have any interest in the graphic novels featuring Batman and it is as relevant today as it was 24 years ago. That is some strong staying power for a graphic novel that is almost a quarter of a century old.

Lastly, what makes this edition extra awesome is that you get two 5 star stories for the price of one. A Lonely place of Dying (the follow up) is included in this book as well and that story is equally wonderful and powerful. You see how much of a difference one random act of kindness from many years ago can make. The impact has the potential to be HUGE! You see exactly how much one moment can change your life. Whether it's for the better or the worse, it's completely up to you. And as a Fan Favorite, Tim Drake is a completely accessible, sympathetic, and rich character full of depth. He has incredible courage inspired by the compassion and enthusiasm only a child could have. This child is also a wise and very bright one, so it's fascinating getting a peek into how his young mind works.

Please don't pay attention to the 1 star reviews, Those people just like to over analyze everything so it can become more realistic. In all honesty this is not Batman's best story, But it is an excellent and groundbreaking story from the early 90's that tells of how the second robin fell in the hands of the joker due to his naitevity. The Joker is ingenious in this story, as he always is, and becomes a senator from Iran where he cant be touched by Batman and is protected by Superman. This introduces an interesting dynamic indeed within the story, Only those who are offended by this "Racist Undertone" is only trying too hard to be politically correct. Shut up and enjoy this classic tale! 5/5.

jason todd's death is coming in one of the most controversal stories of DC as the fans have decided jason dies in a search for his real mother and the batman can't stop it but when the joker becomes an ambassador and gets diplomatic immunity and batman unable to touch him how will he stop him from causing more death. and lastly meet Tim Drake the robin with ties to the bat family that no one ever knew about as we see a new robin emerge to help keep batman from getting sloppy and getting himself killed over the grief and death of his last partner as robin

I'm sure everyone who is even remotely familiar with Batman's background knows this story. Even if you haven't read it, the cover says it all. Robin dies. Although he was not the first or last Robin, it still sent ripples through the Batman canon that are still creating waves today (i.e. Under the Hood, Countdown).

I have to admit, this is the first story I ever read with Jason Todd as Robin. I knew a little bit about him but it's a little pathetic that before I even got to know the guy, he's gone. However, Starlin does take the time to fill in a little back story for those like me that may not have a clue as to who this Robin is or where he came from. It made me want to start backtracking and read a little bit more about him while he was alive so I could appreciate his departure more.

The basic story is after Bruce grounds Jason from active duty as Robin, Jason comes across his birth certificate indicating that his mother who he thought to be dead was in fact not his real mother and that she may still be out there. After some detective work he narrows it down to three women and goes off in search of her. Meanwhile The Joker is up to no good selling a nuke to terrorists in the middle east and Batman is on his trail. By a huge coincidence Bruce and Jason run into each other and end up helping each other with their missions.

Other than the unlikeliness of their journeys intersecting, the rest of the rest of the story plays out rather well with a few surprises as in addition to some good action and dialog. Starlin manages to make Jason's last moments meaningful and character defining. Jim Aparo's artwork is also pitch perfect and works really well in telling the story.

Although the story is not quite as epic as I had expected, it must have been mind blowing when it was first printed. The fact that leading up to his death you never see it coming would have been the best reading experience. It seems like just a simple story of Jason trying to dig deeper into his past and Joker up to his old tricks and then they hit you with a ton of bricks out of nowhere. I'd say that is a pretty hard thing to pull off well and that is why this story sets the stage for the rest of Batman's career.

Batman: A Death in the Family is arguably the most controversial comic book storyline of all time - and everything about it is just great except for DC's reaction to the fan reaction to the death of Jason Todd (the second Robin). The revolutionary thing about the series is the fact that DC set up a hotline and allowed readers to decide Robin's fate after he was caught in an explosion in issue 428. A slight majority of the 10,000+ callers (in a window of only 36 hours) gave Jason Todd the thumbs down, and so it was that Batman once again became the lone Dark Knight (for a little while, at least). And the media hoopla commenced - which was, however much they still deny it, DC's plan all along.

Jason Todd was always a problematic Robin, but he had been getting more and more reckless - so much so that Batman finally takes him off active duty. Then Todd finds out that the woman he called Mother was not really his mother, and he sets out on a quest to find his biological mother - he has three names, and it's just a matter of finding each woman on the list. The search takes him to Beirut. Meanwhile, the Joker has escaped yet again, and it looks like he's trying to sell a nuclear weapon to terrorists in the Middle East. Fate dictates that the lives of all three major players intersect at a vicious crossroads overseas. What is most shocking about this story arc is not the death of Robin - rather, it is the manner of his death. His newly discovered mother basically betrays him, the Joker beats him to a bloody pulp with a crowbar (and really enjoys doing it), and then he's trapped inside a warehouse when it blows up. Still, even after the betrayal, he tries to save his mother's life - it makes for a truly fitting, superheroic end for the second Robin. The story doesn't stop there, though. Even as Batman is grieving Jason's death and questioning all of his actions and decisions regarding the boy, the Joker gets himself a job as the UN ambassador for Iran. That gives him diplomatic immunity, meaning Batman, no matter how much he wants to finally put an end to the Joker, can't touch him. The State Department sends Superman in to break the news to Batman, and for a while it looks like Bats and Sup are going to go at it. Batman knows that nothing good will come of the Joker's upcoming address to the General Assembly - and he's right. Still, the storyline closes on a note of ambiguity, which is almost how it had to be. The whole traumatic experience puts the dark back in the Dark Knight and has definite repercussions for the future development of Batman.

Here's my take on this Robin-ocide thing. DC created in Jason Todd a problematic character whom, to make matters worse, they did not develop in a very good fashion. A lot of Batman fans truly disliked this brash, young kid who whined all the time and was clearly never ready to fill Robin's shoes. How can we undo the wrong and get rid of Jason Todd?, they must have asked. We all know the plan they developed - let the fans decide whether he lives or dies. How relieved they must have been that the vote narrowly went their way and sealed Todd's fate. This had the double bonus of letting them blame the fans for Robin's death - and they did so, at every opportunity. What really sticks in my craw, though, is their reported astonishment at the media circus this decision created. I mean, come on, this whole scheme was designed as a publicity coup - and a pretty brilliant one, as it turned out. Here we are almost 18 years later, and we're still talking about and debating A Death in the Family. (Of course, DC recently made the extremely stupid decision of actually resurrecting Jason Todd - as a villain - in Batman: Under the Hood, despite editor Denny O'Neil's quote on the back of the A Death in the Family TPB saying what a "really sleazy stunt" it would be to ever bring him back.)

A Death in the Family is a great, gritty Batman story. This story is from a time when comics were about the story telling and not gimmicks. Jason Todd's death was groundbreaking and if you read this you will see why. I did not grow up with the J.T. Robin but became a fan of Batman and bunch in the mid 90's, so Tim Drake era. With that said, I didn't have much of an appreciation for Jason Todd as I never read about him. This tale actually made me care about the kid. When you see Joker commit the heinous act on Jason that led to his death, it was gripping. I miss the fact that super hero comics no longer bare their teeth anymore like this did. The artwork was also good for me, it was clean and simple but brought depth to the story telling, something you don't see in recent years.

This edition with the inclusion of the origin of Tim Drake is a nice addition, but I could have lived without it. It's just not as engaging as the death of Jason Todd.

DC Comics used a cheap promotional tool - a fan poll - as a means to "determine" what should be done with the second Robin, Jason Todd.

Turning a story line into a typical means for a radio station to give listeners "ownership" in shows yielded Todd paying the ultimate price for his brashness and bold steps into vigilantism, no matter the end results for Batman. The geopolitical angle with the Joker is silly, but the way the iconic villain meticulously sets a trap for Robin is brilliant, as it plays on the worst aspects of an ego that cannot be dismissed as youthful exuberance to do the right thing.

The feelings of Bruce Wayne/Batman truly slice into the soul of someone who understands the slippery slope of allowing raw emotions to determine actions while in the line of duty. But was everything done by the Dark Knight to prevent the steps to death?

Though this volume is not be a complete picture to the hype - that won't happen until the company releases the alternative finish for the vote - it is a compelling story that gave the (slim majority of) voters what they wanted....in a compelling story.

This is the most emotionally resonant Batman book I have ever read. I really felt Batman's pain as he dealt with another close death in his life. The Death in the Family story also contains other cool things like Joker joining the Iranians and trying to kill the U.N. with his laughing gas....Superman makes an appearance in the book too. I can't really say anything bad about this story except there are a few parts where it is just a MAJOR coincidence that Batman finds Robin in Beruit. Really? And then the Joker just happens to be in Ethiopia and is dealing with the person that Batman and Robin have come to Ethiopia to find. Okay, I admit that these coincidences are almost ridiculous...but I didn't let these minor problems with the story take away from one of the most well written Batman stories I have ever read. On top of Death in Family being so good, this hardcover version also comes with "A Lonely Place of Dying". I have not read the story yet, but my understanding is that it is the introduction of the new Robin, Tim Drake....it's just icing on the cake at this point...Highly Recommeded!!!!

With the revival of Jason Todd in "Under the Hood" many have wondered if that cheapens the impact his death has. As Bats himself said, "This doesn't change anything"

This hardcover collection contains both "Death in the Family" itself and the followup storyline "A Lonely Place of Dying"

The first story reminds me in some ways of "The Killing Joke" in the way it feels so clearly as a product of the the zeitgeist of the late 80's while simultaneously feeling fresh. It is realistic in a grim way, while strangely feeling like a logical installment in the same series that has been running all those years. It contains a lot of content concerning the ugliness of human life, and strangely putting Batman and the Joker in the middle of it only highlights the horror of it all, instead of rendering it absurd.

The second story is an interesting one, feeling more comfortably in the DC Universe with the Teen Titans mulling about and Two Face on the Rampage. It introduces Tim Drake as an absolutely earnest, intelligent nice character, who the Batman comics were lucky to get.

Overall these are not grand artistic stories, but they are good stories worth reading as a comics fan, if only to show that not all of the grittiness that followed in the wake of Watchmen and DKR was bad.

I know it's supposed to be a seminal story arc in the illustrated world of Batman but this just wasn't for me. I have read tons of graphic novels, including Watchmen (one of the longest out there) but this one just didn't hold my attention. I only got half way through it and had to stop because the plot was so boring. Not to mention the art work was pretty dated compared to comic book art of today. If you are a Batman fan like I am I'll save you the suspense Jason Todd (Robin) dies. Try some of the other great novels out there like Hush, The Long Halloween, Year One etc.

This is a classic arc and essential in understanding Batman's mind state during the modern age of comics. The death of Jason Todd was the second big tragedy in the life of Batman and he has since considered it quite possibly his greatest failure. Todd was a troubled kid, he acted on pure emotion and he didn't listen. He was nothing like Dick Grayson and no where near as likeable as Tim Drake. Here we also see the Joker at his most evil and cruel. This story is great, dark, and emotional. Because it is reflected on and flash-backed often in many of the major Batman stories since, it is very important to be familiar with this. This is the story where the Joker hit Batman the hardest. On a personal note, this was the first Batman TPB that I ever purchased when I was a kid back in the very early 90s. 1989's Batman movie made me a Bat-fan, this book made me a Comic-Bat-fanatic.

I can't believe Jim Frickin Starlin wrote this storyline.
DC realized they'd made a mistake by making this new Robin such a badass. He was totally unlikable. So they made a decision whether by killing him outright, or giving him a mortal wound they would write him out. We get a hackneyed "looking for my birth mother" script with just too many ridiculous coincidences. (One candidate just happens to be a Batman villan, another just happens to be dealing with the Joker). What crap. Then on top of that, the Iranians, (this was pre-Gulf War remember) make the Joker a citizen and a delegate. Even in the comic-book world its impossible to surrender belief this much. Starlin probably needs to stick to the outer-space cosmic sagas.
But there are good points: the characterization of Batman comes through shining bright. He's visibly shaken now. For the first time, he contemplates murder. He blames himself. We also see more of the contentious relationship between himself and Superman.
But one thing about this book -- it changed the Bat universe for all time; the Joker is now in a class by himself among Bat-foes;
(it got personal, you might say) Jason Todd's memory continues even until this day, and of course it led to the introduction of the new, extremely popular Robin Tim Drake. (Who would have ever thunk that the sidekick could sustain a 100+ solo title run?)
Of course, all that stuff comes in several successive books, not here. My recommendation: buy used if you can.

Reading it now makes me realize I probably never actually read it. I was reading Batman back in the day; I bought Batman: The Killing Joke when it originally came out, for instance. But I might have shifted to Marvel Mutants by then. Or I might have disliked the hype, with the 900 number and all. Who knows? I just kind of figured I had read it at some point.

Anyway, I thought it was a pretty solid story. It's a bit contrived, of course, but I like Bruce's dilemna about how to deal with Jason to keep him safe, etc. Joker is very calm and calculating, and the idea that he's desperate to raise some cash after being incarcerated is believable. I like that the government sends Clark to go warn Bruce away from attacking Joker at the UN. After they argue, Clark says, "I always feel like he knows more than I do." I was surprised to realize that this story takes place not long after Killing Joke, as they refer to Babs' shooting on a number of occasions. That's quite a brutal period for the Joker.

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY is a decent story that follows the events that lead to the death of the 2nd Robin, Jason Tood; his death; and the immediate aftershocks. The story isn't too bad, but does contain a few plot holes which are overlooked by the very strong ending. For the most part the art is average, though there are a few scenes that stick in one's mind long after the book has been put down.The comic became one of the most famous Batman comics of all time for three reasons. One, readers decided the fate of story. Two, a major character was killed off; something that was quite rare in the DC universe up to that point. Finally, the death of Jason Todd effects Batman even to the present day; he has become haunted by his death almost as much as he has been haunted by the death of his parents.As a side note, this comic first appeared in the middle 1980's when tensions between the U.S. and Lebanon were still quite hostile (they still had some American hostages) and that tension forms the background of the comic.

there are three reasons why I don't like this comic 1 is that Jason todd's mother betrays him to the joker and when they die she says that "Jason was a good son" that's her words not mine.if he was a good son then why did you betray him to the joker you obviously don't care about him now that the joker is beating him to death with a freakin crowbar while you look away and light and smoke a cigarette. 2 is that when joker and his henchmen tie her to a pole Sheila haywood sees Jason wake up she says "the bomb,jason deactivate it" again her words not mine. you know he is in really bad shape. and lastly number 3: when batman carries Jason's body and his mother's back to gotham the joker is the Iranian ambassador of the united nations,superman is sent the make sure batman won't kill the joker uh dude his sidekick died while being beaten to death with a crowbar and caught in an explosion and he had to carry his dead body out of the rumble would you like to seek vengeance against the joker when he killed lois lane in injustice gods among us I would if I were you. A Death In The Family is a not must have graphic novel if you are a big batman fan then go right ahead if you aren't a big fan of batman then don't get this partner killing book the was published in December 1988 - January 1989 and a cool bonus A Lonely Place Of Dying I'm done with this crap

i'm Lathan Colson and I approve this review

SPOILERS

Joker busts out of Arkham Asylum (the place is useless, really) and heads to the Middle East to sell a cruise missile he's had in storage, and Batman follows to stop him. Meanwhile Jason Todd aka Robin is working through some emotional issues and finds out that the woman he thought was his mother wasn't his biological mother so he sets off to track down his real mum.

I know this book is always on peoples' lists of "must-read" Batman stories but, besides Jason's death, there really isn't anything particularly good about this story. There are too many coincidences - Jason's search for his mother takes him to Israel, Lebanon, and Ethiopia, to find each of the three women who could potentially be his mum; these places also happen to be where the Joker goes to sell his missile/make money, and of course Batman and Robin cross paths in each instance!

Then there's the Joker. First off I hate how he's drawn in the `80s, his face is ridiculously long like an Easter Island sculpture. Second, I hate how his entire motivation in this book is money. I realise the Joker of the 21st century is far cooler, just think of that scene in "The Dark Knight" when Heath Ledger's Joker burns an enormous pile of money, but did Jim Starlin have to make his Joker so pathetically hung up on cash? In one scene when Joker's money is destroyed he slinks away in the shadows whining "My lovely money... whatever will I do now...?" - so pathetic.

And then there are the strange nuances with Batman and Robin. In the middle of a desert Batman and Robin take down Arab guards and don their gear, but they manage to pick the guards that suit their superhero outfits so Batman gets a blue robes and Robin red robes. Then Batman says something about covering a large amount of terrain using something that will make them "invisible" - hang-gliders! He reasons that anyone looking at them will think they're birds. Yeah, birds have jets don't they? Robin's outfit too is really stupid. Those bare legs and little green scaly shorts look so daft it's a wonder they got away with it for so long.

When Jason dies, Batman gives a summary of his life and gives a lame reason for wanting to have a child as a sidekick fighting criminals at night - "I guess I was just lonely". But he vows to "never again" allow a minor to help him fight villains as evil as Joker and Two-Face. Right, except right after this he meets Tim Drake and trains him to become the new Robin. Sigh... I don't know why Starlin tried to reason Robin into existence, just accept that it's weird but it is what it is. He's a colourful moving target to draw gunfire away from the guy dressed in black (or blue in this book). Move on.

I'll give credit to Starlin for making the death scene very stark and brutal, though the events afterwards that keep Batman from attacking Joker completely negate any of the impact because you're wondering how on earth such nonsense made it into print. The Joker becomes ambassador for Iran, that bugbear of Cold War 1980s America. Yes, ambassador. What absolute rubbish.

This is such a bad `80s comic book full of poor dialogue and plotting and that cheesy comic book style of drawing that instantly dates it, that it's amazing it's held in the high regard it is. It's reputation must be held up by aging fanboys who look back on this era with nostalgia and ignore the fact that the Batman books of this time (barring a few exceptions) were mostly terrible and can't hope to stand up to the generally high quality of the Batman books being written today. I suppose every Batman fan must read this if only for the mythology aspect of it, but it's not even the end of Jason Todd. He comes back in Judd Winick's "Under the Hood", so that the book's sombre and dark cover underlines the silliness of superhero comics in general - characters come back all the time, there are never any real endings.

Anybody looking for a fun Batman read will not find it here, nor is it a deserved classic; "A Death in the Family" is just a book that happens to have an event in it that some consider to be important but really isn't. Definitely missable, this is ultimately a disappointing read.

Well, there certainly isn't anything blantantly WRONG with this story. In fact, the end of it is fairly spectacular. Its the set up that bothers me.
While I find it interesting that Robin wants to find his mother, I don't see why 90% of the story needs to be about Iranian terrorists and not Robin. While we should be getting a last look into Robin's soul, we instead see a bunch of guys with cloths over their heads shooting at him. Joker's elaborate "scheme" seems pointless and stupid, even for the Joker. Worst of all his plan is waaay too convenient for the purposes of the story.
But as I said, the ending was well done. By the end of the story I knew what fate I would have chosen for Robin (kill the twerp!) but it was still sad to see him go. So if you, like me, truly need to see the death of Robin, then go ahead and pick this up. For what you pay for it, it is definently worth it.

There are so many Batman comics out there nowadays that sometimes it's hard to pick out the good ones in the overflow that is offered. Let me be of a little help here and say that THIS one is one of those books you WANT to pick up. Why is it that nice ? Well, it's a story in which everybody (by now) knows what is gonna happen, still it takes you by surprise WHEN it actually happens and it is never boring or predictable. You don't see it coming. But "the big event" is certainly not the only reason why this story is good. It's also a very well written story where you get to know more about Jason Todd and what follows after Jason himself gets to know things he didn't know before. The storytelling through the art is great here and definately adds to the already good writing. Certainly one of the better Batman TPB's to pick up.

Wow.... This blew my mind. It was just something I didn't see coming! Obviously you can tell what happens by the title and the cover but the way it happens just is sad but heroic in a way. This story starts out with Robin having some emotional difficulty dealing with the death of his parents. He decides to take a walk to blow off some steam after Batman decides to take him out of action after he attacked a group of thugs without taking caution. While on his walk Robin runs into a lady who bought some of his family's items when they were being sold. Robin looks trough them and finds his birth certificate. Robin (or Jason) realizes that his mom Catherine Todd (Now known as his STEP MOTHER!!!! (gasp) ) wasn't his real mom but actually it was someone who's name starts with an S! I don't want to spoil it all so I'll stop there. Just in case you are wondering the villain in this book is the Joker. I highly recommend this to Batman fans or event people who have grown up with batman and robin but are not big "fans" but want to read the series. Worth every penny! Btw for you DC fans check out the DC app on itunes where it has just about every comic they have made on there. ( Batman has ones going back to the 1940s!) the app is free and so are some of the comics but most are a dollar a comic and the big volumes are about 3 to four dollars. Check it out! It's on iTunes!

Incredibly heart-wrenching. Esp if you compare it to Jason's resurrection Under the Red Hood. The injustice and treatment Jason got by Bruce by not killing Joker but willing to do so for his other children (throughout the years of comcis) just adds that much more tragedy and strong emotions for the character Jason Todd.

A Death in the Family (the Batman TPB) resonates more in the history of the character of Batman than it does as a stand alone graphic novel. Jason Todd's Robin was a small blip and is most interesting and important for this series of four issues which chronicle his very bloody death. It certainly is not the best writing by Jim Starlin but the appearance by Superman later helps and the idea of the Joker becoming the ambassador of Iran is so ridiculous it almost works. Jim Aparo puts in adequate drawings, down a notch from his best work in the early Brave and Bold, and still seeming a little downtown Neal Adamish. These issues still have power in their killing of Robin, years later still a shocking scene.

It has been said that there are three milestones in the modern age of Batman:

1.The death of Thomas and Martha Wayne.

2.The alliance of Batman with the newly christened Robin, Dick Grayson.

3.The death of Robin II, Jason Todd.

Chip Kidd mentions in his book "Batman Collected" that the name Todd echoes in the German word "Tod" which means death. It is no irony that Jason Todd represents loss and tragedy in the DC universe and he is remembered as a boy who fought in a man's war against crime.

While many of the tragedies of Bat-lore are based on villains' origins, the impact of this story is heavily weighed upon a not-so-righteous Robin. Fan never bonded much with Jason, a hotheaded youth who grew up fending for himself on the streets of Gotham. His nature vs. nurture instinct left him with little sympathy for criminals. (He once pushed a rapist off a roof to his death.) This is not to say that all streetwise parentless children are juvenile delinquents but in the case of Jason Todd, Batman was unable to successfully channel his inner rage into the more positive goal of Robin.

"Death in the Family" unfolds as Jason goes off to Ethiopia in search of his long-lost mother. Bruce follows him and the two are caught up in a deadly battle of terrorists, betrayal, and the Joker. Despite Bruce's warnings, Jason's desire for truth blinds him from practical self-defense and he is lured into a trap before being beaten half to death by the Joker. Batman rushes to save him but it's too late and the Boy Wonder is finally annihilated in an exploding warehouse. The scene of a defeated Batman clutching Jason's bloodied body covered in tattered red and green rags is one of the most powerful iconic moments in all of DC's stories.

The Joker's influence in Iran is a bit far fetched and has annoyed fans for its almost ridiculous stereotypes, but it only serves to channel the story along. After Batman returns to Gotham and buries Jason's body he discovers that his archenemy is rising up in the ranks of foreign alliance. Superman has to intervene to prevent Batman from bringing the wrong vengeance down for Jason's death.

What made "Death in the Family" so powerful and a controversial best seller?

Answer: The fans.

DC allowed readers to call in by phone for two days to vote on Jason's outcome of the story: live or die. By a narrow margin in the ratings of fellow fans around the country, he was given thumbs down. I have heard in the world of the media, "There is no such thing as bad publicity". Hate mail did rain down on DC comics for doing this but the scenario just a small taste of how much of an influence the readers truly have on the outcome of a story.

The story telling is adequate but what makes "Death in the Family" so influential is its titanic tragedy. Robin has been a part of the Bat-mythos since 1940 and his relationship with Batman has always not only been that of a mentor and a student, but as a father and a son.

This book IS controversial but I believe DC knew they were taking a risk from the start. Those that read this story should be getting more out of it than a thrill or being disappointed if they don't like it. "Death in the Family" is a powerful reminder of the larger plan that works in the graphic novel market of a modern age audience. This story is one of the darkest of all dark stories, which says much for a serious hero like Batman whose origins are rooted in the death of his parents. The death of a surrogate son remains a stirring memorial in the Bat Cave where Jason's uniform hangs in a crystal case. The inscription reads, "In memory of Jason Todd. A good soldier."

If the story leaves you feeling downtrodden and depressed, I recommend reading "A Hero Reborn" next as an uplifting tale of how the mantle of Robin found worthy hands in Tim Drake, the third Boy Wonder and the current one to date. For another brooding but even more bewildering and thrilling story, "Under the Hood" is a recent work of fiction by Jud Winick. It brings about a question that has haunted Batman for over 16 years now: "What if Jason was never meant to die?"

To begin with, let's give massive kudos to DC Comics for having the guts to tell this story. It sent Batman down a path even more guilt-ridden than his previous one and eventually led to the creation of a real balancing force in Tim Drake, the current (and best) Robin. Although the gimmick of allowing readers to call in and vote for letting Jason Todd live or killing him off seems sort of callow, it did gain this story serious attention, attention that it deserved. However (and perhaps this is the DVD fan in me) I feel sort of a pang of guilt that we've never seen the alternate ending for this story, the one where Jason survived. DC had both endings ready to go to the printer, just waiting for the response to come in... is there any reason we couldn't have included that alternate chapter in this collection? Heck, even if they stuck an "Elseworlds" label on that chapter, it would be fine with me. Something to consider, DC, the next time this book goes to print.

after school; i used to walk to the comic book store about a 15 to 20 minute walk. got dark early in the winters as i walked back home with my Detective Comics or Batman issue. those were the days.

this series of comics that make up A Death in the Family is well done, in fact, superb. only thing better is miller's Dark Night Returns from the 80s.

I give this book 3 stars because it's classic 80's comic camp. It's a good premise but the writing and art gets a little too far fetched at some points. But reading this story is absolutely essential to all Batman fans as it shapes the latter half of Batman's career. This book also includes "A Lonely Place of Dying" and while this story is also very important, it's one of the worst stories I've ever read. It's completely empty and useless and all its good for is introducing Tim Drake as the 3rd Robin, who will go on to be a waaay better character in later stories. I wouldn't recommend buying this for the sake of a good story but if you're completing a Batman timeline, it's essential

Anyone who has followed the Batman comics over the years knows what kind of impact the death of the Jason Todd-era Robin had on the Batman mythos, but the outcome makes more impact than the overall story. A Death in the Family is a solid tale of the Dark Knight seeking justice for the death of Jason at the hands of the Joker, but just about everything about this story comes off as lame. Jim Starlin's writing is cliche, and the Joker becoming the ambassador of Iran? Please. Now I know this is a comic book, and I'm as much a comic geek as the next guy, but that is plain old ridiculous. What saves A Death in the Family worthwhile (somewhat) is the emotional impact of the outcome, and the solid art by Jim Aparo is a nice touch, but if it weren't for the impact this would leave on the Batman mythos, this wouldn't be worth picking up at all. What would have been a nice bonus though, would be if DC would include the alternate outcome of the story (fans could call in and vote whether or not Robin would live or die) which I'm sure they have laying around somewhere, which would be a nice extra to fans who remember when this storyarc hit.

Batman: A Death in the Family is an amazing story describing Jason Todd's final days as Robin. With the emotional twists and turns for both Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne, it would be a big mistake not to read this book. Once you start, you can't stop until the end. Believe me, the twists and turns make this story so compelling. Whether you read these stories when they first came out or are a new batman fan, this story is, arguably, the most important one in the story of Batman besides his origin story. READ THIS BOOK!

Batman: A Death in The Family is a 4 part miniseries
and also graphic novel that tells the story of young
Jsaon Todd, Batman's sidekick and the 2nd Robin, and
his relationship with Bruce Wayne aka Batman and his
search for his parents or rather Mom.

The story takes place first in Gotham City with Batman
and Robin facing thugs in a child porn ring in a warehouse
and taking them down in typical but exciting comic book style.

There are many action scenes like this throughout
Batman: A Death in the Family and some very tense
moments as well.

The story is good for a Batman series and the
dialogue average to clever.

Some of the action takes place later on in the Middle
East when Jason goes looking for his real mom in Ethiopia
who he thought was dead.

The Joker plays a major part in this series
and a major turning point comes later on
when the Joker kills off a major character
later in the series (guess who?)

During the final part of the series Batman confronts
the Joker in dramatic fashion and at one point Superman
shows up for some action as well.

There are some surprises like these and major turning points
throughout the book.

The panels are done ok and the coloring and ink job are average
but dim and dark.

All in all I give it 3/5 stars.

Jim Starlin and company did a good job taking the Batman
storyline and franchise in a new direction although compared
to Frank Miller's exceptional work on the Batman franchise
and comic book series like Batman: Year One and Batman: The Dark
Knight Returns this one seems average.

[...]

Here we are again lucky enough to have the fantastic talents of Jim Aparo drawing Batman. Yet another DC comics publicity stunt in part, though, as the latest incarnation of the Robin character was not too popular with readers. So, they decided to do a storyline where the Joker captures him, and the readers could vote on whether he died or not.

Pretty clearly from the title, it is thumbs down for the Bird Boy.

This is the complete story of how the Joker killed Jason Todd (the second Robin) and how Batman dealt with it and got over it. The artwork is great, the story moves quickly and I was never bored. Jason's death was brutal and vivid...as it should be. The authors of the story later on said they hated it and made a mistake killing off Jason--that's why a THIRD Robin (Tim Drake) was developed. Still, this is an interesting and well-written graphic novel. It's too good to just call it a comic book.

to the idiots complaining about the art you are spoiled on modern day art. George Perez is considered one of the greats. This is what the silver age art was like, the story is amazing pretty much any real non bandwagon batman fans love it. It is actually considered one of the best batman stories written

A good read and a big part of the Batman timeline. The whole "The Joker turned to terrorism" thing is a little far fetched, it seems like they just wanted to give the readers a reason to really hate him and, the comic being published when it was, the middle east was the perfect thing.

**SPOILERS** Read in the cold light of day, nearly two decades after publication, I found this famous Batman comic to be gripping and emotionally involving, but also quite offensive for its racism and right-wing ideology.

Robin, an orphaned emotional wreck, is told to take a break by Batman, who realises his father figure approach has gone wrong. Robin's anger turns to excitement when he realises his true mother may still be alive. Through his ensuing search, and some illegal weapons deals between the Joker and Arab terrorists, Batman, Robin, and the Joker somehow follow each other to the same far-flung spots on the globe, before the tragic outcome voted for by fans.

I certainly didn't dislike Robin in this comic - he was petulant, but obviously hurting, and the writers gave him a dramatic and emotionally weighty send-off. But the plot that leads to it is a series of coincidences that requires too much suspension of disbelief; how the three main characters can end up involved with the same people in the same places so many times doesn't really hold weight.

Far-fetched plots are one thing; but the politics of the story I found difficult to stomach - the portrayal of Arabs is stereotypical and offensive; neither do I particularly appreciate seeing Batman beat a woman senseless and then drug her against her will - for this reason, and for the sake of giving the plot a bit more credibility, the second of the three candidates for the role of Jason's mother should have been omitted; Woosan's involvement in the story added very little.

The Joker, as always, is a repulsive pervert - his face is well-sketched as a portrait of pure insanity. His use of politics to protect himself from persecution could have been an effective idea, but again the racist backdrop to it spoiled the whole thing; given the forthcoming Batman vs Osama, one has to ask: do the PNAC sponsor Batman or something?

All in all, this comic series was certainly worth the money - I just wish the creators had indulged in a bit less political immaturity.

The Joker killed Robin...maybe not Robin I,who was too old to be a Boy Wonder-but Robin II,who was too headstrong to be a truly efeective Boy Wonder. I wouldn't have had it done that way-but the genuine death of a lead character(so rare in comic books)adds more realism to the world of super heroes.

A good book. it focuses on jason going to the middle east to find his real mother, and bruce going to the middle east to hunt down the joker. personally I like it that Batman wants to kill the joker.
heros: batman, superman, robin, alfred, jim gordan, dick grayson {mentioned,} barbara gordan {Mentioned.}
villans: joker, lady shiva, two-face {flashback.}

I just finished reading this, and wow... That was one of the best Batman stories I've read. Being myself adopted, I connected straight off with Todd's search for his mother, not knowing who she is. This, of course, only amplified the effect of the titular death. I also enjoyed much of Joker's plans in this story. The Iranian delegate struck kind of close to home- remember the guy who said "no preconditions"?- but it never got too political, even in dealing with that. A great, emotional Batman story with a great twisted Joker plot.

What a masterpeiece as the joker I'm taking on the most dangerously adventure ever. Robin's looking for his mother and falls in the nest well you have to buy it to hear the rest well let's just say Robin flew his last coupe hahahahahahahahahahahhahah Well see you Around HAhahahaha

It had been heralded as a milestone by some, a work of tawdry cynicism by others. Regardless of how one feels about Jason Todd's death (pre-retcon), what are the merits of "A Death in the Family" as a story? To be frank, their aren't many; the case that eventually leads the Robin to his death begins with the Joker taking on a painfully out-of-character role as a (Farsi-speaking) international arms dealer. Sure, he has the same maniacal grin and disregard for human life, but while the Joker is traditionally handled as a madman causing mayhem just for the sake of it, here he acts far too much like a stereotypical money-hungry villain in possession of out-character-motivations and abilities. That the Joker's Farsi-speaking is unrealistic is not the problem (no Batman reader should complain of such a thing); the problem is that it disregards everything we know of the character. Had the (dubious) polling not resulted in Robin's death, this story would have been forgotten, except maybe as a gimmicky one-off experiment in reader participation.

Saving this collection, though, is the second half story line, "A Lonely Place of Dying." Not only introducing Tim Drake as a worthy successor, not to Todd, but to Dick Grayson, "A Lonely Place" also serves to justify Robin's existence: He keeps Batman balanced, helps him remember his own youth, and makes him a better strategic crime-fighter (perhaps because of Batman more careful when more than just his life is at stake, but this is left up to the reader to decide). Furthermore, the link between Batman and Two-Face, old friends before the villain's mental and psychological scarring, is explored through a sublime bit of parallelism in which both characters are shown considering their rival's own strategic gifts and how they can counteract them. For all of these reasons, "A Lonely Place of Dying" is a splendid piece of Batman storytelling, making this collection worth buying despite the shortcomings of "A Death in the Family."

alright, so I am a HUUUGE fan of the Bats. When I heard the background of this specific story I was really excited! Fans decided the fate of Jason Todd/Robin, what a concept!
The best and most thrilling part was when the Joker actually killed Jason. Everything else was hokey. Finding Jason's real mother, Joker becoming an Iranian representative of the UN.
I hated the art, but I'm not a fan of that classic look. (Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne were drawn exactly the same.)
I hated this book and I'm upset that I even wasted the money. What makes me most upset about it, is that it seems to be such a well loved story and I hate it so much.

In this Graphic Novel DC let the fans decide via Phone Hotline vote whether or not Jason Todd would live. The fans had their say in this epic Batman tale as the Dark Knight fails to save his sidekick.

i can't believe how jim starlin made this illogical plot. the idea is promising, the end of robin. it's an interesting and very potential idea to blow the readers' emotion but executed poorly as a whole story. the art: jim aparo, not the best choice for the story. his style is not realistic enough to convey a potential emotion. duet of neal adams and dick giordano or duet of don newton and alfredo alcala would be much better. thanks God the inker did a good job!! he really added deeper emotion in batman pictures. the colorist, adrianne roy, he is not a right choice for the story. his vibrant color pallette simply doesn't match with the feel of the story. it's better to leave the drawings without color or choose someone else. last thing, the story is so racist, not a good choice.

Forget about the setup, this is an important story in the Batman mythos, the death of Robin II. Written with two possible endings in mind, the story affects continuity for years to come in the comic book.

Chronicling the 1988, 1989 and 2006 adventures of Batman and Robin - all three versions of the boy wonder. Principally concerning itself in the first half with the fate of Robin Mark II, the book follows Batman's crisis as he broods with his cape a-blazing, across the deserts of Lebanon, Jordan and Ethiopia, as Jason Todd searches for his real mother, focusing on three possibilities, each one more horrible than the last. Todd dies in an explosion (readers phoned in to vote on his fate, agreeing in the end to send him on his way). The Joker comes into the picture, even posing for a moment as the ambassador from Iraq to the UN (he tries to kill them all, unsuccessfully - not like Mars Attacks, where the House Of Representatives is wiped out by grinning ambassadors making speeches), before he's chased out of the building into a sure death (which is never what it seems).

In a later episode, they have some fun with a newscaster talking about a spelling champion. "Nine-year old Moon Caplan returns from her meeting with George Bush. Asked what she thought of the President, the adolescent abecedarian said `read my lips,' and spelled something not suitable for family listening." There's some stuff about Dick Grayson returning to the circus he was raised in, to the Batcave, to another partnership with Batman as they confronted Two-Face (no adolescent quips any more - why not?!?!? Nice upside-down room, and a mystery really no-one saw coming. Too bad Two-Face, after all this trouble, was dispatched so quickly. Comics really aren't worth the time of day...

The writing is decent and at times compelling; the art is simply campy, dated and frankly unappealing. The layout of each page is unfailingly conventional and boring. When you realize that practically at the same time that this plotline unfolded, "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth" appeared, and that Frank Miller's "Year One" and "The Dark Knight Returns" had already come out, "A Death in the Family" is all the more disapointing. The strengths lie in the characterization of a grieving Batman, and the vicious beating of Jason Todd by the Joker. But that's about it.

You've got to love DC. Every few years they decide to make national headlines by killing off a major character and boost sales. Now of course, DC NEVER wanted people to know that the Robin that was killed was NOT the original Dick Grayson character but rather the second Robin Jason Todd (who?) and what's more they left his fate up to a vote by fans via a 900 number. That shows you hoe popular Jason Todd was.

DC got what they wanted. I was working part-time in a comic store and I remember vividly the all-out frenzy there was over the original issues. We limited one per customer and I never saw so many parents in the store to buy that ONE issue as moms and dads took separate places in line to get this "collectible".

The Story was written by Jim Starlin who is an excellent writer but seems so much better with the more cosmic storylines people know him so well for rather than a gritty Batman story. Jim Aparo's art, while capable really is old style 1970's all the way. Aparo was an excellent artist in the 1970's but simply could not compete with guys like McFarlane and others in the 80's.

Jason gets mixed up with the Joker who is granted citizenship by Iraq! later gets beaten by the Joker with a crowbar and then blown up. Well of course it would be not long before Batman would take Tim Drake as the third Robin and Jason would become a mere footnote. Bet DC never alerted the press to that little tidbit of information.

Quite possibly the worst thing I have ever read. The plotting was sloppier than a mid-season sitcom, too much suspension of disbelief in all details that sell a story (the friend of the Todds, the names of possible people in the book, the fact that all 3 were alive and "interesting" people (why one of them couldn't be a coffeeshop waitress or something, esp if they came from Crime Alley). Perhaps the worst of the book was the cartoony artwork (one step above an Archie comic) and the avoidance of any depth of exploration of charcter. This was a wonderful opportunity to explore Batman's history of loss, his sense of individual responsibility balanced with protection of those he is close to, whether he can acheive attachments and whether he is an obsesssive zealot wrapped in the violent violet cloak of vengence or a man trying to work through his own past and issues of loss. Instead, Death in the Family was a crude, poor constructed, poorly coordinated piece of opportunistic garbage from the post-Reagan era. The 800 number says it all. If I were Denny O'Neill I would sanitize my name from this project and make no mention of this book, as though it were a bad joke or an off-color comment made when you thought no one was listening. Pure drivel. Only for the most obsessive collector (like myself).

While this story's fate was determined by Bat-fans, it is still a great book, featuring wondrous art by Jim Aparo, and the adventuresome writing by Jim Starlin. A shocking story which made the Batman into a different man, severing his ties with the concept of Robin, as well as his pseudo-friendship with Superman.

In a nutshell, it's interesting to see how Robin dies, but this novel is an obvious sign of the times when middle east tensions with the US were high and Batman still said stupid things like the old campy 60's show.

Main redeeming factor was the death of Jason Todd. But, the Joker as ambassador of Iran, yeah right. I just found many aspects of the story to be unrealistic in terms of most batman stories that I have read. I do think it is worth a read though, you know this is story is important, I just wish there was more to than what made it famous.

First, I want to state no graphic novel is going to get five stars from me. As much as I enjoy Batman, to give any of them five stars would be a stretch. After all, how many are on par with Twain, Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, ect.

So, with that said, I have to state this is even poor for a graphic novel. The plot line is weak. The story itself is weak. If not for the killing of a key member in the Batman family, this would be unreadable.

In other words, read it for the time line within the Batman realm, but do not think that you are getting a great story.

Okay,when DC was planning this storyline they knew they were treading into new territory.It would be a controversial time in the comics industry where the companies wanted to get more mature with their readers.DC lead a campaign in whicn the fans would vote to either kill Robin(Jason Todd,Dick Grayson's predecessor)or to let him live at the end of the story.Long story short,the Joker ends up beating Jason within an inch of his life with a crowbar.Batman was elsewhere at this time.Jason discovered that his mother was alive but under the Joker's fearful leadership.They met briefly before they were locked in a shipping crate.Jason was laying on the floor bleeding to death when the Joker placed a bomb with a timer in the crate.The Joker preceded to beat Jason's mom up pretty bad too.Just before the bomb went off,Jason shielded her from the blast.Jason died in her arms.Batman found the two,then Jason's mom dies and the last image you see is Batman carrying Robin's lifeless body away from the scene.It was a very gritty story for it's time but it was necessary for DC to evolve into the '90's.A new or old Batman reader or fan should own this story.Not only is it gripping, but it's comic book history just like the Death Of Superman and Knightfall.Excellent DC Comics read!

This book is a fair read at best. The whole thing was probably more exciting at the time it came out and people were able to vote to decide whether or not Robin died. However, upon reading it now, the whole story is rather medicore. The plot has gigantic holes in it even for an 80's superhero comic. Batman and Robin travel around the world and everything and everyone they are looking for falls into their lap repeatedly. The art in the story is average, but certain scenes are very poorly done. The only thing that saves this book from being banished from my mind altogther is the fact that despite the shortcomings, it is a pretty entertaining read and it has a strong finish.

It's been a while since the publication of this comic. A dreaded re-read only confirmed my very poor opinion of this comic. It can't be the worst comic ever (it has Jim Aparo as illustrator) So work it out by subtractive deduction.

And the best Batman story ever is only like 4 stars anyway, and that's only on a good day. So this story, being the worst Batman story ever, doesn't stand a chance. Robin was voted dead by Batman readers, and they pinned it on the Joker. If Batman ever finds out he's going to beat his readers down. You have been warned.

Also Jim Starlin is the 14th worst mainstream comicbook writer of all time. (My super-computer did the calculations.) He's right below Steve Englhart and right above that Mraz guy who used to write Green Lantern. I wish my super-computer wasn't such a geek!

I cannot view this using my iPad. Its like the page is too big to fit onto the iPad screen so you only see part of it. Gave up after a couple pages....couldn't get it to un-zoom. I tried to contact the store and never heard back. Sucks that I paid for something I can't actually view.....might be a great graphic novel, but I'll never know.

Had read the original series when it came out and loved the story line. Not a DC fan overall but love a good story. Unfortunately they did not belong to me so I had to give them back to my friend... I know, Right!?!?! -.-

Great quality new book arrived with no bends or wrinkles.