Books : Batman: A Death in the Family

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Rating:

- A pivotal moment in the Batman mythos
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.

Rating:

- Important to Batman Timeline, but that is the only reason to read
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.

Rating:

- Average Batman Tale
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.

Rating:

- Not Bad, not great...
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.

Rating:

- A Good Comic
I still remember this was big news when it first came out and I still remembered the title it was called A Death in the Family. As a long time mostly cloested comic fan- out of fear of being labeled a geek, etc, I thought it was in poor taste not only to kill Robin who had been so much a part of the Batman mythos over the years as much as Batman himself, but to make The Joker from here on look like the biggest legitimate psychopath to ever grace the pages of any comic. I still remember the Batman TV show, the movies, the cartoon, and The Joker was a wise cracking villain, who- though he may give the impression he wants to kill batman, was not some super big psychopath. Anyhow, another similar story followed this years later- The Knightfall saga, telling the story of how Batman finally meets his match in a new super villain named Bane, who doesn't kill Batman, but breaks his back. The Death in the Family and Knightfall saga are some of the only interesting aspects to an otherwise mediocre Batman mythos in pop culture and urban legends. If DC comics was looking to draw in more readers and make a little extra money by killing some its most famous characters, here's one guy who got suckered out of some money. It is too gimmicky of a marketing approach, too much a silly and geeky guilty pleasure that you can't help but be aware of Batman in pop culture that it was too tempting to resist. Comics are my guilty pleasure I guess.

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