Death In the Family: Robin Lives #1 review

Interior preview page from Death in the Family: Robin Lives #1

After the success of Batman #428 Robin Lives!, DC has decided to give us a further glimmer into the world created as a result of this issue. Will the story prove to be any good? Or will the voters way back when be proven to have made the right decision?

Boy Wonder-ful

This issue lets you know what it’s about immediately. Opening it up with the image of the Joker having been shot straight through the head is a pretty brave move and one that works very well. Of course, this action is yet to happen and we flashback to the events that would occur in place of Batman #429. This really reminded me of how strange A Death In The Family really is, despite its classic status.

Jason Todd awakens from his coma. The Joker’s diplomatic immunity is revoked and The Bat immediately pursues him. It is interesting to see the events of #429 echoed here, especially with Superman coming to save The Joker from drowning.

Batman has a conversation with Dr. Benjamin Stoner about his philosophies regarding rehabilitation. After reviewing a few issues which falter when it comes to these expositional dialogues, this was a sight for sore eyes. The conversation flows well and really allows us. Not only to get to know Stoner but the headspace that Bruce is in as well.

Those who are fans of this era or of Under The Red Hood will be familiar with the overly edgy and angry Bruce that was produced as a result of ADITF. In this issue, our hero is not so overtly angry. Instead, his doubts about his mission, be that whether the villains he fights really can be saved, or whether he should have ever had a Robin, come through very well.

His anger comes through in sudden bursts rather than 24/7, as we see when he snaps at Jason over breakfast. Their relationship is more fraught than ever, with Jason recovering both mentally and physically, and Bruce not really knowing how to handle that. DeMatteis isn’t idolising or making excuses for Bruce. He acknowledges that he is a flawed individual and he might not be able to mend things on his own.

His next thought is to have Dick talk to Jason. We don’t get to see this conversation, but the way it is described, as brotherly banter, really makes me appreciate their relationship. Jason doesn’t lash out at him for no reason, and instead, enjoys their conversation. Bruce obviously thinks that this isn’t enough and calls Dr. Saraswati Dev to come and assist. She is then revealed to have been the narrator of the book. Jason overhears their conversation. He gets the wrong idea. Hijinks ensues.

Beautiful boy

I adore the art in this book. It does not try to emulate Neal Addams’ art but instead, puts its own spin on it. Leonardi utilises Addams’ signature shadows elude to the original creator, whilst still showing off his technical skill. His sketchy art style lends itself to this, as it highlights the shadows, as well as diverging from the original.

The panel layout stood out to me. It felt very dynamic and fresh. Not too many of the same layouts. A few more dynamic pages. The visual pacing of this book is almost perfect and helps it feel more digestible to everyone, despite being placed in a very specific era. The backgrounds are also done terrifically. The shades of the colours fit all the scenes perfectly. I am particularly smitten with the shade of the sky during the Arkham scene. Its coolness feels almost oppressive and makes an already well-written conversation feel more atmospheric.

The creative team as a whole feels very cohesive. The inking and colouring both fit together wonderfully and consistently, and both elevate the story. The story which, by the way, has surprised me by way of the fact that it is very well done. My worries about the Joker presence in this issue were resolved very quickly, and I was particularly happy with the appearance of the Scarecrow towards the end of the book. To have Jason have to confront his trauma almost physically after such an event is a very good play. DeMatties clearly knows what he’s doing and I look forward to reading the next issue.

Recommended If:

Jason Todd is your favourite Robin
You want to see the Joker shot in the face
You’re dying to see where Batman #428 Robin Lives! leads

Overall:

Wow. I am very surprised. I thought this was going to feel like a soulless cash grab. What I got was a well-thought-out story that not only helps us feel empathy for our heroes but critiques them as well. We have been getting far too many “Batman is flawless” stories as of late, so this took me by surprise. I am very intrigued to see if this level of quality can be sustained.

Overall: 8.5/10

DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.

7 comments

Madeleine

July 10, 2024

I really liked this first issue!

I read the Robin Lives! #1 special in January and re-read A Death in the Family up to Jason's death two nights ago to refresh my memory. I had forgotten how shockingly cavalier and just plain bad ADitF is. After years of writers toiling to create a complex, tormented character in Jason whose rift with Bruce had widened to a chasm in recent issues Jim Starlin threw it all out for the idiotic mother quest.

The thing I think I liked most about this issue was the blunt observation that "keeping it in the family" (to quote Dr Sawaswati) is not advisable. The faith in a family-based, upbeat solution to mental illness is dated and cruelly misguided and proven not to work with Jason but DC won't let it go. Jason's problems extend back into his beginning. He was always a moody, argumentative Robin prone to secrecy and bursts of temper. In the arc preceding ADitF it is probable that Jason pushed a man off a balcony to his death. He needs a lot of help from outside the superhero circles.

One thing. The narration takes up too much space. I would have liked to spend more time with Bruce and Jason without Saraswati Dev's mediation. (I'm not the most accurate forecaster but I predict she'll be the one to shoot the Joker.)

I accept that this has to be a Joker story since, well, that's what it is. Still, there is a goldmine of quality character work by Doug Moench, Max Allan Collins, Mike Barr, and Jim Starlin himself. Before June I had no idea how strong Jason's pre- and post-Crisis Robin stories were. I had read only a few comics with him from that era. Next to the early Bronze Age Batman comics by Denny O'Neil the Jason Todd Robin comics have been my favorite discovery this year. I hope DC rediscovers them too.

Sara

July 10, 2024

+1 for all of Madeleine's comment, ESPECIALLY the parts about how much damage has been done to Jason by DC making the Bat-Family the one and only means of salvation when being inducted into this all-consuming cult is probably what ruined, definitely what ended, and generally what keeps on ruining his (second) life.

I do not accept the concept of official superhero psychiatric hospitals as a substitute for outside help. It's like abattoirs sending every injury to the company doctor to keep insurance, immigration, OSHA, and everybody else out of the loop. There is NO EXCUSE for DC to keep treating the superhero "community" as an extended family when about half the time it looks like a child abuser's paradise. Just look at the vile way that Zdarsky made Jason forgive Bruce because Bat-Family über Alles. Perverts.

Anyway. I liked the issue. I've always liked DeMatteis' work. He knows better than to accept the superhero ideology at face value, as the best of all possible good things. He can overexplain, but his explanations are usually good. There is an excess of words on the page, but they've been relevant and hardly ever redundant. (Compared to the many writers who tell you what's happening in every damn panel.) Agreed with Madeleine that it would have been good to hear more from Bruce and Jason without Dr Dev's voiceover to guide us, but the voices are better than they've had in recent comics, no doubt about it.

The scratchy inking doesn't capture the best of Leonardi's lines, but oddly, it suits the theme of mental derangement.

Madeleine
July 10, 2024
I'm excited to see DeMatteis' thoughts on how formal psychiatric treatment could impact Jason. I'm hoping the doctors, if he sees any in this, aren't only the usual mass of charlatans and psychopaths. It's a given that some of them will be delusional or unhinged.
I thought having Jason commit suicide to stop Failsafe was repulsive. It should have been profound and nightmarish. It was shallow and insipid.
I liked the short story Scavengers by Gretchen Felker-Martin from Beast World because it got into Jason's head and showed in the most graphic form the disconnect between what he wanted from his life and what he got.
The point about the need for third party psychiatric help, child welfare checks, and labor standards enforcement for the superhero community is one of those things I've wondered. Who watches the watchmen indeed? My more practical turns of mind lead me into queries like "How does anyone get insured for anything in Gotham?" Mundane things can't be brushed aside all the time, darn it. I wanted Red Hood: The Hill to ask some of these questions but of course it didn't...
1. Sara
  July 11, 2024
  Yeah, I liked the Felker-Martin comic. A shame it's buried in a mid anthology for a mid event. And then it just sort of ended, with no follow up anywhere that I ever heard of. That's the story of Jason's existence ever since RHATO was cancelled.
  I'm a practical person, myself. I've thought about things like insurance in Gotham, too. (Not surprised Martinbrough dropped that ball.) I can grant leeway to comics in practical questions provided one simple thing: They don't offer bullsh-t solutions that they try to pass off as real, wise, good solutions. They can't mistake their metaphors for concrete reality.
  The found family concept has become the ultimate in bullsh-t pseudo-religions. Smart people like Morrison and dumb people like Zdarsky both propound it. The Bat-Family is this soul-sucking monster that demands everything and gives everything. It's a parody of a church. And yet we have a long chain of stories proving that it hurts Jason. Gotham is Bruce's city and he lays down and enforces the law. Jason is the heretic and it's all right to hurt him. Dick defending Jason from Bruce doesn't alter the fact that Zdarsky's run since Cheer has been designed to make Jason forgive past assaults and adopt the ways of this false Messiah. All the bad things were "Zur," not Bruce. And yet Jason gains nothing by this. He's been purified, i.e. he's been zombified to fit in.
  It's immoral. I'm not exaggerating as an angry fan. This is IMMORAL. This is how cults work, with the brainwashing and the love bombing and taking over your entire life.
  So. Yeah. If DeMatteis can find a way to deconstruct this idea that it's fine to take traumatized orphans and turn them into child soldiers, and do it without making Bruce do horrible things to Jason (yelling at him is reasonable) or making Jason the bad guy (acting out is reasonable, too), then great. I'm here for it. Their relationship needs better writing.
  1. Madeleine
    July 11, 2024
    They also live together in a compound now...
    I forget to mention it but in Moench's run there is a child welfare check for Jason when it's noticed that he falls asleep during class and subsequently that Bruce is not his legal guardian. Last night I reached the point in the run where Alfred got barked at by the investigator when Bruce was out of town and couldn't take her call.
    I will never understand why the Robins have to attend public schools that are in session during the day when most of their work with Batman is at night and any exposing of their secrets would be a disaster.
    1. Sara
      July 11, 2024
      Where's Janet Reno when you need her.

Kirru

July 11, 2024

Dat Mignola variant tho... All riiight!

Madeleine
July 10, 2024
I really liked this first issue!
I read the Robin Lives! #1 special in January and re-read A Death in the Family up to Jason's death two nights ago to refresh my memory. I had forgotten how shockingly cavalier and just plain bad ADitF is. After years of writers toiling to create a complex, tormented character in Jason whose rift with Bruce had widened to a chasm in recent issues Jim Starlin threw it all out for the idiotic mother quest.
The thing I think I liked most about this issue was the blunt observation that "keeping it in the family" (to quote Dr Sawaswati) is not advisable. The faith in a family-based, upbeat solution to mental illness is dated and cruelly misguided and proven not to work with Jason but DC won't let it go. Jason's problems extend back into his beginning. He was always a moody, argumentative Robin prone to secrecy and bursts of temper. In the arc preceding ADitF it is probable that Jason pushed a man off a balcony to his death. He needs a lot of help from outside the superhero circles.
One thing. The narration takes up too much space. I would have liked to spend more time with Bruce and Jason without Saraswati Dev's mediation. (I'm not the most accurate forecaster but I predict she'll be the one to shoot the Joker.)
I accept that this has to be a Joker story since, well, that's what it is. Still, there is a goldmine of quality character work by Doug Moench, Max Allan Collins, Mike Barr, and Jim Starlin himself. Before June I had no idea how strong Jason's pre- and post-Crisis Robin stories were. I had read only a few comics with him from that era. Next to the early Bronze Age Batman comics by Denny O'Neil the Jason Todd Robin comics have been my favorite discovery this year. I hope DC rediscovers them too.
Sara
July 10, 2024
+1 for all of Madeleine's comment, ESPECIALLY the parts about how much damage has been done to Jason by DC making the Bat-Family the one and only means of salvation when being inducted into this all-consuming cult is probably what ruined, definitely what ended, and generally what keeps on ruining his (second) life.
I do not accept the concept of official superhero psychiatric hospitals as a substitute for outside help. It's like abattoirs sending every injury to the company doctor to keep insurance, immigration, OSHA, and everybody else out of the loop. There is NO EXCUSE for DC to keep treating the superhero "community" as an extended family when about half the time it looks like a child abuser's paradise. Just look at the vile way that Zdarsky made Jason forgive Bruce because Bat-Family über Alles. Perverts.
Anyway. I liked the issue. I've always liked DeMatteis' work. He knows better than to accept the superhero ideology at face value, as the best of all possible good things. He can overexplain, but his explanations are usually good. There is an excess of words on the page, but they've been relevant and hardly ever redundant. (Compared to the many writers who tell you what's happening in every damn panel.) Agreed with Madeleine that it would have been good to hear more from Bruce and Jason without Dr Dev's voiceover to guide us, but the voices are better than they've had in recent comics, no doubt about it.
The scratchy inking doesn't capture the best of Leonardi's lines, but oddly, it suits the theme of mental derangement.
1. Madeleine
  July 10, 2024
  I'm excited to see DeMatteis' thoughts on how formal psychiatric treatment could impact Jason. I'm hoping the doctors, if he sees any in this, aren't only the usual mass of charlatans and psychopaths. It's a given that some of them will be delusional or unhinged.
  I thought having Jason commit suicide to stop Failsafe was repulsive. It should have been profound and nightmarish. It was shallow and insipid.
  I liked the short story Scavengers by Gretchen Felker-Martin from Beast World because it got into Jason's head and showed in the most graphic form the disconnect between what he wanted from his life and what he got.
  The point about the need for third party psychiatric help, child welfare checks, and labor standards enforcement for the superhero community is one of those things I've wondered. Who watches the watchmen indeed? My more practical turns of mind lead me into queries like "How does anyone get insured for anything in Gotham?" Mundane things can't be brushed aside all the time, darn it. I wanted Red Hood: The Hill to ask some of these questions but of course it didn't...
  1. Sara
    July 11, 2024
    Yeah, I liked the Felker-Martin comic. A shame it's buried in a mid anthology for a mid event. And then it just sort of ended, with no follow up anywhere that I ever heard of. That's the story of Jason's existence ever since RHATO was cancelled.
    I'm a practical person, myself. I've thought about things like insurance in Gotham, too. (Not surprised Martinbrough dropped that ball.) I can grant leeway to comics in practical questions provided one simple thing: They don't offer bullsh-t solutions that they try to pass off as real, wise, good solutions. They can't mistake their metaphors for concrete reality.
    The found family concept has become the ultimate in bullsh-t pseudo-religions. Smart people like Morrison and dumb people like Zdarsky both propound it. The Bat-Family is this soul-sucking monster that demands everything and gives everything. It's a parody of a church. And yet we have a long chain of stories proving that it hurts Jason. Gotham is Bruce's city and he lays down and enforces the law. Jason is the heretic and it's all right to hurt him. Dick defending Jason from Bruce doesn't alter the fact that Zdarsky's run since Cheer has been designed to make Jason forgive past assaults and adopt the ways of this false Messiah. All the bad things were "Zur," not Bruce. And yet Jason gains nothing by this. He's been purified, i.e. he's been zombified to fit in.
    It's immoral. I'm not exaggerating as an angry fan. This is IMMORAL. This is how cults work, with the brainwashing and the love bombing and taking over your entire life.
    So. Yeah. If DeMatteis can find a way to deconstruct this idea that it's fine to take traumatized orphans and turn them into child soldiers, and do it without making Bruce do horrible things to Jason (yelling at him is reasonable) or making Jason the bad guy (acting out is reasonable, too), then great. I'm here for it. Their relationship needs better writing.
    1. Madeleine
      July 11, 2024
      They also live together in a compound now...
      I forget to mention it but in Moench's run there is a child welfare check for Jason when it's noticed that he falls asleep during class and subsequently that Bruce is not his legal guardian. Last night I reached the point in the run where Alfred got barked at by the investigator when Bruce was out of town and couldn't take her call.
      I will never understand why the Robins have to attend public schools that are in session during the day when most of their work with Batman is at night and any exposing of their secrets would be a disaster.
      1. Sara
        July 11, 2024
        Where's Janet Reno when you need her.
Kirru
July 11, 2024
Dat Mignola variant tho... All riiight!

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