Well well well. Here I was thinking it was 2024 but here we are back in 1988 with the release of Death In the Family: Robin Lives #2. Last month, we were given a surprisingly in-depth issue, examining the Dynamic Duo in a world where Jason Todd survived his attack at the hands of the Joker. Death In the Family itself is a pretty weird book, so taking that and turning it into a down-to-earth look into our heroes' minds was quite an impressive feat. Let us continue our journey into the minds of Batman and Robin and see whether the creative team can keep this up.

  It's rewind time

We open to a very familiar setting. The Joker being shot in the head while facing Batman? I'm sure I've seen this somewhere before... In all seriousness, I like how they reiterate this at the beginning. The threat (or promise) of this event looms over everything you read and keeps you constantly wondering who's going to end up killing our Clown Prince of Crime.

We get a snapshot of Joker's life in Arkham. We're told that he's been receiving treatment daily for three whole months in order to try and help him. What is great about this section, is not only the Joker's dialogue but the thoughts of Benjamin Stoner, his psychiatrist. The Joker starts off by singing the doctor's praises, saying that he's cured him. Stoner, of course, does not buy into this for a second and asks him to drop the act. the clown takes offence to this and launches into a tirade.

The phrase "I'm an entertainer- an artiste- of the highest order!" rings very true for the Joker. He isn't some scheming mastermind or someone trying to burn the world down here. He's an egotistical man-child trying to convince everyone of his greatness. All the while Stoner mourns because he truly feels that he can help him despite the fact that many others have either failed or given up.

Now, Batman finally graces our page. He's dealing with the events of the past few months the only way he knows how. Rampaging the criminal underworld and not giving himself a moment's rest. We get our promised fight with Copperhead, which was over much sooner than expected. I was somewhat glad of this, as this series really excels at character moments. A big fight scene would be a waste of time in my eyes.

We now get a look at our boy wonder. Jason has been receiving therapy in an institute since his fight with Scarecrow. Dr Dev laments over the fact that it seems that Jason is hiding something which is preventing her from fully helping him. The idea that being Robin is still preventing him from healing, from being able to have a life of his own, is very well executed. The actual weight of a secret identity is often touched upon in recent works so I'm glad they acknowledge it here.

Same Bat-Family, Same Bat-Trauma

I said in my last review that DeMatteis isn't idolizing Bruce but showing him as a real, flawed person. This still absolutely rings true in this issue with one scene in particular coming to mind. He visits Nightwing to ask him if he'd rather never have known about Batman. He starts off by saying that sometimes he wished he had a normal childhood. Bruce storms out leaving us thinking that he's angry with Dick for the answer. We're instead told that he's not angry at Dick, but with himself for never thinking to ask.

His reaction to the reply is far from ideal. No matter what you shouldn't storm out in a situation like that. The explanation of being so angry, so ashamed of himself that he couldn't bear to stay paints a different light on the situation whilst also allowing us as readers to make up our own minds about him.

We get to see Jason's thoughts on being Robin as well. "Being Robin gives my life purpose and meaning!". We instantly see how his perception of self-worth is tied to his Robin persona. It's a short simple sentence, but instantly effective. You feel for both characters when Bruce argues with Jason because you know what they're both feeling, but neither can externalise it in a healthy way. I want Bruce to be able to show he cares properly and I want them to make up. Bravo DeMatteis, bravo.

Of course, I couldn't talk about this book without once again, acknowledging the tremendous work of  Leonardi. His coarse, sketch-like lineart really distinguishes this story from Addams' style while still embracing older character designs. He managed to make the Copperhead suit seem somewhat terrifying. If that's not an achievement, I don't know what is.

It's worth mentioning the little touches as well. Renzi's colouring at the institute makes it seem like a proper place of healing for Jason with its nice cool tones. Gotham's purple-hued night sky. The shadows in Dr Dev's office. The lighting in the book is top-notch and really shows a heavy attention to detail. Batman's got more stubble in this book because he isn't taking care of himself. The whole creative team is really putting maximum effort and love into this book and it 100% shows.

Recommended If...

• Super-heroic psychoanalysis seems a somewhat intriguing prospect
• You'd like to see a beautifully unique book.
• Jason has some time to shine and heal in this book. Need I say more?

Overall:

I'm so very glad that this series is continuing to be well-made. Jason Todd is the subject of many a fan discourse and it's often hard to think of him as Robin rather than his Red-Hood alias. Peeling back the layers of time and examining the boy that he was is a really interesting way of looking at him, and honestly one of his best-written stories in quite some time. I'm quite the sucker for father-son conflict in stories so this is right up my alley. All in all, keep up the good work creative team and I'll see you next month.

Score: 9/10