This eiditon of "A Death in the Family" not only contains the titular story, but also has "A Lonely Place of Dying." Though the first story is more famous and popular, I actually like LPOD more. Still, both stories are excellent, and either of them alone would make this collection worthwhile.
"A Death in the Family" takes place before LPOD, and as you probably know, deals with Jason Todd, the second Robin. I won't go into plot summary too much, but I do have some non-spoiling thoughts on this story. First of all, the artwork is okay. Not great, not terrible, and certainly outdated. It's not even the drawings that are the problem, but how they're colored. The colors were much more limited in the '80s, and that's why people who should be colored with black hair, actually have blue hair in this story.
Next, even though I was eager to see the end, something odd happened: I actually found myself caring for Jason. The creative team was able to get me attached to the character, even though I had no particular fondness for him before reading this. Somehow I found myself dreading the end. It made it very emotional and sad--two good things.
The story was not, however, perfect. I felt that Batman recapped things too often. Something would happen, then Batman would recap, then something else would happen, and then you'd get the whole story told to you again. It felt a bit unnecessary.
Another thing I didn't like was how often Batman reiterated that the reason he had not killed the Joker in the past was because the Joker is insane, and therefore, not responsible for his actions. 1) Batman doens't care if you're insane or not. If you're a criminal, he treats you how he sees fit. 2) That's not the only reason Batman hasn't killed him. It doesn't matter whether or not the Joker's insane, because Batman would never kill him anyway.
*SPOILER*
However, there comes a part where Batman pretty much leaves the Joker to die....even though he would never do that..
*Spoiler End*
Overall, I felt the ending was a little incomplete. Batman pretty much sums it up perfectly when he says, "Unresolved." There should have been a few more pages, either showing Batman's grief, following the Joker's story, having Batman talk with Superman . . . Anything! Any sort of epilogue would have been better than none.
I know I spent most of the review criticizing DITF, but I did enjoy it a lot. The story was really good and I liked how both the page number for each issue was given, as well as the page number for the overall story. DITF is probably about 7.5/10 and LPOD is over 9/10.
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A must read for all Batman fans!
The notorious story arc where the Joker becomes an United Nations ambassador and his diplomatic immunity leaves Batman and Superman befuddled! Plus Robin dies, leaving the Caped Crusader guilt ridden and vengeful!This is the infamous 1988 showdown for the second Boy Wonder, Jason Todd. (Dick Grayson, the original Robin, had moved onto the Teen Titans taking the new secret identity of Nightwing, as if you didn't know!) While searching for his long lost mother in the Middle East, Jason Todd uncovers a nefarious scheme to sell a cruise missile to some unscrupulous bad guys. The malicious mastermind? The Joker. (It's a small world!) Not to spoil the plot, but Batman is too late to save his prodigal partner.Returning to the USA, Batman and Superman thwart the Joker's insidious plot to take out the UN, (I am not joking, it's in the story), and Batman faces a future without a sidekick. At least until he meets the inquisitive Tim Drake (aka the third teenager to take up the mantle of Robin)!Batman: Death in the Family is a pivotal story arc that has influenced Batman stories decades after it was published, including Batman: Hush and Batman: Under the Red Hood. It is a must have for any Batman graphic novel collection, and I highly recommend it!Just a heads up, some violent imagery in this book might not be suitable for younger kids! Parental discretion is advised. Thanks!
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