Remember 1988’s ‘A Death in the Family’ where Robin gets killed? In an upcoming re-release of that issue – Robin lives
One of the most creative and outrageous moves ever devised by a comic book company had to have been in 1988 when DC Comics allowed their readers to call-in and vote whether or not Batman’s sidekick, Robin the Boy Wonder, would live or would be killed off in an upcoming issue of DC’s “Batman” comic book. Even more outrageous is that readers, by a narrow margin, voted to kill off Robin – and DC complied – allowing Batman’s arch-nemesis The Joker to bludgeon Robin to death.
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In “A Death in the Family”, a four-part series of the Batman comic, Robin’s death was featured in Batman #428, released on October 18, 1988.
In another creative move by DC’s Batman writing staff, on the 35th anniversary of Robin being killed off, the publishers announced that they are re-releasing Batman #428 with an alternate ending – an ending where Robin lives. On October 13, 2023, DC Comics announced:
During today’s “Gotham City Confidential” panel at New York Comic Con, DC announced plans to release a never-before-seen story from its vault, featuring an alternate ending to one of the most polarizing events in DC history.
On December 12, DC will release a “faux-simile” edition of Batman #428, the penultimate chapter of “A Death in the Family,” featuring a previously unpublished ending in which Jason Todd survives his brutal encounter with The Joker.
There have been several Robins over the years that have served as Batman’s iconic sidekick. The original Robin, Dick Grayson, grew up and moved out of the Wayne mansion and is now a grown up superhero in his own right, “Nightwing.” The Robin that was killed off in 1988 was Dick Grayson’s successor to the role, Jason Todd, a juvenile delinquent with a troubled past and a violent demeanor that many fans didn’t love all that much – which most likely resulted in a majority of call-in readers to vote for his demise.
That 35-year-old “A Death in the Family” issue was one of the darkest hours in Batman’s crime-fighting career, made even more harrowing by letting fans decide Jason’s fate. After Fans dialed into a 900 number to vote if Jason Todd should live or die, a total of 10,614 votes were tallied. Fans decided that Jason should succumb to his injuries by a narrow 72-vote margin of 5,343 votes to 5,271.
This upcoming “faux-simile” edition features original story and art from the “A Death in the Family” storytelling team – writer Jim Starlin, artist Jim Aparo, colorist Adrienne Roy, inker Mike DeCarlo, and letterer John Costanza. Look for that re-release of Batman #428 where Robin doesn’t get killed off on December 12, 2023, available at participating comic book shops and E-Tailers.
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(Source: DC Comics)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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