| "A Death in the Family" | |
|---|---|
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| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Publication date | August – November 1988 |
| Title(s) | Batman #426–429 |
| Main character(s) | |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Jim Starlin |
| Penciller(s) | Jim Aparo |
| Inker(s) | Mike DeCarlo |
| Letterer(s) | John Costanza |
| Colorist(s) | Adrienne Roy |
| Editor(s) | Dennis O'Neil |
| 2011 edition | ISBN 1401232744 |
"A Death in the Family" is a 1988 storyline in the American comic book Batman, published by DC Comics. It was written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Jim Aparo, with cover art by Mike Mignola. Serialized in Batman #426–429 from August to November 1988, "A Death in the Family" is considered one of the most important Batman stories for featuring the death of his sidekick Robin at the hands of his archenemy, the Joker.
Jason Todd, the second character to assume the Robin persona, was introduced in 1983 to replace Dick Grayson, who was unavailable for use at the time. Jason became unpopular among readers after 1986, as writers began to characterize him as rebellious and impulsive, and Starlin advocated killing him off. Editor Dennis O'Neil was considering having Jason revamped or written out of Batman when he recalled a 1982 Saturday Night Live sketch in which Eddie Murphy encouraged viewers to call the show if they wanted him to boil a lobster on air. Inspired to orchestrate a similar stunt, DC set up a 900 number voting system to allow fans to decide Jason's fate.
"A Death in the Family" begins when Batman relieves Jason of his crime-fighting duties. Jason travels to the Middle East to find his biological mother, but is kidnapped and tortured by the Joker. Batman #427 ends with the Joker blowing Jason up in a warehouse. Starlin and Aparo prepared two versions of the following issue: one that would be published if readers voted to have Jason survive, and another if he was to be killed. A narrow majority voted in favor of the latter, and Batman #428 features Batman discovering Jason's lifeless body in the warehouse ruins. The storyline ends when Batman and Superman stop the Joker from killing the United Nations General Assembly. The story was controversial and widely publicized; despite Jason's unpopularity, DC faced backlash for the decision to kill one of its most iconic characters.
Retrospective reviewers agreed with the decision to kill Jason and have ranked "A Death in the Family" among the best Batman stories, though its plot has been criticized as nonsensical and its depiction of the Middle East as Islamophobic. Jason's death had a lasting effect on Batman stories, with Batman's failure to save him pushing the comic book mythos in a darker direction. Tim Drake succeeded Jason as Robin in 1989, and Jason was resurrected as the Red Hood in the "Under the Hood" (2004–2006) storyline. "A Death in the Family" remains a popular story among readers and has been reprinted in trade paperback form since its initial publication. Plot elements have been incorporated into Batman films, television series, and video games. An animated interactive film adaptation, Batman: Death in the Family, was released in 2020.