A Death in the Family is a four-issue, 1988 Batman comic book storyline published by DC Comics. The story follows Jason ToddRobin’s quest to be reunited with his birth mother after being relieved of his duties by Batman. During his journey, the Joker kidnaps and tortures him, eventually killing him. The storyline is notable for its 900 number voting system, in which fans were allowed to call two separate numbers and chose whether Jason would survive the Joker’s torture or die.
About Batman: A Death in the Family in brief
A Death in the Family is a four-issue, 1988 Batman comic book storyline published by DC Comics. The story follows Jason ToddRobin’s quest to be reunited with his birth mother after being relieved of his duties by Batman. During his journey, however, the Joker kidnaps and tortures him, eventually killing him. The storyline is notable for its 900 number voting system, in which fans were allowed to call two separate numbers and chose whether Jason would survive the Joker’s torture or die because of it. Over 10,000 votes were cast, with a narrow majority in favor of killing the character. Upon its publication, the story attracted massive media attention, some of it critical. In retrospect, the storyline is remembered as one of the most important in the Batman family of comics. Elements of the story have since been incorporated in various Batman-related media. Several writers have pointed out that Jason’s death causes Batman to show emotions normally associated with the character: grief and revenge. The Joker’s alliance with the radical dictator Khomeini led to the story being written at the height of tensions between the U.S.
and Iran, and allowed the story to go down in the annals of superhero comics, even though it was written at a time when tensions were at their highest. In Batman #428, Joker kills Todd by blowing up the warehouse he is being held hostage in. Batman chases after the Joker, but the Joker gets out of the building and into a helicopter sent for him by his sponsors. Meanwhile, Batman is confronted by Superman, who was sent by the State Department, and asked to leave. During their clash, one of Joker’s henchmen opens fire with a machine gun, hitting the Joker and Batman with gunfire. The pilot also accidentally shot the aircraft, and crashes it into the sea. Superman saves the Joker but the body is not found, and the Joker laments that everything is not the way: Batman is not dead, and he ends that way. The Joker is given a position in the Iranian government and leaves Batman a clue where to find him; the clue leads to the United Nations building in New York City. Batman follows the Joker to Lebanon, where he and Jason are reunited and foil the attempts of the terrorists using Joker’s weapon.
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