Batman: A Death in the Family

First graphic novel I ever read. Seeing what the Joker does here was probably the best introduction to the Joker a reader can have. It leaves no doubt in your mind what kind of madman he is and especially what kind of hero Batman is. I think any Batman comic I read still uses DitF as a baseline for how I see the characters. Awesome story. ( )

How to spot a dismal Batman book:

(a) Jason Todd is Robin, and/or
(b) Superman makes an appearance.

What saves it is the obvious (that Jason Todd bites it), but it's still pretty bad. The writing is mediocre, and the art--well, thank god for costumes, because otherwise everyone looks pretty much the same. Bruce Wayne and Jason Todd are nearly indistinguishable--a problem because Todd isn't supposed to look 35 years old--and they blend in with every other male face drawn.

Favorite moment: Batman and Robin are dressed as Arabs, to infiltrate a terrorist training camp. (Yeah, this was the '80s.) After the terrorists-to-be have been neutralized, Batman remarks "I see no need for these disguises anymore!" and they strip down to their Batman & Robin garb. Yes, in the middle of the desert, that's much more subtle.

( )

Sad. ( )

Absolutely amazing. Both stories explore the psychology of the characters (both villains and heroes) without making changes or ruining everything. The villains are scary, and the heroes are real. It breaks your heart to see them in pain, because they're right there.

Tim Drake makes a fantastic Robin. He's the kind of kid sidekick I actually like: smarter and faster and better-off than me, but with the one goal of totally adoring Batman. He's not a whiner.

The art is great, the details of the facial expressions add a separate dimension to the stories that wouldn't be there otherwise. It's really intense.

Also, this DC Comics Classics Library edition is really gorgeous and a joy to read. (Plus, it collects both A Death in the Family,, the death of Jason Todd, and A Lonely Place of Dying, Tim Drake's first storyline.) ( )

Six out of ten. CBR format. Robin sets out to the Middle East to find three women - one of whom is his real mother. Co-incidentally, the Joker has escaped Arkham Asylum and is in the Middle East attempting to sell weapons to terrorist factions. Old fashioned Batman comic - art and story. ( )