Sagaspedia
PTES
Cover of Batman: A Death in the Family
The veteran Batman · 1988–1989

Batman: A Death in the Family

The recap, easter eggs and post-credits scenes are hidden. Turn SPOILER ALERT on to read them; turn it off to hide them again.

Jason Todd, the second Robin, goes looking for the mother he never knew, and the Joker crosses his path; collects the 4-issue arc plus 5 issues of the follow-up story

Pages272 pagesWhere to buyAmazonIn your readingnot read yet
Build my reading plan

Do you need to read it?

Not required. It's left out of the main story but is part of the full chronological order.

Where it falls in the order

  • Main storynot included
  • Chronological5 of 16
  • Everything4 of 16
Spoilers for this title

Quick recap

Batman benches Jason Todd as Robin after the boy disobeys orders. Jason learns the woman who raised him wasn't his birth mother and heads to the Middle East to find her. Batman goes too, chasing the Joker, who has escaped Arkham with a nuclear weapon, and the two end up together. The search leads to Ethiopia, where Jason finds his mother, Sheila, an aid doctor. But the Joker is blackmailing her, and Jason falls into the villain's hands. The Joker beats Jason with a crowbar and leaves them both locked in with a bomb. Jason shields his mother, and both die. Later, the Joker becomes Iran's ambassador to the UN; Batman and Superman foil his attack, and the villain vanishes into the sea.

No spoilersOpens once you mark the title as seen.
4 trivia

Trivia

  1. Behind the scenesDecided by phone

    Readers voted by phone on whether Jason Todd lived or died. Of 10,614 votes, 5,343 chose death and 5,271 survival.

    source ↗
  2. Behind the scenesAn idea borrowed from SNL

    The vote was inspired by a 1982 Saturday Night Live sketch. Writer Jim Starlin never liked Robin and played on that in the story.

    source ↗
  3. Behind the scenesSold out fast

    The first three issues sold out so fast that DC rushed out the collection in time for the holidays.

    source ↗
  4. ReferenceThe suit in the Batcave

    Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice shows a damaged Robin suit on display in the Batcave, a nod to this story.

    source ↗
No spoilersThe easter eggs give away parts of the title. They open once you mark it as seen.

Comments

Original text by Sagaspedia. Posters: The Movie Database (TMDB); character photos via Wikipedia. This site uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. All trademarks and titles mentioned belong to their respective owners. Streaming availability may change.

As an Amazon Associate, Sagaspedia earns from qualifying purchases.