[[“value”:”Death in the Family: Robin Lives! #3 cover, via DC Comics.
From The DC Vault – Death In The Family: Robin Lives! #3 – JM DeMatteis, Writer; Rick Leonardi, Artist; Rico Renzi, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The story of Jason Todd is well-known, with him returning from the dead as a vengeance-crazed vigilante and going on a long hard road to peace and redemption before eventually winding up a member of the Bat-family again. This series asks the question of whether he would have been better off had he barely survived – or if he demons would have led him to an even worse fate? Told through the narration of Dr. Dev, the benevolent psychiatrist who specializes in his case and eventually begins working with Bruce as well, this book reveals its secrets slowly. But the beginning of this issue shows that Jason is in fact the person who eventually shoots the Joker – it almost seems too obvious – but we still don’t know the how or why. This issue picks up with Jason having gone missing from his mental health facility, leading Bruce to desperately search to find him before it’s too late.
Joker, who escaped from Arkham last issue, is holed up in an old video store playing out a demented little game with what he thinks are Batman and Robin. This is one of the best stories demonstrating just how Joker’s weird mind works that I’ve seen in a very long time, and there are some genuinely creepy and tense scenes here. But there are also some of the most powerful conversations I’ve seen in a while in DC Comics, particularly one between Bruce and Alfred, where Alfred almost gets something very important through to his son – only for Bruce to pull back at the last minute like he always does. The emotional catharsis DeMatteis works with here reminds me a lot of the brilliant work he did over at the competition in Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin recently. And the ending here calls back to one of the most infamous moments in DC animated history. Great stuff, although I think its deliberate and melancholy tone may take some readers by surprise.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
“]] As Bruce Wayne battles to save Jason Todd’s mind, he’s forced to reckon with Batman’s legacy. Read More