Sometimes I wonder about the multiverse. In 1988, DC launched a telephone poll where fans could vote on the fate of Jason Todd. Fans submitted a total of 10,614 votes, with 5,343 voting for Jason’s death, and 5,271 voting for his survival. (Yes, it was pretty close!) Jason’s fate was sealed, and the Boy Wonder was famously killed in Batman #428.
This is why I think about the multiverse. After all, Jason’s death was decided by a margin of 72 votes! In the grand scheme of things, that’s a small number, yet it had a profound effect on Batman’s history. If the multiverse is real, then that means there is a reality out there where the votes went another way and Jason survived.
In my geeky imagination, I’ve fantasized about what it would be like to visit this reality, which I’ll playfully call Earth-RL (for Robin Lives). How did classic storylines like Knightfall, No Man’s Land and The Court of Owls play out on Earth-RL? Did those storylines even happen? After all, Jason’s death was such a turning point in Batman’s history that there is no telling what kind of butterfly effect his survival could have.
Fortunately, there’s no reason for me to tear a hole in the multiverse to get answers to this question as DC has essentially brought Earth-RL to all of us. Batman #428: Robin Lives! #1 gives us the alternate version of Death in the Family Part Three that would have been published if those 72 votes had gone in the other direction. This isn’t a hypothetical or speculative one-shot, it’s the actual script and artwork that Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo had ready to go in case the vote had been in Jason’s favor. What’s more, the issue has the original ads and letter pages, so you can read it and pretend you’re a citizen of Earth-RL.
That’s all pretty interesting on its own, but DC has taken the concept even further with From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives!, a limited series that picks up where the alternate Batman #428 left off. In other words, this very well could have been the version of Batman #429 that comic readers picked up on Earth-RL.
As a fun thought exercise, I encourage you all to pretend that it’s 1988, and you’re a citizen of Earth-RL. Tim Drake, Batman: The Animated Series, Cassandra Cain, The Dark Knight Trilogy and Bane don’t exist yet…and maybe they never will. Read Death in the Family: Robin Lives! #1 as if it were the latest issue of Batman. It leads to an interesting experience.
Part of that is due to the talented creative team. J.M. DeMatteis was not only able to capture the tone of 1988 era Batman, but also the unique dynamics. For example, Death in the Family: Robin Lives! #2 features a tense conversation between Batman and Nightwing. Keep in mind that Bruce and Dick’s relationship was in a very different place in 1988. DeMatteis is able to flawlessly recapture that classic dynamic.
Rick Leonardi’s artwork has a retro feel while also feeling modern. If you were to put a page from Robin Lives! alongside DC’s other 1988 releases, Leonardi’s artwork wouldn’t feel out of place. The aesthetic fits right in and helps maintain the illusion that you’re reading a lost 35-year-old comic.
Jason’s death had a profound effect on many of Batman’s relationships. It forced Bruce and Dick to confront some of their issues, as we saw in 1989’s New Titans #55 and Batman: Year Three. In fact, this rift would last for years and wouldn’t fully be settled until the 1994 storyline Batman: Prodigal.
In essence, Jason’s death forced Bruce and Dick to finally confront their issues with each other. This begs the question, how would that have changed if Jason survived? Robin Lives! addresses this, as Bruce comes to Dick for perspective on the path forward. In typical Dark Knight fashion, he misunderstands what Dick is saying and the conversation breaks down. The Bruce/Dick relationship of Earth-RL seems to be heading for the same destination it ultimately did in our world, but it’s taking a different path to get there.
Jason’s death also fundamentally changed Batman’s rivalry with the Joker. Take a look at Batman #450, Batman #496 and Batman #614 to see how the dynamic shifted. The Joker had killed in the past, but murdering Robin hit Batman in a place where no other villain had hit him before. It put Joker in a class above Two-Face, Riddler, Penguin and the other Arkham rogues.
Interestingly, Robin Lives! #1 shows their rivalry heading in the same direction, despite Jason’s survival. Batman goes after the Joker with anger and intensity, almost leaving the Clown Prince of Crime to die. Perhaps it’s a subtle commentary on the inevitability of Batman and Joker’s twisted conflict. Whether Jason lives or dies, their rivalry still shifts towards a more violent and personal direction.
And then there’s the relationship with Bruce and Jason. After coming back as Red Hood, it took Jason years to make peace with Bruce. He held the Dark Knight responsible for not saving him and for letting the Joker live afterwards. Had Jason lived, how would his relationship with Bruce have played out?
This question is one of the centerpieces of Robin Lives! and the comic takes an interesting approach to answering it. Almost losing Jason is the close call that Bruce needs to send the Boy Wonder to therapy. Don’t forget, in addition to his near-death experience, Jason also lost his mother Sheila Haywood. Jason also has to come to terms with the fact that his mom betrayed him shortly before her death.
The frequently defiant Jason is resistant to the therapy, but it’s clear it’s helping him. In fact, Bruce takes things a step further by telling Dr. Saraswati Dev that he’s Batman. I have to imagine that this creates another major turning point in the Dark Knight’s history. After all, imagine how differently the last few decades of Batman stories would have played out if Bruce had simply sought help from a mental health professional back in 1988.
I don’t have a Cosmic Treadmill to take me to Earth-RL, but Robin Lives! is an interesting portal to that world. It’s a great look at the road not taken, and I can’t wait to see where it leads.
The first three issues of From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives! by J.M. DeMatteis, Rick Leonardi and Rico Renzi are now available in print and digital. The series can also be read on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.
Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, “Gotham Gazette.” Follow him on Twitter at @TBUJosh.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
[[{“value”:”Sometimes I wonder about the multiverse. In 1988, DC launched a telephone poll where fans could vote on the fate of Jason Todd. Fans submitted a total of 10,614 votes, with 5,343 voting for Jason’s death, and 5,271 voting for his survival. (Yes, it was pretty close!) Jason’s fate was sealed, and the Boy Wonder was famously killed in Batman #428.
This is why I think about the multiverse. After all, Jason’s death was decided by a margin of 72 votes! In the grand scheme of things, that’s a small number, yet it had a profound effect on Batman’s history. If the multiverse is real, then that means there is a reality out there where the votes went another way and Jason survived.
In my geeky imagination, I’ve fantasized about what it would be like to visit this reality, which I’ll playfully call Earth-RL (for Robin Lives). How did classic storylines like Knightfall, No Man’s Land and The Court of Owls play out on Earth-RL? Did those storylines even happen? After all, Jason’s death was such a turning point in Batman’s history that there is no telling what kind of butterfly effect his survival could have.
Fortunately, there’s no reason for me to tear a hole in the multiverse to get answers to this question as DC has essentially brought Earth-RL to all of us. Batman #428: Robin Lives! #1 gives us the alternate version of Death in the Family Part Three that would have been published if those 72 votes had gone in the other direction. This isn’t a hypothetical or speculative one-shot, it’s the actual script and artwork that Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo had ready to go in case the vote had been in Jason’s favor. What’s more, the issue has the original ads and letter pages, so you can read it and pretend you’re a citizen of Earth-RL.
That’s all pretty interesting on its own, but DC has taken the concept even further with From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives!, a limited series that picks up where the alternate Batman #428 left off. In other words, this very well could have been the version of Batman #429 that comic readers picked up on Earth-RL.
As a fun thought exercise, I encourage you all to pretend that it’s 1988, and you’re a citizen of Earth-RL. Tim Drake, Batman: The Animated Series, Cassandra Cain, The Dark Knight Trilogy and Bane don’t exist yet…and maybe they never will. Read Death in the Family: Robin Lives! #1 as if it were the latest issue of Batman. It leads to an interesting experience.
Part of that is due to the talented creative team. J.M. DeMatteis was not only able to capture the tone of 1988 era Batman, but also the unique dynamics. For example, Death in the Family: Robin Lives! #2 features a tense conversation between Batman and Nightwing. Keep in mind that Bruce and Dick’s relationship was in a very different place in 1988. DeMatteis is able to flawlessly recapture that classic dynamic.
Rick Leonardi’s artwork has a retro feel while also feeling modern. If you were to put a page from Robin Lives! alongside DC’s other 1988 releases, Leonardi’s artwork wouldn’t feel out of place. The aesthetic fits right in and helps maintain the illusion that you’re reading a lost 35-year-old comic.
Jason’s death had a profound effect on many of Batman’s relationships. It forced Bruce and Dick to confront some of their issues, as we saw in 1989’s New Titans #55 and Batman: Year Three. In fact, this rift would last for years and wouldn’t fully be settled until the 1994 storyline Batman: Prodigal.
In essence, Jason’s death forced Bruce and Dick to finally confront their issues with each other. This begs the question, how would that have changed if Jason survived? Robin Lives! addresses this, as Bruce comes to Dick for perspective on the path forward. In typical Dark Knight fashion, he misunderstands what Dick is saying and the conversation breaks down. The Bruce/Dick relationship of Earth-RL seems to be heading for the same destination it ultimately did in our world, but it’s taking a different path to get there.
Jason’s death also fundamentally changed Batman’s rivalry with the Joker. Take a look at Batman #450, Batman #496 and Batman #614 to see how the dynamic shifted. The Joker had killed in the past, but murdering Robin hit Batman in a place where no other villain had hit him before. It put Joker in a class above Two-Face, Riddler, Penguin and the other Arkham rogues.
Interestingly, Robin Lives! #1 shows their rivalry heading in the same direction, despite Jason’s survival. Batman goes after the Joker with anger and intensity, almost leaving the Clown Prince of Crime to die. Perhaps it’s a subtle commentary on the inevitability of Batman and Joker’s twisted conflict. Whether Jason lives or dies, their rivalry still shifts towards a more violent and personal direction.
And then there’s the relationship with Bruce and Jason. After coming back as Red Hood, it took Jason years to make peace with Bruce. He held the Dark Knight responsible for not saving him and for letting the Joker live afterwards. Had Jason lived, how would his relationship with Bruce have played out?
This question is one of the centerpieces of Robin Lives! and the comic takes an interesting approach to answering it. Almost losing Jason is the close call that Bruce needs to send the Boy Wonder to therapy. Don’t forget, in addition to his near-death experience, Jason also lost his mother Sheila Haywood. Jason also has to come to terms with the fact that his mom betrayed him shortly before her death.
The frequently defiant Jason is resistant to the therapy, but it’s clear it’s helping him. In fact, Bruce takes things a step further by telling Dr. Saraswati Dev that he’s Batman. I have to imagine that this creates another major turning point in the Dark Knight’s history. After all, imagine how differently the last few decades of Batman stories would have played out if Bruce had simply sought help from a mental health professional back in 1988.
I don’t have a Cosmic Treadmill to take me to Earth-RL, but Robin Lives! is an interesting portal to that world. It’s a great look at the road not taken, and I can’t wait to see where it leads.
The first three issues of From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives! by J.M. DeMatteis, Rick Leonardi and Rico Renzi are now available in print and digital. The series can also be read on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.
Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, “Gotham Gazette.” Follow him on Twitter at @TBUJosh.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.”}]]
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