From the DC Vault: Death in the Family - Robin Lives! #1 Review: An Insightful Revisitation
Robin Lives #1 takes on the aftermath of an alternative ending to "Death in the Family."
There is always something alluring about the road not taken, the story not told. In the world of comics, stories that shift outside of canon tend to make for particularly interesting explorations. While exploring the opposite side of the coin can be intriguing, it can also be challenging, leading to a mixed bag of results when taking on beloved characters and stories with significant outcomes. It's that challenge that faces From The DC Vault: Death in the Family – Robin Lives #1 this week as it kicks off a miniseries exploring what happens if Jason Todd (a.k.a. Robin) had survived the Joker's now-infamous attack in 1988's "Death in the Family." But it takes on that challenge admirably, offering not only a bit of nostalgia in its presentation but also an insightful and interesting reading experience.
Robin Lives #1 opens with breaking news that the Joker is dead and the news's impact upon Batman and Robin, before taking readers back in time to a period shortly after Jason's physical recover from the Joker's brutal attack. The story, narrated by a third-party introduced later in the issue, offers insight into the nature of trauma and mental illness. This emphasizes the complex situation Batman finds himself in trying to help Jason who might have recovered physically, but not emotionally after his ordeal. This approach to the writing by J.M DeMatteis is well done—particularly in that it allows for a seemingly neutral perspective and engage in dialogue with the story itself—as readers receive glimpses of character dynamics and reactions. What emerges is a well-crafted and interesting portrait that is a complete and quite good read. DeMatteis also does a good job, tonally, of keeping the story rooted in the late 1980s without it feeling like a gimmick. The comic book feels of the time, not like something created today.
That feeling continues with the artwork in this issue as well. Rick Leonardi does a fantastic job of capturing the visual energy of the "Death in the Family" time period without coming across as overly nostalgic. It also pairs beautifully with DeMatteis' writing. The comic book is, at no point, competing with itself. Instead, there is an almost perfect balance between images and words with the action offering just the right amount of energy where it's needed. Additionally, Rico Renzi's colors pop splendidly, while Taylor Esposito's letters are top-notch.
But between the balance of good writing and good art, all lengthier alternative histories or "what if" stories must have a distinct point, or purpose, or draw and that might be where Robin Lives #1 excels most. Going into this work the reader has knowledge of "what" has happened and "why" and maybe even "how," the psychological structure of the story—digging into things through the perspective of a professional helping Jason—suggests there is more to the story than a tale of trauma and revenge. The last page of the issue even goes to the place many readers do when thinking about Batman and his young sidekicks asking, "whatever possessed him to bring a child into the Batman's world?" It's a layer that makes the story more compelling and prompts readers to wonder what might actually be next, and thus makes this more than just a revisitation of roads not taken.
Looking back can be tricky, but From The DC Vault: Death in the Family – Robin Lives #1 does a fantastic job of taking an infamous story and providing it new life. By asking new questions and without leaning too much into nostalgia, the issue presents a compelling story that both scratches the "what if" itch and gives readers something entirely new they'll want to continue reading for issues to come.
Published by DC Comics
On July 10, 2024
Written by J.M. DeMatteis
Art by Rick Leonardi
Colors by Rico Renzi
Letters by Taylor Esposito
Cover by Rick Leonardi and Dave Stewart
