The scene from Batman #428 (1988), in which Batman discovers Jason Todd dead.

"A Death in the Family" is a Batman comic book story arc first published in the late 1980s which gave fans the ability to influence the story through voting with a 900 number. "A Death in the Family" ran in Batman #426-429, published in 1988-1989. The story was credited to Jim Starlin (script), Jim Aparo (pencil), Mike DeCarlo (ink), Adrienne Roy (color), and John Costanza (lettering). Covers were illustrated by Mike Mignola. The story is also collected as a trade paperback under the title Batman: A Death in the Family. Image File history File links Deadjason. ... Image File history File links Deadjason. ... Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man, and still sometimes as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive, informally sometimes including the years 1979, 1990 and 1991. ... Premium rate telephone numbers are telephone numbers that are regulated by a particular country or region e. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... James P. Jim Starlin (October 9, 1949 - ) is a veteran comic book writer and artist, who has worked for Marvel Comics, DC Comics and others since the early 1970s. ... Jim Aparo James N. Jim Aparo (1932-July 19, 2005) was a comic book artist best known for his work on various Batman stories for DC Comics. ... Mike DeCarlo is an American artist of comic books. ... John Costanza is an artist who has worked in the comics industry. ... Mike Mignola. ...

Storyline

The story follows Jason Todd, the second Robin. In search of his biological mother, he travels to the Middle East where he becomes embroiled in terrorism, Islamic Fundamentalism, and the machinations of the Joker. After a confrontation with the Joker, Todd is killed, prompting Batman to swear to avenge his death. Superman makes an appearance as a messenger from the President, trying to dissuade Batman from killing the Joker, who claims diplomatic immunity after being appointed the ambassador from Iran (later retconned to be the fictional nation of Qurac.) The appointment, however, was a cover for the Joker's attempt to assassinate the entire General Assembly of the United Nations, which may or may not have been sanctioned by his superiors in the Iranian government. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A classic image of Batman and Robin reinterpreted by painter Alex Ross. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Terrorism refers to a strategy of using violence, or threat of violence to generate fear, cause disruption, and ultimately, to bring about compliance with specific political, religious, ideological, and personal demands. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Islamism. ... The Joker is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain widely considered to be Batmans archenemy. ... Superman is a fictional character regarded as the most famous and popular superhero of all time. ... The presidential seal was used by President Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... Diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity and a policy held between governments, which ensures that diplomats are given safe passage and are considered not susceptible to lawsuit or prosecution under the host countrys laws (although they can be expelled). ... United Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Batman meanwhile, embarks on his one man crusade to exact bloody revenge on the Joker.

Significance

DC Comics, aware of Jason Todd's unpopularity with fans and perhaps inspired by references to a dead Jason in Frank Miller's futuristic Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, set up a 900-code one-dollar hotline giving callers the ability to vote for or against Jason's death. Over 10,000 votes were cast, a narrow majority voted to kill Jason, and DC published "A Death in the Family" to massive media attention. Though many people who didn't read the comics believed it to be Dick Grayson, the original Robin. DC Comics (originally called Detective Comics, Inc. ... Frank Miller in an interview about the Batman character. ... The premiere issue of the series Spoiler warning: The Dark Knight Returns (known as DKR by fans) is a superhero comic book story published by DC Comics between 1985 and 1986, starring Batman. ... Hotlines cannot be used to originate calls other than to preselected destinations. ...

The number to call to vote to kill Jason Todd was 1-900-720-2666.

The story arc was panned by many as implausible, and some have accused Starlin's depiction of the Middle East as racist (including Iran making Joker their ambassador, and then Joker wearing a turban and saying they both smell like dead fish). However, the depiction of Batman in a rare emotional state, the murder of a very famous character, and the phone-voting element have allowed "A Death in the Family" to remain a significant milestone in American comics. 1. ...

Jason Todd's Return

Main article: Jason Todd

In recent years, Jason Todd's importance had become less and less apparent until the Hush storyline, where it was hinted that he was really alive. While shown to be false in the subsequent issue, Todd truly returned during the Batman: Under the Hood arc, where he returned as a villain to much controversy. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Published 2002-2003 in monthly installments in Batman issues 608-619 by DC Comics Characters Batman (Bruce Wayne), Catwoman (Selina Kyle), Superman (Clark Kent), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Robin (Tim Drake), The Joker, The Riddler, Hush, Scarecrow, Huntress, Ras al Ghul, Lex Luthor, Two-Face, Commissioner James Gordon, Oracle, Harley...

Amusingly, considering his recent return, Denny O'Neil (editor of the Bat-comics at the time) states on the back cover of A Death in the Family trade paperback: "It would be a really sleazy stunt to bring him back". Dennis ONeil (A.K.A. Denny ONeil) is a comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s. ...