- December 14, 2023
Batman: Robin Lives! Review
Writer: Jim Starlin
Penciller: Jim Aparo
Inker: Mike Decarlo
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Assistant Editor: Dan Raspler
Editor: Denny O’Neil
This is a strange comic to read for me. I got into comics because I wanted to read more of the Red Hood after the animated movie, Batman: Under the Red Hood. That means that I didn’t know or understand how many Robins there were, let alone that one of them was named Jason Todd and that he died. For me, A Death in the Family is a story that’s always referenced but was so far back that I wasn’t going to ever go and read it. But for this one issue special, I did but I read the version that we didn’t get. I got to read Batman: Robin Lives!
A Look Into the Past
In some ways, it shows how different Batman could have been, and in other ways, it shows how he would have stayed the same. The way it hints at Batman still growing darker and vengeful after Jason Todd’s maiming rather than death implies that maybe Batman’s turn towards dark and gritty was always in the cards. Bruce Wayne was always going to struggle with letting his inner darkness go too far, and his son being harmed was enough to push him over the edge towards what he is today. It feels poetic to read, but also a bit disappointing.
There likely isn’t an alternate universe where Batman wasn’t as grumpy and self-destructive as he is today. There’s just a universe where Jason Todd may not be as edgy and left languish as he often is as the Red Hood right now.
This all makes Batman: Robin Lives! a far more interesting issue to think about and ponder than to read. It’s interesting because of history and the road less traveled. If you care about comic book history and are at all interested in how comics used to be made, this is not an issue to skip. At the same time, if you’re looking for something new, you should remember that this issue is not going to be as different from the original as one would expect. It does make sense, they did have to have two issues ready to go at the drop of a hat, but that may feel disappointing to some people.
The big takeaway for me reading this book is that maybe it was always Jason’s destiny to drive Batman into the darkness. A phone caller simply made sure he did it from the grave.
Thank You For Reading! Check Batman: Robin Lives! at Your LCS
While it’s not a new #1 or something that’s going to affect a host of plotlines in the future, it’s a look back worth taking. Especially since Jim Starlin probably isn’t going to be writing for DC Comics anytime soon. Consider checking it out! It’s even got the ads it would have had back then, which is pretty funny. Ironically, pretty sure that’s why the only thing that changed is the price tag.
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