DC To Explore Alternate Jason Todd Story in Death in the Family: Robin Lives!

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The death of Jason Todd, the second Robin, remains a seminal moment in DC Comics history leading to fan-favorite storylines like Under the Red Hood. Later this year, DC will publish a new line of comics exploring the other side of the story - what if Jason survived his encounter with the Joker in 1988’s Batman #428? Death in the Family: Robin Lives! will continue to explore the subject after 2023’s one-shot Batman #428 Fauxsmile Edition.

The four-issue series is being written by J.M. DeMatteis with Rick Leonardi taking on art duties. An open-to-buy variant cover from artist Mike Mignola will also be available on release.

The story behind the death of Robin is infamous - in 1988, DC Comics invited comic readers to cast their votes to decide the fate of the incarcerated Todd. The majority of the fan base, which amounted to over 10,000 votes, decided that Robin would meet his maker in the issue. Of course, like most comic book stories, Todd didn’t remain in the grave for long, but the storyline remains one of the most impactful in Batman’s history. Since then, many storylines in comics, animation, and video games have explored the idea of a resurrected Robin, with notable examples being Under the Red Hood and Batman: Arkham Knight.

DC dipped its toes into exploring the alternate story in 2023 when it released a “faux-simile” edition of Batman #428, which showed an alternate ending. However, the new series will fully dive into the idea. You can get a small taste of what's to come with preview panels on DC's website.

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“Continuing this classic, and controversial, story and following in the footsteps of Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo, two creators I greatly admire, has been both a challenge and a joy,” said DeMatteis. “This is a great opportunity to tell a story that’s big on action, but also takes a very deep dive into the heads of our main characters as we ponder what would have happened if Jason Todd had survived The Joker’s brutal attack. And having a master like Rick Leonardi bringing it to life visually? I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

“I’m hoping this series will give readers a look down the path not chosen; a glimpse of the alternative to the original fallout from Batman #428,” said Leonardi. “After people read it, maybe this choice made back in the day will seem vindicated, or maybe we’ll see that it was a poor choice after all.”

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You can pre-order Death in the Family: Robin Lives #1 from April 19, with the first issue hitting store shelves on July 10, 2024.