Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 A Famous Batman Comic worthy of your time! October 22, 2007
This is one of the most famous graphic novels in the long history of Batman. The story deals with the tale of Batman's second partner - also called Robin. the first Robin was called Dick Grayson and was genuinely liked by Batman fans worldwide, but as Dick's character developed it became clear that at some point Dick would become a man in his own right. The partnership between Batman and Robin was broken, and Dick Grayson became Nightwing and led the Teen Titans.
Enter, Jason Todd. Another orphan, with a different set of circumstances to both Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. The fans didn't like Jason in the same way that they had liked Dick Grayson, and after many letters to DC complaining about Batman's new sidekick the authors decided to make a bold decision - they would put the future of the character in the hands of the readers. As you can probably guess from the title, it was not going to be a happy ending for Jason.
The plot mainly deals with Jason trying to locate his real mother. Batman is pursuing the Joker and advises Jason to wait, but Jason runs away on his own personal mission, and Batman puts the needs of the many before the needs of his partner. Right from the off, we see Jason recklessly rushing off into the blue and ignoring the advice of his mentor...
As the plot develops the two storylines of Batman and Robin interwine, and the Joker enters the fray to spice up the action.....
Most people will know how this book ends, but it is a very interesting journey to the ending. There are some twists and turns. Some tough choices from Batman, and from Robin.
The good points of this book start with the plot. Considering the writers almost had to write two endings, the flow of the story is pretty seamless. You are sucked into the lives of the main protaganists, and although the ending is quite easy to figure out, there are plenty of times when you feel that the tragedy could have been avoided. This alone keeps you gripped. The characters get plenty of page coverage too. Batman, Robin and the Joker are all allowed to shine and develop throughout the book. There is also a 'surprise' appearance from another DC character, and this adds to the plot and gives a very nice twist at the end of the tale. The artwork is of the eighties, and therefore feels a little dated, but in no way does it detract from the story, and that is the test of time - a good plot.
It does have it's faults though, but they are fairly minor. The Joker plotline after the death of Robin is way over the top, and really unneccessary. And during this time there is no sense of Batman losing his cool, giving in to rage or going over the edge. To me, that oould have been a very interesting couple of chapters i.e the moral dilemma of what Batman should do with the Joker.
Other than that, this is one of the better Batman graphic novels, and well worth your time. I really enjoyed this, and would recommend it to everyone.
A Turning Point which continues to have repercussions. May 12, 2004
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Jason Todd (the second Robin, after Dick Grayson) was never popular. In this collected edition he finally meets his death at the hands of the Joker. Readers were given the choice at the end of Issue 3 to vote on whether a badly beaten Jason Todd lived or died. I'm sure you can guess which way the vote went.
I didn't read much Batman when Jason Todd was alive but this tale is certainly a good read and will pretty much tell you everything you need to know about him. Anyone with an interest in the Batman Mythos should read this book as it is an important part of Batman's history. If anyone has read the recent 'Hush' storyline then you will see that Batman is still feeling the death of one of his partners now.
A further recommendation for anyone interested in other Morbid Batman stories is Alan Moore's 'The Killing Joke'.
 Oh wow. March 15, 2004
The Batman Mythos is steeped in lore, both recent and not. Every so often there comes along a Batman story the kicks off the next few years of Batman continuity and can almost be seen as the first part in an ongoing saga. Tales such as Knightfall, Contagion or Officer Down are all the type of stories I mean.
And this is one of the best.Set long before current continuity, Jason Todd is Robin. Too many this is seen as a black mark as Jason Todd was never as popular as Dick Grayson, his predecessor. And there are times in this story when it is easy to see why he was so despised by the fans, there was more to it than just resentment that he wasn't Mr. Grayson, Jason Todd was a irritating and petulant young man. But for many, this made it all the more interesting that he had chosen to become Robin. Particularly in how this affected Batman. The story opens on a standard night for Batman and Robin, but Jason lets his emotions get the better of him and blows the case. As a result Batman suspends him from crime fighting duty.
This leads Jason Todd on a downward spiral as he tries to come to terms with this punishment and some newfound information that his mother might still be alive. The results, as you can proably tell from the cover, have tragic consequences for all concerned. The artwork is typically 80s, but the writing is as timeless as all great works are. Truly one of the greatest Batman stories ever told. A seminal Batman tale and one that you cannot claim to be a comics fan without having read. Essential stuff.
key turning point July 16, 2003
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Dick Grayson was the original Robin, a sidekick to Batman with a cheerful costume and lots of witty banter to keep the Dark Knight from being overwhelmed by his depressing life. Grayson left for leadership of the Titans, and was replaced by Jason Todd. The writers originally intended for Jason to be fairly similar to Grayson, a basic character clone. But he started turning different by accident of the writing style, and readers started writing in, saying they hated him. SO the publishers gave readers a choice to write in- choose if Robin dies or not after an encounter with the Joker. And the readers phoned in and chose...
The shock value is a little diminished after 15 years but it's still an engrossing story of Jason's search for his real mother that ends rather badly. It is spoilt by ridiculous caricatures of Middle east people, with Iran choosing the Joker as its UN ambassador going a tad too far beyond reality, even for a comic book that was quite silly. The death of Jason resonates for a long time in the comics, with Batman being very cautious to ever risk anyone else's life in his war on crime.
A turning point in the Batman mythos November 14, 2001
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This collection incorporates one of the most shocking and revolutionary events in comics history - the choice by the readers to kill off one of the most well-known characters in the DC world.
The storyline takes you along the second Robin's (Jason Todd) quest to find his real mother after Batman grounds him for being too reckless. His quest inevitably crosses the path of Batman's search for the Joker, who has managed to get his hands on a nuclear weapon, and the two aid each other in their tasks... with disasterous results for the young Jason, and a damaging impact on the Batman and his beliefs.
This is a fine addition to a Batman fan's collection, featuring Superman in a supporting role - being devil's advocate to the Government and providing Batman a source to pour out his grief - and setting the tone for the darker style of Batman comics during the 90s.
|
