Death In the Family: Robin Lives #3 review

How far we’ve come! What I first thought would be a monthly nightmare of nostalgia bait has quickly turned into one of my favourite DC books of the year. I’ve been waiting eagerly to see what happens, especially with the Joker back on the loose. So let us jump back into the potential world of yesteryear and see what might befall our heroes next…

You are always on my mind…

Oh my god. If you’ve already read the book, or you’ve seen the title image, you will know something quite significant. Each issue of this series has opened to the exact same thing. Joker dead at the hands of Batman. This month, however, we get a bit more context. Jason Todd, holding the gun that shot him. Not only that, but they all appear to be in the Batcave. Do I sense a “the Joker find out Batman’s secret identity” plot brewing… I must say, I am somewhat relieved to have this reveal come now. DeMatties is clearly more interested in exploring these characters throughout the series than he is at shocking us with an ending.

So, after our little flash forward, we cut back to the “present”. Joker is hiding out in an old video store, watching old comedies with an imaginary Dynamic Duo. We have narration from Dr. Dev the whole time. I have heard a few people say that the narration and dialogue in the past issues has been much too dense. While I certainly think there’s a lot of it, it hasn’t detracted from my sense of enjoyment at all.

Following on from the last issue’s identity reveal, Bruce takes Dr Dev to his parents’ grave. Here, they have a conversation regarding his identity as Batman, what he believes he’s doing and whether it’s right. It’s something readers may have pieced together a thousand times over, but it’s really interesting to hear Bruce say it. He doesn’t present his reasoning as an argument for why having a child sidekick is completely fine, but simply as why he did it, even though he has started to see it might not have been the right idea. Although in classic Batman fashion, the Bat signal calls him away from any deeper introspection.

I, amongst others, were worried that this story would turn into a Joker-fest. And while he has been in the story to a larger degree, he is certainly not the only villain. We’ve had Scarecrow, Copperhead and now the return of a DeMattes original! Mother Grimm (who I believe has only ever appeared in Legends of The Dark Knight) puts in an appearance. Obviously this is an instance where Batman sees himself in the villain and ponders again the righteousness of his cause. DeMatteis really skirts the line between heavy-handed and just right. Good to see he’s staying on the right side of it.

Penny for your thoughts

Bruce tells Alfred what’s on his mind. This is a fantastic moment. Alfred telling him to shut up and listen instead of sulking away was definitely needed and it really felt as though they were on the verge of coming to an important conclusion. Though we are forced to agree with the narration, “what might have changed if they’d finished that conversation?”.

Jason has run away from the institute and redonned his cape on the prowl for the Joker. Bats goes to track him down and runs into his other ward, and the two get to finish their earlier conversation about Nightwing’s regrets. Now I feel is a good time to talk about the art. Every issue I have been consistently wowed by Leonardi’s artwork and that has not changed. His sketch-like style resonates completely with one of the themes of the book. Nobody is perfect. We’re all people with imperfections and coarseness. They’re not smooth and bright like statues and idols, but rough and jagged like people.

The colouring is also top-tier, and I often just find myself looking at the deep purple of the street or skyline. If I could make one critique, it would be that sometimes the proportions look a little off, like Bruce’s arm is too short. This is especially true during the DKR homage panel with Bruce and Dick leaping off of a building. His arm looks a little too small and stocky and his head is at a weird angle. However I will say that this is one of the only instances of something like this, so it’s barely an issue.

Recommended If…

• Like me, you’re itching to see where this goes.
• You’re a Jason Todd fan. It’s one of the best books he’s appeared in for a while.
• a further examination into the mind of the Caped Crusader intrigues you.

Overall:

I’m really happy this series has kept up in the quality department. I would’ve it to crumble a bit by now but no, the standards are still held high. I’m itching to see what we get next month and to see if this book can end as strongly as it started.

Score: 9/10