DC has just announced their exciting new four-issue miniseries, From the DC Vault: A Death in the Family: Robin Lives! Set to be released on Wednesday, July 10th, by writer J.M. DeMatteis and artist Rick Leonardi, we will finally get the answer to what everyone has been asking: what would have happened if Jason Todd had survived?
In 1988 DC Comics shocked their fans and made history with the now legendary Batman: A Death in the Family. It’s no secret that Jason Todd was not a fan favorite when the second, Post-Cris version of the character was introduced.
Following in Dick Grayson’s footsteps, while being the complete opposite of him, made many fans dislike his character. So, DC let their audience call in to decide whether the teenager died or not. As we all know, they chose to kill him off.
However, in December of 2023, a new facsimile of the original Batman #428 was released, showing Batman finding his broken Robin alive. Of course, they had to have an alternate version of the story ready, just in case the voting swayed in Jason’s favor. Taking in this one variant issue, we’ll now be getting a short series following Jason as he recovers from his near death and plots his revenge against the Clown Prince of Crime. The mini-series will be written by J.M. DeMatteis and drawn by Rick Leonardi, both of whom are bonafide comics legends.
Leonardi is a 40-year comics veteran who has provided art for the original Spider-Man 2099 run, Predator, Star Wars, Batman, Birds Of Prey, The New Teen Titans, and many more.
Mike Mignola, who will be providing variant covers for the series, is the creator of Hellboy and The B.P.R.D. He’s also drawn numerous covers for every major publisher and is the man behind the art of the legendary DC Elseworlds titles, Gotham By Gaslight, and The Doom That Came To Gotham.
J.M. DeMatteis is regarded as one of the finest writers to ever work in comics. He’s the creator of Moonshadow and has written tales featuring just about every DC and Marvel character. Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt ranks as one of the greatest Spider-Man stories ever written, and his work on Justice League, Justice League International, Justice League Europe, and Justice League America is revered by fans. Even decades after publication, these are seen and loved by readers because they’re some of the most entertaining, and hilarious, comics ever published. He wrote those issues with the now sadly departed Keith Giffen.
J.M. DeMatteis:
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. 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. Having a master like Rick Leonardi bringing it to life visually? I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Rick Leonardi:
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. 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.
From the DC Vault: A Death in The Family: Robin Lives! #1 is already available to preorder from comic book stores. All four issues will feature a main cover by Leonardi, as well as open-to-buy variants by Mike Mignola, the artist who drew all four covers for the original story, back in 1988.
The original Batman #428 and its “fauxsimile” edition, as well as the complete Batman: A Death in the Family, can be found on DC Universe Infinite.
Source: DC Comics
Images and Press Release Courtesy of DC Entertainment
