Fans at today’s Gotham City Confidential panel at New York Comic Con were treated to a special tease for a unique project coming later this year. DC Comics will release a “fauxsimile” edition for Batman #428, part 3 of the infamous “A Death in the Family” storyline, featuring alternate pages in which second Robin Jason Todd does not die.
Jason Todd’s tenure as Robin was a mere five years before the character met his grisly demise at the hands of The Joker in the pages of “A Death in the Family.” While the character would eventually be resurrected as Red Hood, the death of Robin loomed large over the Batman mythos for decades. And it was all decided by the fans.
Batman #427, part two of “A Death in the Family,” ended with Robin captured, beaten, and trapped with a bomb set by The Joker. Batman arrived at the warehouse just as the bomb exploded, and the inside back cover of the issue gave fans the chance to decide what would happen next. Calling one 900-number meant a vote for Robin to live; calling another meant a vote for his death. Over 10,000 votes were cast, and by a margin of just 72 votes readers decided that Robin should die.
The new ‘fauxsimile’ issue, releasing in December to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the original Batman #428’s release, will include a combination of alternate pages and patch panels from the story’s original creative team – Jim Starlin, Jim Aparo, Mike DeCarlo, Adrienne Roy, and John Costanza. The alternate script and artwork were created back in 1988, in the event that fans voted the other way. One page of the alternate art was used in the pages of 2005’s Batman Annual #25, while the remaining pages remained in the DC vault until a few years ago, when a deluxe edition hardcover of “Batman: A Death in the Family” finally revealed them to fans in full.
The ‘Fauxsimile’ edition of Batman #428 is being drop-solicited for release on December 12th, 2023.
