10 Comic Book News Stories That Shocked The World‏

8. The Death of Jason Todd

Legacy characters are DC Comics' bread and butter. Beneath their masks the Flash, Green Lantern and Firestorm of today are not the same people they were when they were introduced, having been lost either to the changing trends of comic books, the erasure of the Golden Age or simply by virtue of having been killed. Whilst Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have pretty much stayed the same people since their introductions, the mantle of almost every other DC hero and villain is up for grabs, passed down through generations like family heirlooms or football teams. The first time that legacy mindset did affect Batman, though, it wasn't without controversy. Dick Grayson, the original Robin, had gone from orphaned tween to brooding teen, to the point that it seemed like he'd outgrown his position as sidekick to the Dark Knight. The decision was made, in-comic and behind-the-scenes, that Dick would take the name of Nightwing and go off to join the Teen Titans, leaving the Robin name behind for some new plucky orphan to inherit. Batman's choice for new ward, Jason Todd, was not entirely successful. Pitched as the wild, unruly opposite to Dick's patient subordinate, Jason was hated by fans almost instantly. In fact, the venom he inspired was so vehement that DC editorial took an shocking and unprecedented step with the character. They decided not to just kill him off; they thought they would hand that responsibility over to fans themselves, so vocal in their dislike for the character. They would have the final say as to whether Jason should meet his maker. A premium rate phone line was set up that let readers call in and cast their vote, the eventual outcome of which was actually pretty close (5,343 against 5,271) - but not close enough to save Jason from being clubbed to death by the Joker. The story where he was killed off, Death In The Family, touched on contemporary political issues, but it was the killing of Batman's kid sidekick - and the readers' hand in it - that really made waves.