On September 15 and 16, 1988, something extraordinary occurred: Fans of DC Comics' Batman were able to affect the outcome of a storyline by calling one of a pair of 900 numbers set up especially for this event. 

What was it?

No simple matter, really: Fans got to decide whether Robin (Jason Todd) lived or died at the hands of the Batman's archnemesis, the Joker.

Who was Jason Todd?

Many casual fans may recall that Robin is Batman's sidekick. If you watched the hilarious 1960s comedy series or the late 90s films from Joel Schumacher, you may remember that Robin's real name is Dick Grayson and he's a former child acrobat whose parents were killed at the circus. Billionaire philanthropist and tech mogul Bruce Wayne adopts Grayson, and eventually reveals to Grayson that he's Batman -- Gotham City's dark avenger and the world's greatest detective. This is also true of the comics version, with Robin early debuting in 1940 in Detective Comics issue 38.

For the next 40 years or so, Robin fought crime at Batman's side until eventually the editors at DC decided to age the character enough that he should go off on his own and develop his own new superhero identity, Nightwing. Since then, Grayson as Nightwing has remained a popular character in his own right, with a number of long-running ongoing series and as part of the popular "Teen Titans" franchise.

With Grayson off doing his own thing, the writers at DC decided to have Batman take on a new Robin. The problems quickly began with Jason Todd, who is drawn to resemble Grayson as well as having almost the exact same backstory involving dead parents and the circus. But after DC's huge continuity reset, Jason is given an entirely new backstory to truly distinguish him from Grayson. In this new continuity, he is an orphan living on the streets. Hilariously, Batman first encounters him attempting to steal the wheels off the Batmobile. Eventually, he takes him in and trains him to fight crime just as he did Dick Grayson.

Everyone Hates Jason

Jason Todd was, to say the least, a controversial character. Looking back, it's easy to say everyone hated him. In fact, the writers themselves have said that. But I've met more than a few folks who thought he was truly fascinating because of how unlikeable he was. In one issue, Jason as Robin murders a rape suspect (it's technically an ambiguous ending, but the implication seems pretty clear to many readers). This is when Batman truly begins to believe that Jason Todd is A Problem(tm). 

What to do about it, then? Well, DC editorial came up with a truly fascinating move: Let the fans decide. They crafted a four-issue storyline titled "A Death in the Family," which would send Batman and Robin on a globe-trotting journey to discover the true identity of Jason Todd's parents, but also ensnare them in an increasingly improbably tale of international intrigue involving Middle Eastern terrorists. 

A new level of WTFery

This story is, putting it mildly, insane. Each new plot development seems more unhinged than the last, as though the writers are testing the audience's patience and suspension of disbelief. But ultimately what happens is that they discover Jason's mother embroiled in a weapons-smuggling scheme that also involves the homicidal Joker. The Joker confronts Robin and his mom in a warehouse, beats Robin nearly to death with a crowbar, then leaves them trapped in the building with a bomb only seconds away from going off. It's about as mean-spirited and brutal as you can get:

And here's where the fans come in: For two days in September 1988, you could call one of two 900 numbers -- one to vote for Jason to live, the other for him to die. 

And vote they did! Though rumors have circulated that the game was rigged thanks to someone using an autodialer, ultimately some 10,614 votes came in and though everyone claimed to have hated Jason Todd it was actually a pretty close call.

And yes, they voted to kill Jason Todd. (Two versions of Jason's fate were produced so that either one could be put to press as soon as the voting period ended. Jim Aparo's page where Batman finds Jason alive did not see the light of day for decades) But the insanity doesn't stop there. Because that's just issue 3. What happens in part four?

In perhaps the most truly unhinged part of the entire tale, Batman's vengeance against the Joker is delayed by an appearance by Superman himself... who has some rather shocking news for the Dark Knight. It seems that using his terrorist connections, the Joker has figured out a way to protect himself from Batman's reprisals for killing Robin: Diplomatic immunity.

Yes, that's right, the Joker becomes the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in what might be one of the most insane plot twists in a Batman story not from the Silver Age (an era where Batman would fly to the moon for kicks). It even comes with a cameo appearance by the Ayatollah:

Honestly, you can't make this crap up (although it is entirely made up). But yes, it seems Batman will be denied justice because of a technicality. Of course, Joker being Joker, he can't stop himself from trying to murder the entire UN, which nullifies his immunity and Batman and Superman bring him to justice. But the damage is done; Jason is dead, and the Batman will never be the same.

Or will he?

It wouldn't be long before the writers at DC would introduce a third Robin, Tim Drake, who would prove very popular and remain in the role for decades, far longer than Jason Todd... who eventually returned from the dead and is still a controversial character. But that just helps illustrate the impact of "A Death in the Family," a four-part tale that let the fans decide the fate of a main character in a global franchise.

But while this story can be labeled infamous or notorious in a lot of regards, I do have to say that for me it was a formative experience. "A Death in the Family" was one of the first collections of comics I ever owned. I currently own two printings of the trade paperback, an original first printing from the tail end of 1988 and a newer edition that also includes the introduction of Tim Drake. And despite the fact that the storyline is absolutely bonkers, the art by Jim Aparo, Mike DeCarlo, John Costanza and Adrienne Roy is superlative. In fact, Jim Aparo stands today as perhaps my favorite Batman artist of all time! 

And this tale or elements of it have been adapted into other mediums, including the videogame "Batman: Arkham Knight," and the animated movie "A Death in the Family." The tale of Jason's return was adapted into the (very excellent) animated film "Under the Red Hood," which features Jensen Ackles (of "Supernatural") as the voice of the adult Jason. Red Hood has also had a long run of comic series since his return.

I've also been thinking about this tale from a different perspective. Looking back, we can probably call this an interesting marketing case. It really is not often that the audience gets to determine the direction of a brand, except for voting with their wallets. Here, Batman was actually reaching something of a peak. He's coming off a pair of hugely popular storylines "Year One" and "The Killing Joke" (which, tbh, I think is awful but it sold a bajillion copies) and a major motion picture was about to set 1989's box office on fire. So the call went out for the audience to actively participate in the shaping of a storyline at a time when Batman was a hot commodity. The risk involved is potentially huge, and it's hard to think of a brand that would do something like that today. 

Indeed, watching fandoms across social media, our access to creators in this modern era seems insane compared to the 80s. People will show up on Twitter and start making absolutely insane demands of writers and TV/movie producers to basically adapt their fan fiction into the canon of whatever it is they're a fan of. In social media, we've seen an explosion of a certain sense of entitlement among fandoms -- people who feel the writers and producers of their favorite franchises "owe" them one particular plot point or another. I've seen these arguments devolve into all kinds of horrid abuse against creators because a storyline didn't go the way a fan desperately wanted it to. There's an entire cottage industry of YouTubers and other online personalities who profit off of fandom rage, usually because they think there are too many women or people of color in their comics/TV/movies/etc. 

Brands tend to keep very keen eyes on sentiment related to their products. It's rare for a brand to not know what its audience is saying online. Would DC ever dare make such a drastic editorial decision by audience dictum again in the age of social media, where online polls are often easily gamed in favor of reactionary fandoms?

So it's been a wild ride since September 1988, thirty five years ago, when DC decided to leave a major, franchise-altering twist up to its readers. A famous or infamous event, depending on your point of view. And a deeply unhinged tale that takes Batman and Robin far from their comfort zone in the shadows of Gotham City and decides their fate in the most unlikely place: a Middle Eastern desert in the middle of the day.

Have you read this story? What's your take? Let me know in the comments.