In 1988, Jason Todd a.k.a. the second Robin died in a story titled Batman: A Death in The Family, an event that has haunted the Dark Knight’s continuity for years. As such, the book is widely considered a classic among fans; however, what many don’t remember about the story is that it’s also dated by the political climate of the late '80s. What is often remembered as one of the darkest stories in Batman history is also host to some oddly goofy ideas that makes it one of the most bizarre Batman stories.
In Jim Starlin's Batman: A Death in The Family, Bruce and Jason travel to Ethiopia in order to find the young sidekick’s mother. However, after finding out his mother is Sheila Haywood--a disgraced doctor who fled from the U.S.--Jason is shocked to discover she’s working with The Joker. After attempting to help her and revealing his secret identity in the process, Jason’s mother serves him up to be beaten to death by the Joker, as she turns away and smokes a cigarette. Predictably, the Joker betrays Sheila and ties her up in the same room as her unconscious son, leaving a ticking time bomb behind to kill them both.
Despite her betrayal, Jason struggles to untie his mother before leaving. As Batman approaches their location, Jason realizes the only exit is locked from the outside. The counter then hits zero, causing the building to explode, killing Jason and his mother. Batman finds Jason leading to the now-iconic panels, and the most widely-remembered event from A Death In The Family. However, the story continues after this scene... and only gets stranger from there. For starters, Joker escapes Ethiopia to become the UN Ambassador of Iran, relying on his new diplomatic status to render Batman unable to bring him to justice without causing an international incident. This would eventually end when Joker decided to attack a UN conference with toxic laughing gas, which is completely inhaled and disposed of by Superman after joining up with Batman.
Following this, the Joker attempts to escape the UN building via helicopter, but is quickly tailed by a vengeful Batman. Just as the helicopter is about to crash, Batman jumps out at the last moment, leaving the Joker to face certain doom. Suddenly, the story ends, and Batman remains traumatized for decades to follow. What’s really weird about this story is the tone; it’s almost as if it can’t decide if it wants to be fun or dark. For example, the scenes in which Jason is beaten and killed feel incredibly grim, while the globetrotting nature of the story coupled with the Joker's role as ambassador gives the story a goofy silver age vibe. The fact that Jason’s death was decided via a phone call in a poll just makes the story feel morbidly uneven.
Overall, the story is a good read if you don’t mind all the strangeness (which fans won't talk about). But hey, where else can you find an Ayatollah Khomeini cameo in a Batman comic?