by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
Holy choose your own adventure Batman! That’s right, the creative team at Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC Entertainment have released DC Showcase Animated Shorts: Batman: Death in the Family, a unique interactive experience inspired by the classic Batman storylines, “A Death in the Family” and “Under The Red Hood”. While these storylines were previously depicted in the hit 2010 DC Universe Film, Batman: Under the Red Hood, this new release acts as an “expansion pack” of sorts, allowing us to experience alternate versions of a critical moment in the DC Universe.
It was the year 1988, and fans were given the chance to vote via a 900 dial-in number to decide the fate of the widely disliked second Robin, Jason Todd. Would Jason survive a tragic encounter with the Joker? Would Batman find a way to save his sidekick with moments to spare? With over 10,000 votes placed, fate (and readers) decided that it was time for Jason Todd to die…or so we thought (insert dramatic sting here). In 2004, it was revealed that Jason not only survived the explosion, but he had been planning his revenge against both The Joker and The Dark Knight. Can Bruce convince his former sidekick to give up a life of crime and rejoin the heroes of Gotham City?
For this interactive experience, viewers are introduced to a dynamic duo with a strained relationship. We quickly learn more about Jason Todd and why Batman selected him as his new partner, but we also get to see why Jason wasn’t cut out for being Robin. After a short setup, viewers are given several options to choose from:
- Robin Cheats Death
- Robin Dies
- Batman Saves Robin
Vampire Picnic
If you only purchased/rented this release on Digital, that would be the end of the selection process, but if you purchased a physical copy on 4K or Blu-ray, the selections continue along with additional content! No spoilers, but fans will definitely want to get a physical copy of this release so that they can explore all of the options and see what surprises await.
To help tie this back to the original Batman: Under the Red Hood animated feature, the creative team brought back Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek: Into Darkness) as Batman, Vincent Martella (Phineas and Ferb) as Jason Todd/Robin/Red Hood/Red Robin, John DiMaggio (Futurama) as The Joker, and Gary Cole (Office Space) as Commissioner Gordon/Two-Face. The cast is joined by Nolan North (Batman: Arkham franchise) as Clark Kent, and Zehra Fazal (Young Justice) as Talia al Ghul. Unfortunately, Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) and Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) do not return for this adventure.
Special Features
In addition to the new Batman: Death in the Family short, this release also collects the latest batch of DC Showcase shorts from 2019-2020:
- Sgt. Rock
- Adam Strange
- Death
- The Phantom Stranger
Overall
Batman: Death in the Family is the perfect way to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Batman: Under the Red Hood. While there is a lot of re-purposed content from that animated adventure, there is a lot of new content as well. I can see how some fans might be a bit surprised at the content from Under the Red Hood, but the Blu-ray content was very entertaining and felt well crafted from start to finish. I was pretty surprised at how the different variations played out on screen, and I think that the creative team made the most of the interactive elements. Beyond the story elements, this release just proves that John DiMaggio’s version of The Joker deserves more screen time. At the end of the day, I think that going with a physical version of this release is the clear choice between the different mediums, as it provides the greatest value in terms of new and engaging content.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Batman: Death in the Family 4.5 out of 5 Choose Your Own Adventure stories!
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