Dean Poling
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD
Nope, this isn’t a comic book but a straight-to-DVD animated movie built around one of the most emotional storylines in Batman’s 70-year history. Several years ago, the Batman comics introduced a new Robin. Dick Grayson had outgrown his Robin costume and persona. Grayson moved out of the Bat Cave and Wayne Manor to become Nightwing. Batman discovered his second Robin in an unexpected way: Young Jason Todd was stealing the Batmobile’s wheels. Batman made Jason Todd the second Robin. As the Todd character developed, DC Comics introduced a marketing gimmick. For years, many Batman fans had criticized the “Gee Whiz” antics of the Boy Wonder. Some fans criticized the concept of a Dark Knight with a little kid in a brightly colored costume getting into scrapes with lunatic criminals. DC’s gimmick? Readers could vote to keep this new Robin alive or kill him off. DC was aware of some fans’ antipathy toward Robin, but they didn’t realize how much animosity some readers apparently felt for the new Robin. Much to DC’s shock, readers voted to kill the new Robin. As promised, DC complied with the readers’ wishes. The Joker murdered the Jason Todd Robin. What followed was “A Death in the Family,” an emotional Batman storyline that had the Caped Crusader coming to terms with leading a young boy to his death. The Batman didn’t kill Jason Todd, but he felt the grief and failure of being unable to save him. Despite having killed the Jason Todd Robin, in spite of the readers’ vote, DC soon introduced Batman to Tim Drake, the third Robin, who became so popular he had a comic book of his own. That’s a long way to getting around to this DVD movie, but “Under the Red Hood” opens with “A Death in the Family” scenario. If you buy or rent this DVD for young children, be ready to explain the brutal beating and death of Robin in the first few minutes. For fans, this movie carries an emotional and satisfying wallop. It delves deep into the Batman psyche, especially as one character asks why Batman still couldn’t kill the Joker after the death of the Jason Todd Robin. Powerful stuff. Well animated. Smartly plotted. This animated DVD owes more to the adult themes of the comics and the “Dark Knight” movie rather than the kiddie fun of the Batman cartoon television series “The Brave and the Bold.” This DVD is worth a look under the hood.
