Ok, not that long ago I managed to get the TP of A Death In The Family, so I could read the full thing through.
And now I’m here to call bullshit on some things I couldn’t before.
First though, I wanted to note that I thought this book may make me more sympathetic to Bruce then I was before, but that is so far from the case it’s insane.
Anyway. Point of this post is something I’ve seen brought a few times as an argument defending Bruce when confronted with the fact he didn’t do anything permanent to stop the Joker after Jason died. It’s an argument I’ve really debated with anyone one way or the other before, because I hadn’t read DITF so I didn’t feel like I had enough context to make a judgement, basically.
Now, I’ve just finished reading and my god do I have some things to say.
The argument, is that Superman, Clark Kent, stopped Bruce from killing the Joker and that Jason should blame Clark from stopping Bruce from getting revenge.
Now that I’ve just read the pages in which this occurs, I call bullshit.
(All the Bruce glazers can never make me hate you Clark)
Ok, so to go into a bit more deeply:
Bruce is essentially planning a final showdown with the Joker, aware it will end in someone dead, most likely the Joker. He discusses the back and forth of how it’s a long overdue course of action and something he should’ve done a long time ago with himself. But he also argues with himself that the Joker is certifiably insane and cannot actually be held responsible for his actions in killing Jason Todd, which, the fact that Bruce can even debate that in the first place raises some flags.
Actually, overall something that really stopped me from sympathising with Bruce is that he never once exhibited any lost of control or hysteria in losing Jason. Bruce is able to be reasoned with, for the most. Even though he continues to state about killing the Joker, he never actually takes any action to kill him. The helicopter crashes, but Bruce is not the one to cause the crash. He ask Superman to check for the Joker’s body, but in the next panel accepts it and leaves.
But my thing is, I don’t understand how any of this can be construed as Clark stopping Bruce from getting revenge.
I suppose it could go back to when Clark first appears in the issue, but to me that still doesn’t make sense. Because Clark empathises with Bruce while explaining the Joker’s diplomatic immunity and how essentially, the Joker can’t be touched. Bruce’s refusal to let the world know of the second Robin’s death also contributes to this, because as far as everyone else is concerned, there’s not enough to prove he even killed Jason. Even if it could be proven, the Joker still has immunity as the Iranian Ambassador at this stage.
Bruce punches Clark once, during this interaction when Clark tells him he’ll be forced to stop him. Clark then asks if he feels better and Bruce shakes it off. The rest of the interaction is a conversation. Bruce isn’t arguing heatedly with Clark, and Clark is not advocating for the Joker. All Clark is doing is warning him that his actions, if he does attack the Joker could have lasting impact on international relations for the US. But Clark never physically restricts Bruce or restrains him, they have a conversation which ends with Clark essentially stating that he hopes Bruce makes the right choice. No where in there does Clark actually stop Bruce from taking revenge. If you expect me to believe that Bruce keeps Kryptonite on him as a back up and that he can beat Superman, than an amicable discussion with someone who is his best friend certainly isn’t stopping him.
Then, we get to the Joker attacking the UN with his laughing gas. Clark arrives and stops the gas from getting to anyone by breathing it in. He then proceeds to tell Bruce, and I quote-
“The Joker is all yours”
Clark didn’t stop shit.
If Bruce had genuinely and truly wanted the Joker dead he would be dead. He has several opportunities throughout the comic after Jason dies, that he does not take. He literally confronts the Joker in his hotel room, Clark nowhere to be seen, and just taunts him for a bit before leaving. He could’ve killed Joker before the UN meeting that morning. He could’ve insisted that Joker be found in the wreckage of the helicopter crash instead of putting up a token argument at Clark then just going home.
Nothing about Bruce’s actions in this comic show a hysterical parent seeking justice. Nothing about Clark’s actions in this comic actually do anything to inhibit Bruce from killing the Joker.
Bruce is who inhibits Bruce from killing the Joker. That’s how it’s always been and the fact that Bruce even recognises in this comic that the Joker does not deserve to live after all the people he’s killed, he still does nothing to actually, permanently stop him in any sort of capacity.
So stop smearing my man Clark’s name! He is not the bad guy here, he literally just had a single conversation with Bruce. He never even touched him. Lies and slander.
Anyway I have many more thoughts than just this about a death in the family and I will certainly be most more of these thoughts here, but I think I’m going to leave this one here for now. I had just assumed from the arguments I’d seen that Clark had put up some big physical fight against Bruce and physically restrained him from killing the Joker when in reality it really amounted to-
“Hey, no, don’t do that. Please?”
Free my man Clark from these lies and slander, I am sorry I fell for the propaganda my good man.
Happy Superman and Supergirl Day weekend everyone!!!
