I read “Batman: a Death in the Family” for the first time. That’s the comic book story from 1988 where the second Robin is killed. Oddly enough, what I didn’t find disturbing was Robin’s death or the two panels that made me think Joker was going to rape him.

What did catch me off guard was how important terrorist are in the story. The main plot is about Joker selling a cruise missile to terrorist in the Mid East. This causes Batman to head over there kick some terrorist butt.

After the Joker kills Robin, he somehow becomes Iran’s ambassador to the UN and thus receives diplomatic immunity. Then, while at a meeting in the UN he tries to kill everyone there.

In this post-9/11 world, it was really strange to read this story because the terrorist were handled in such a corny nonchalant way. It also stuck out because it’s pretty well known that famous writer/artist Frank Miller is working on a book where Batman goes to the Mid East to find Osama Bin Laden, but I’m sure its going to dark and paced more like something like “24” or “Sleeper Cell” as opposed to this story which felt like a bad “G.I. Joe” cartoon.