Much as failing magazines always try ‘The Sex Issue’ ploy to pump up failing circulations, so embattled comics publishers are increasingly fond of killing off a major character to grab some attention outside their core readership. Now it looks as if one of the most famous costumed crimefighters of them all is going to meet his end in issue 676 of the long-running comic.

The first major example of this was the reader-sanctioned death of unpopular second Robin Jason Todd, but of late more significant upheavals have rocked the comic book universe.

Former market leaders DC have seen their position usurped by Marvel both in the cinemas and on the newsstands and as a result have opted for a series of cosmological cataclysms that have obliterated and then resurrected entire planets full of characters.

Flagship character Superman was killed in 1992, only to be brought back after a confusing period of multiple upstart Supermen. Less well-known heroes like Green Lantern and Green Arrow have shuffled off this mortal coil only to shuffle it back on again.

Batman himself was crippled by chemically-enhanced brawler Bane in 1993 but recovered sufficiently to swing from his trademark batrope in order to bring down his increasingly unstable stand-in a few months later.

Even current market leaders Marvel are not immune to the trend, with the recent demise of Captain America and a Dallas-style ‘Bobby comes out of the shower’ reset for Spider-Man just last month.

Batman fans shouldn’t be too alarmed therefore: If the Caped Crusader should die, he’ll get better soon enough.

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