Progress is slow, but I'm slowly working through my comics backlog. For today's blog entry, I'd like to talk about Batman: The Killing Joke. WHY I BOUGHT IT:
Batman: The Killing Joke is iconic. Even casual fans of Batman have heard of this comic. It is revered by many comic fans as one of the defining titles of the late '80s, and is undoubtedly one of Alan Moore's greatest contributions to the industry. Even when I was too young to be reading a title like The Killing Joke, I knew a little about of what happens in it, mostly due to my curiosity over why Barbara Gordon was Oracle in some of the cartoons I watched. When I got older (and more into comics), I started looking at "essential graphic novels you should read" lists online. One of the titles I ended up buying early on for my comics library was Watchmen, one of Alan Moore's most recognizable titles. I loved it so much, I started looking for his other works in bookstores, eventually buying V for Vendetta and The Killing Joke. THE WRITING: The story starts out with Batman paying The Joker a visit in Arkham Asylum, only to find out he's escaped. Joker's scheme this time involved driving Jim Gordon, a man he calls "the sanest man alive", into complete madness, in an attempt to prove to Batman that "one bad day" is all that separates the average man from becoming an utter lunatic like him. In addition, the comic explores the Joker's origins (or, at least, one of his possible origins) as a failed stand-up comedian dragged into crime in order to support his family. It's an adaptation of the original Red Hood story from the '50s, and has since been retold and adapted over the decades. Alan Moore goes to some pretty dark places in a lot of his works, and The Killing Joke is no exception. The most notable instance in this case (and what most people remember about this comic) is the downright horrific fate that befalls Barbara Gordon at the beginning. Even as someone who has known the events of the comic for many years, actually seeing the panels with my own eyes brought me a great deal of uneasiness. The Killing Joke also delves into the whole "two sides of the same coin" dynamic Batman and Joker have since become known for, with Joker noting that both he and Batman suffered a great tragedy that turned them both into what they are, going as far as to say that Batman is as crazy as he is, but refuses to admit it. It's interesting to see the parallels and how their paths diverge, with Joker simply embracing that the world is just one cruel joke, whereas Batman has spent his entire life trying to make sense of his "one bad day". Since I bought the Deluxe Edition released in 2008 (celebrating 20 years since the comic's release), the book also has Brian Bolland's "An Innocent Guy", which is a short comic about a guy who, despite talking about how much of a good person he is, intends to kill Batman, simply because he decided that he's going to do one bad thing in his entire life. It's a short, but interesting read that got me pondering. THE ART: I've read a good amount of Judge Dredd, so I'm pretty familiar with Brian Bolland's art. Since the early Judge Dredd comics were in black and white, his detailed line art is hard to miss there, but it's still very much present in The Killing Joke. The Deluxe Edition features some early sketches, too, which is wonderful. I appreciate when comics come with bonus art for readers to look at. From what I understand, the original Killing Joke wasn't colored in by Bolland himself, but the Deluxe Version was, so the reprint I'm holding right now looks quite different from the original, which uses a warmer palette. According to the afterword in this book (written by Bolland himself), the coloring in the original wasn't what Bolland had in mind, so it's nice to see what he had intended for the comic to look like. VERDICT: If you're a fan of Batman in any capacity, and/or are interested in Joker as a villain, The Killing Joke is an essential read. It's not for the faint of heart, however, as it's probably one of the darkest Batman stories out there. And while you're at it, go read more of Alan Moore's work like Watchmen or V for Vendetta. There's a reason he's hailed as one of the all-time greats (and a reason a lot of his comics end up as movies). Check it out on digital at comiXology: https://www.comixology.com/Batman-The-Killing-Joke/digital-comic/48363?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L2Rlc2t0b3Avc2xpZGVyTGlzdC9pdGVtU2xpZGVy - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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