I read Batman: The Killing Joke about 2 years ago when the graphic novel’s deluxe edition was released. It was originally published in 1988, if I’m not mistaken, and was written by acclaimed comic book writer, Alan Moore.
If you’re a huge fan of the Joker, than this is a must-read for you. In this story, the Joker is out to prove that all it takes is “one bad day” to drive a person crazy and cause that person to change for the worst. He picks Commissioner Gordon and Barbara Gordon (former Batgirl) as his victims. A key point to note is that the effects of the cruelty inflicted on Barbara here has been adapted into the DC Universe continuity ever since. I should actually add that this book might be more suited for a mature audience, because there’s some content in there that even I found mildly disturbing.
The story alternates from present-day to the past. I think I rather enjoyed the flashbacks more, because I personally love origin stories, and in The Killing Joke, we are told of how the Joker came to be. He narrates his story to us, but just as we think we’ve got the Joker all figured out (and maybe even feel a little sympathy for him), he tells us, “Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another…”, proving to us that he’s just… Well… Insane…
The story also explores and questions the psychological condition of Batman, with the Joker pointing out that Batman is just as crazy as he is.
Does any of this sound familiar to you guys? Well if it does, one reason might be because The Killing Joke had a huge influence on Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. So if you loved the movie, or rather, loved the Joker in that movie, you would be crazy not to grab a copy of this.
