Simply the Best: The Killing Joke

 No, I haven't seen The Dark Knight yet (I plan to see it later today), but if the wall-to-wall hype and early word of mouth is to be believed, it looks like one hell of a ride. With so much focus on Heath Ledger's Joker, I can't help but think about one of my favorite images of arguably the greatest comic book villain of all time. In the spring of 1988, superstars Alan Moore and Brian Bolland collaborated on Batman: The Killing Joke...which sounded good on paper, but fell short for me (especially the wrong-headed ending with Bats and the Joker yucking it up like old drinking buddies).

However, it's Bolland's spectacularly creepy cover that continues to stick with me and, frankly, haunt me all these years later.

Although there are dozens of unique interpretations of the Joker over his nearly 70 year history, Bolland's remains my favorite.  Sure, other artists can do the big rictus grin of jagged teeth and the foppish gangster/pimp clothing....but Bolland goes farther by perfectly (and consistently) capturing the viciousness and almost elemental evil within his facade of whimsy.  Even small details like the black pool of the Joker's left eye (with its tiny speck of light) and the snarling folds and wrinkles of his face make him seem less a "Clown Prince of Crime" and more a sadistic, leering demon.

Amping up the creepy factor is the camera, which on its own isn't particularly creepy, but after reading the story, I realized it was a reference to a scene in which he snaps pictures of Barbara (Batgirl) Gordon after brutalizing and crippling her. Although stories before this one had taken the Joker into darker regions, The Killing Joke seemed to be the moment the straightjacket came off for a much darker, over-the-top Joker from that point onward.

Comments

[Axel M. Gruner]

Another nice detail is the camera.
"WITZ" is not the name of a company. It's German for "joke".

[Ralph C.]

I thought this was one heck of a story by Moore and that Bolland art was incredible. He has an attention to detail that is amazing, pristine and precise, yet can convey disturbing images. He's always been one of my favorite artists and his work is easily recognizable.

The Batman movie that came out in 1989 was enjoyable (at that time. My views on it have changed. I always thought a good Bruce Wayne would've been Ken Wahl, at the time he was the star of "Wiseguy"-- he had the build and the good looks to fit Wayne/Batman), and that was good. However, what I said back then and can vouch for now is the fact that a lot of good Batman books came out to ride the coattails of the hype and hit the movie was. That time was my Comics Phase 2, and boy did I drop lots of money on books! I even got my friend back into comics-- always nice to have an enabler when you are riding the currents of an addiction like comics.

Ah, those were the days, kind ladies and kind gentlemen.

[Phillyradiogeek]

This story was my first foray into the newer, grittier, post-Dark Knight Returns era of comic books, and it blew my mind. This story redefined the medium for me, and it's still my favorite to this day.

[Chris]

I've thought a good deal about both this story and Arkham Asylam. Honestly, I think they're both great stories, and (at the time they came out) I thought they were some of the best comic book writing out there.

And, while Alan Moore and Grant Morrison are both incredible writers, I've revised my old opinion on these books.

Keeping strictly to Killing Joke, I think it was a chilling portrayal of the Joker that struck a great chord. It was an excellent justification for his MO, and an interesting new take on his origin...or, rather, his PERCEPTION of his origin.

Actually, the Jokers perceptions are sort of at the core of what make this story great. It gave an amazingly intricate and believable portrayal of the Clown Prince.

Batman, as he is in so many books, winds up being the one who is given the short end of the characterization stick. It's a genuine problem with his rogues. They are so larger than life that they can easily steal the show. The same problem popped up with the Tim Burton movies.

In the end, we're left with portrait of the Joker that rings true and a portrait of the Batman that rings false...particularly with that weird ending. It has this feeling that Moore sort of wrote himself into a corner. He'd amped the Joker's actions to a point that made sense, but required a reaction that didn't. Batman's logical response would have to be extreme almost to the same level as the Joker's, but that would cross a line with his character that didn't make sense for a hero. Or, at least, not THAT hero.

So, rather than creating a complex or nuanced ending, he just...stopped. Now, this isn't to say that the ending was a kind of deus ex machina. He layered it in as well as he could, but it just didn't give the kind of pay off that the Joker's actions required.

Anyone still reading?

I guess what I'm saying is I still love the book, but it is a qualified love.

[Mark. Engblom]

"Anyone still reading?

I guess what I'm saying is I still love the book, but it is a qualified love."

Hey, of course I'm still reading! I enjoyed reading your observations on Killing Joke, and I share many of the same views. Definitely alot of great moments, but that botched ending really brought it down in my eyes.

[jane]

I found this online gonna be an adaptation of the killing joke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYZG0fRKjnQ
\ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJBoQqaTRzg