Batman: The Killing Joke

by Alan Moore, Brian Bolland

book data

3,495 ratings, 4.17 average rating, 289 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		42%
4		36%
3		17%
2		2%
1		0%

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published

March 19th 2008 (first published 1988) by DC Comics

binding

Hardcover, 64 pages

characters

Batman, Joker

isbn

1401216676 (isbn13: 9781401216672)

description

One of the most famous Batman stories of all time is offered for the first time in hardcover in this special twentieth-anniversary edition.

This is

...more

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03/14/08

Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

Read in January, 2000

recommended to Erin by: Zak

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

It causes me no joy to give any comic written by Alan Moore one star, but this is how it has to be. Now, before I write a single word more, let me start with this simple disclaimer: I consider Alan Moore the best writer to have ever worked in comics. There are no qualifiers to that; no qualifications. Moore is unmatched.

But The Killing Joke? As a Batman book, it's just bad. That isn't to say there's nothing to like here: this book certainly has its moments; some of which are bri...more

Like this review? yes (11 people liked it)

2 comments

03/29/08

Tosh rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

Through out my life I have been a borderline Joker obsessive. Even when I was a little tot I had a thing for the Joker. And what got me excited about the first Tim Burton 'Batman' was actually the Joker. No Joker, not so much into Batman.

So yes I do spend some time on YouTube locating images of the new 'Heath' Joker (which looks great) and it is really a great American invention. I think the image of the Joker will go on and on - maybe beyond Batman himself.

Neverth...more

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

4 comments

07/03/08

Patrick rated it:

(review of isbn 1845767721)

bookshelves: books-read-in-2008

Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: People who enjoyed 'The Dark Knight'

Although I'm still something of a neophyte when it comes to the world of Graphic novels, I can certainly see the appeal to people of all ages.

This is the second full length graphic novel I've read, both by Alan Moore (the other being his opus, 'The Watchmen'), and both have been excellent. Both seem to re-imagine the superhero world as one with real, flawed people trying to reconcile their humanity with their jobs as protectors of the public at-large.

'The Killing Joke' pi...more Although I'm still something of a neophyte when it comes to the world of Graphic novels, I can certainly see the appeal to people of all ages.

This is the second full length graphic novel I've read, both by Alan Moore (the other being his opus, 'The Watchmen'), and both have been excellent. Both seem to re-imagine the superhero world as one with real, flawed people trying to reconcile their humanity with their jobs as protectors of the public at-large.

'The Killing Joke' picks up with the known quantities of the Batman universe and injects them with new blood. It begins with Batman realizing that his drawn out battles with the Joker are doomed to end in the demise of one or both of them, and he would like to give one final try to understanding each other, hopeless though it may be. Meanwhile, the Joker has escaped Arkham and is bent on doing the exact opposite--proving that anyone can be driven to madness under the right circumstances, using Commissioner Gordon as his test subject.

It's an interesting time to read this novel. I read it prior to seeing 'The Dark Knight', and grew up with Tim Burton's original 'Batman' as my favorite superhero movie, and it's very clear both 'Dark Knight' writer and director Christopher Nolan and Burton both read this novel as well, and it had a huge influence on the way they made their films. The difference is the way these influences were applied, and it's what makes 'The Dark Knight' far superior to Burton's 'Batman'.

Tim Burton took 'The Killing Joke' and applied it superficially to his characters, providing the Joker with the backstory of falling into a vat of chemicals after being pursued by a fledgling Batman and going insane. The subtext of the Joker was more or less lost in Jack Nicholson's enjoyable, but somewhat campy performance. He was a lovable--if still quite dangerous--trickster, but not all that frightening.

Nolan, conversely, takes the heart of Moore's story and crafts it around his own take on the characters. Subtle things, such as Heath Ledger's Joker gleefully providing many contradicting backstories to his prey, the Joker's sick enjoyment of his cat and mouse game with Batman, and of course, his almost casual employment of brutal violence, all harken back to Moore's characterization of the Joker in this novel. And while Nolan dug deeper to the heart of Moore's story, he also clearly used it as a template for the story itself, plugging Harvey Dent into Commissioner Gordon's role, while also changing the results.

In short, as seems to be the case with Alan Moore, there is a lot more going on here than meets the eye. It's also worth mentioning that Brian Bolland's art is amazing. The edition I read was restored and re-colored, and that may have had an effect, but the artwork was very sharp and crisp, with bold colors leaping off the page. The artwork complimented the story in ways that most comics rarely do, in my experience.

Finally, I just wanted to say that the ending of this book was awesome. Just awesome.(less)

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06/08/08

Chris rated it:

bookshelves: graphic-novels

I wasn't going to do this one as an official entry - it's so quick to read that it feels like I'm padding the list. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt I wanted to talk about it, and so it goes on the List.

This was originally published twenty years ago, and is still one of the most popular and well-regarded Batman stories ever. Between them, Moore and Bolland - a master writer and a master artist - gave Batman and his prime antagonist new lives and new meaning.

...more I wasn't going to do this one as an official entry - it's so quick to read that it feels like I'm padding the list. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt I wanted to talk about it, and so it goes on the List.

This was originally published twenty years ago, and is still one of the most popular and well-regarded Batman stories ever. Between them, Moore and Bolland - a master writer and a master artist - gave Batman and his prime antagonist new lives and new meaning.

It starts off in an unusual way - with the Batman trying to make peace with the Joker. This is, as many Batman fans will tell you, somewhat out of character for him. Batman's fight is the fight against evil, pure and simple. He is a man of black and white, a man of no compromises, and to see him sit down and offer the Joker a way out of their never-ending cycle of self-destruction is... unnerving to say the least.

But this story isn't about Batman. It's about the Joker - how he came to be, what he wants and what he thinks of the rest of the world. His hypothesis is simple: the only thing that divides a madman from a sane one is a single bad day. He knows what his was, and he's pretty sure what Batman's was, and he does his best to make one bad day for Commissioner Gordon that will take the rock of the Gotham police down into madness.

It does ask a very big question: what is it that sets us, the supposedly sane majority of people, from the mad? How much can a human endure before he snaps and dresses like a bat, or sports a permanent grin and murders people for amusement? Where is the boundary between sanity and madness anyway, and how do we resist going over that edge, especially when it is sometimes just so, so tempting to do so?

The writing is outstanding, but that's Alan Moore - we'd expect that. And the art is incredible, as we would expect from Brian Bolland. Read this slowly, and pay attention to the art. The amount of planning and thought that went into every panel is mind-boggling. If you're a Batman fan - and how can you not be? - you'll love this book. If you like a good story, well-told, you'll love this. And I have a feeling that it'll be a good idea to read this before the new movie comes out....(less)

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12/23/08

Anthony rated it:

Read in October, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

12/31/08

Ben Mullins rated it:

bookshelves: graphic-novels

Read in December, 2008

I can't help thinking that both this and the movie "Dark Knight" would have been more intense if I hadn't spent so many years living/studying/reading/meditating Taoism. I understand where Moore is trying to go with it, but the fierce desires of Commissioner Gordon and Batman to prove the Joker wrong seem to me to equal that of the Joker's desire to prove that everyone is like him. Then again maybe that is Moore's point, but considering the effort he put into trying to shock us with w...more

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6 comments

11/06/08

Brigham rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

bookshelves: 2008, keepers

Read in November, 2008

I wasn't going to review this one because it's quite short, but as soon as I finished it I went back and read it again in the most natural of movements. The second time around I saw more layers unfolding through the stark colors, the subtle dialogue and the joke on the final page.

I have to say though the most lingering moment came in an epilogue that I'm not sure was in the original comic. (I have a hardback release that just came out) A man records himself talking about a crime he'...more

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03/24/09

Robert rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

bookshelves: graphic-novels

This is certainly a good graphic novel, but I found the writing disappointing, especially coming from Alan Moore. He plays his usual games with self-reference and clever placement of words and images, but I found the Joker's plot to be surprisingly shallow and uninspired. The light touch at the end between him and Batman was also jarring. But I don't want to trash this work. It is very good, just unequal to the hype. In any case it contributed to the Batman canon (because of what happens to Barb...more

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08/12/08

Jackie "the Librarian" rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

bookshelves: adultfiction, fantasy, graphicnovels

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: Batman fans

I haven't read any of the Batman comics, and I read this because I had heard Heath Ledger used it to inspire his take on The Joker. I loved the dark artwork, the color palate, everything about the LOOK of the story. The artistry is outstanding.
But the story falls short. It assumes too much knowledge on the part of the reader, knowledge I don't have. So, I don't get it. The punch, the power, it's not here.
I think the author assumes you have the backstory necessary to provide that po...more

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8 comments

03/19/09

Izlinda rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

bookshelves: graphic-novels-comics

Read in March, 2009

Wow. I read this in the library because people kept telling me to read it. After reading "Batman RIP" I wasn't so keen on another Batman comic (besides the one Neil Gaiman wrote), but this is just brilliant. I definitely would recommend it to others, even those who turn their noses up at comics/graphic novels.

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07/15/08

Joanna rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

bookshelves: graphic-novel

Read in August, 2008

This is sadly overrated. I've liked Alan Moore's other work, and expected to like this one, too; it's often listed as one of the best Batman tales ever (one otherwise spot-on ranking from IGN puts it at #3). But it was one of the most disappointing of the ones I've read thus far. I'm a bigger fan of the more realistic approaches that Loeb and Miller employ. Moore is normally big on realism in his comics, but he misses the mark here somehow. His version of the Joker makes only a little bit of sen...more

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09/29/08

Israel rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

Read in September, 2008

Esta es la historia que inspiró a Ledger en su visión del Guasón. Con ese dato de entrada les debería bastar para echarle un vistazo.

Escrita por Alan Moore e ilustrada por Brian Bolland, esta novela gráfica es considerada una de las mejores historias de Batman, tengo que acordar con dicha afirmación.

Una versión sobre el origen del Guasón es expuesta sin que el mismo esté claro en que ese sea su origen y procedencia, él se perdió en el camino.

Esta no...more

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04/29/09

Russell rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

recommended to Russell by: Brad
recommends it for: Batman geeks and people who argue over stupid shit

Twice in the past 2 weeks I've gotten into arguments with comic book nerds about Heath Ledger's Joker. I think his performance was sublime. One of my friends was indifferent. The other actively hated it. Cleary they're both wrong and I am right. As always.

However, after reading this, and reading a little more about the classic Joker character I sort of kind of see what they're saying. Almost.

You see, the Joker isn't JUST a nihilist with odd taste in clothes. He's a tortur...more

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04/09/09

Bee rated it:

bookshelves: 2009, comics-and-graphic-novels, own

Read in April, 2009

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03/24/09

Sophie rated it:

bookshelves: batman, owned

Read in October, 2008

It took me ages to finally get this book. It was somehow consistently out of print, but thanks to the wonders of amazon marketplace, I was finally able to get my hands on a copy. And I am glad I did.

There's this constant warring in my chest about who I love more - Neil Gaiman or Alan Moore. At the end of the day it'll always be Neil, I suspect, but every time I read something by Alan Moore it feels like - I don't know, like a punch into my stomach that leaves me breathless, except wi...more

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03/21/09

Robert Jazo rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

bookshelves: comics

Read in December, 1992

In my opinion, Moore has churned out more comic classics than any other writer. In The Killing Joke he is paired up with the amazingly talented Brian Bollard.

The Killing Joke is the definitive exploration of the Joker and his relationship with his greatest enemy. Early in the comic, Batman asks Alfred "How can two people hate each other so much without knowing each other?" The comic then proceeds to delve into the Joker's psyche, and what a surprising journey it is. As ...more

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02/05/09

Kaya rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

Read in November, 2008

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12/08/08

Dan rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

I don't know for sure whether the brothers Nolan, David Goyer and Heath Ledger got their take on the Joker from this stand-alone story; even if they didn't, this intense and compelling insight into what makes a madman tick certainly opened the door to such a portrayal.

Brian Bolland's pencils are sharp and evocative, but this story belongs to writer Moore, who scorched readers minds with the definitive Joker tale, not to mention the villain origin arc that all others against which all o...more

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05/29/09

Tamara rated it:

(review of isbn 0930289455)

Read in June, 2009

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05/26/09

Leonardo rated it:

bookshelves: comic-and-graphic-novels, mystery-and-horror, pop-culture

Read in April, 2009

recommended to Leonardo by: Cecilia
recommends it for: Not just fanboys

Not quite as disturbing and well-crafted as other of Alan Moore's works, "The Killing Joke" is nevertheless one of the turning points of late 20th century comics, and their transformation into "graphic novels". And what better choice that to tackle one of the classic, almost cliché, antagonisms of comic books, the one between Batman and The Joker? Though Alan Moore has dealth with power and madness to greater depth in From Hell or Watchmen, here we find out one of the best i...more

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