Batman The Killing Joke: A Review

Let me start of by saying this comic is badass. But first, a bit of history. Picture yourself in the 1980’s. Comics such as Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, Batman: Year One are selling more than ever before. You purchase one of these comics and you are immediately convinced that the genre is going through a reenergizing phase.

Characters were wilder, artistic direction was much more dedicated, and storylines were getting more complex. Then came Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. These two creative geniuses decided to work hand in hand, or writing and drawing if you will, and create the masterpiece that is now called Batman: The Killing Joke. I know what you are going to say: “But it’s still Batman, isn’t it all the same anyway?” The answer is simple, NO.

The Killing Joke was crafted at such a high level of artistic technique and rhetorical linguistics, that it deserved a category in itself. As you read through the comic, you will be astonished to find how easily and slyly Moore and Bolland create flashbacks. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I think flashbacks in comics are damn hard to do.

You, as a writer, have to think on how to effectively wrap up the whole story so that the flashback does not detriment or give away essential information. As an artist, you must figure out how to distinguish the flashback moments from the moments in the present. Tim Sale, fellow artist and co-worker, explained that “the biggest and most [thing] are the flashback sequences. Bolland washes out all the color in each one, but chooses to spotlight an object in each”.

Moore and Bolland worked creatively and thus, released a timeless classic. To this day, more than 20 years after it’s first public debut, it is still one of the most popular comics on the market. The reason why this comic is considered one of the cornerstones of modern comics is because of the talent, fanaticism, care, and expressiveness both Moore and Bolland portrayed in their work.

The work is never bland, never boring. It brings chills to your spine examining the Joker’s face.
All the detail, all the madness behind those eyes.
You can feel it, trust me.
Read it and feel it for yourself.