Greetings,
Well, this will be an interesting post. I don't think I've ever reviewed a comic book...sorry, graphic novel before. I may have, though. I don't know. I don't usually read my stuff after the fact. But if this my first, I am certainly starting off with something quite legendary that most, if not all, comic fans have read. So, I guess this review is less for them and more for those who are mildly interested in the genre. Technically, I fall into that category, as I am not a huge, lifelong fan of comics, but I do appreciate them. I think many people feel that way as well, but have never gotten around to picking one up. So, if you are that kind of person, and you want to start reading those stories, this might be a good place to begin, with Batman: The Killing Joke.
I decided to discuss this one for a few reasons. I think mostly because, last year, we got a lot The Joker shoved in our faces, for better or worse. Usually worse, as far as the mainstream goes. We got the release of the Suicide Squad film, which may not have been the best vehicle for The Joker...at all. Like I said in my review for that one, just go watch the DCAU DVD Assault on Arkham. It's WAY better. And speaking of the DCAU, which is normally excellent, they released an animated film adaptation of this very book. I don't want to go into too much detail on that venture, because I'm not reviewing it, but let's just say, it didn't work out as well as we had hoped. Well, at least, we still have the book. Now let's get to that.
Batman: The Killing Joke is a 1988 graphic novel by Alan Moore, Brian Bolland and John Higgins. Now according to my info, Higgins was the colorist, having worked with Moore previously on Watchmen, and Bolland was the full-on illustrator. Correct me if I'm wrong please. Bolland is best known for his work on the Judge Dredd series, but he is also an extremely popular cover artist. And then there's Alan Moore. Alan Moore is very...interesting. And he has done some...interesting work. Look, I'll leave you to research him on your own. Now I do find him a bit odd, for a lot of reasons, but I will never deny anyone their talent, and he is extremely talented. That is evident by this particular work, so let's get to a brief synopsis of the story.
Whilst this is technically a Batman story, much of the plot centers around The Joker. In fact, we learn about his back story here and how he became said Joker. I assume that in his long history, and considering how comics work, he may have other back stories, but I don't know them. Still, where this one is concerned, what happens in it is kind of the point to everything he does here, as he believes that it only takes "one bad day" to push anyone over the edge and into insanity. It is, after all, what he believes happened to him. So, he attacks some of the people closest to Batman, trying to give someone that "one bad day", and turning them into the kind of person he is. He assumes that no one could make the choice to just carry on as normal after a tragedy. And not to give any spoilers for anyone's origin story, but something he does manage to accomplish, through his actions, pretty much kick starts a whole new character.
And without giving spoilers, believe it or not, I will talk about the ending. Not specifically, calm down. I've seen many movies and read many books wherein the creator wants to give us an ambiguous ending, but it ends up just being confusing. Here, we get a perfect example of an ambiguous ending, one that fans still debate to this day. And it is a very, very well-done conclusion. So, take a lesson from it.
Now, this is one of the most acclaimed stories in the Batman mythos, and with good reason. Personally, I am most impressed with the writing (of course!) and how giving The Joker some depth was handled. In case you haven't noticed, in the past several years, the idea of the sympathetic villain has hit such a fever pitch that many of them have become more sympathetic and less villain-y. Not good. Not good at all. In this, on the other hand, Moore managed to make The Joker far more complex, but he also kept him as the bad guy. That takes skill, and there's no shortage of it here.
So, I know a lot of literary types have often looked down on comics as a lesser form of art, if they referred to them as art at all. But I was never one of those people. Yes, some comic books are awful, many of which we've seen recently because some people are less concerned about good writing and more concerned about...other things, but we've also had crappy regular books, too. And yes, my work is all text, no pictures, but I always respected those who create comics and graphic novels. Though I'm not a hardcore fan, I have read some of the stories, obviously, and they are among some of the best I've ever come across. And honestly, The Killing Joke is an excellent example of how this is a valid form of both art and literature. So, if you've always wanted to check out some of these books, definitely check out this one. But maybe skip the movie. Unless they fix it. Can they fix it? Here's hoping.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
