Batman: The Killing Joke Review

Reviews

Batman: The Killing Joke

     Batman: Killing Joke is written and drawn by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. This short graphic novel actually contains one of the most important events in the DC Universe. This is the graphic novel in which Barbara Gordon is turned into the Oracle. For those of you that do not know Barbara Gordon is Commissioner Gordon’s daughter and was Batgirl. Because of the events in The Killing Joke, she can longer be Batgirl and has chosen to become the practically all seeing Oracle.

     This story actually has two plots going on at once, changing every several pages/panels. This actually presents to us a Joker Origin story as remembered by the Joker and shown in a black and white rather than color. This Joker origin story is actually a familiar one to avid DC followers. For the not so avid, this origin has the Joker before he had the white face, green hair, and red eyes. His is never said, but he does have a pregnant wife. The Joker is portrayed as a man who quit his job at a chemical plant to become a standup comic only to fail miserably. Even with his wife’s support, he ends up making a deal with two criminals so he can score some extra cash. The plan was to go through his former place of work so they can rob another company. They make him become the Red Hood. Before the crime, he is informed that his wife died in an accident. He wanted to back out, but was forced to go on. During the crime, Batman came and took care of the other two guys, while the “Red Hood” was left. Batman scared Red Hood into jumping into a canal of chemical waste. When he emerged, his face is bleached, his eyes are red, and his hair is green. He is the Joker.

     The Killing Joke’s primary plot circles around what the Joker does after escaping Arkham Asylum for the umpteenth time. It starts with him taking over an abandoned amusement park and getting his first kill of the night. After that, he visits the Gordon residence. Barbara answers the door to see the Joker dressed in a Hawaiian style shirt. Of course, instead of saying “hi” the Joker shoots her point blank, just below the stomach. He then kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and takes him to the amusement park that he turned into a house of horrors. He strips Gordon naked and forces him into a ride in which he is forced to see pictures of his naked daughter as she bleeds after the Joker shot her. The intent of this was to break Gordon and make him as insane as the Joker is. Luckily, Batman came to the rescue and broke up everything, delivered Gordon to the police for safety and then tracked down the Joker. What happens next is so shocking and so, crazy, that I do not want to spoil it for you. This ends so bizarre that I really think you should go out and read it for yourself. It’s not a very long book, in fact, you can read it in less than a day.

    Overall, I say it is a book worth getting. The art is very good and brings out excellent facial detail so you can admire the Jokers psychotic smile to the fullest. To be completely honest with you, I had no idea of the importance of the story when I was going into it. When Barbara got shot, I was sitting there like, “whoa, that was unexpected.” If you are an avid DC fan, than I cannot see why you did not read this seeing as it is one of the most important events in the DC Universe. If you wish to get into DC Comics, especially Batman, this is a must read. Oracle plays a significant role in the DC Universe, and knowing how she became who she is, is important. If you are an overall comic fan, still read this. It brings a lot to the table that no one should miss. And the ending is something to die for.