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 brilliant, in fact.

(A) 85% | ExtraordinaryNotes: A discomforting, audacious book that compels re-readings and focused, lingering looks at specific pages and panels.

“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.”Now this was good, and I mean good. It’s such a simple idea, but so real and powerful. I mean one bad day is all it takes. One push, one snap, one descent into chaos and it’s over. Once you’ve crossed that threshold then things will never be the same again. And the Joker, being the sly and brilliant villain that he is, wants to share the experience with the world....

I asked a GR friend: Marvel or DC?Her response made me think. She said, “Marvel over all. But DC has the better villains.”Whu - ?Well.Yeah, I’ll be damned, I think she’s right.Looking at all of the Marvel villains, I think maybe only Red Skull or Bullseye come close to matching the lunatic force of DC’s lineup. Magneto and Doctor Doom are powerful and bad, but also have some incongruous redeeming qualities. Lex Luthor, Deathstroke, Brainiac, Bane, Harley Quinn and all the Batman bad guys headlin...

Batman: The Killing Joke (Batman), Alan Moore, Brian Bolland (Illustrator), Tim Sale (Introduction)Batman: The Killing Joke is a 1988 Comic graphic novel featuring the characters Batman and the Joker written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland. The Killing Joke provides an origin story for the super-villain the Joker.The man who will become the Joker is an unnamed engineer who quits his job at a chemical company to become a stand-up comedian, only to fail miserably. Desperate to suppo...

An accurate depiction of what these 45 minutes felt like:Nolan's movies are the reason I got hooked into the world of Batman. Not only did they become some of my favourite films of all time, but they also gave me one of my favourite villains of all time: The Joker.And I figured it was about damn time I took a leap into where it all actually began– the comics.There's no doubt that this green-haired madman is universally hailed as perhaps the best antagonist to have ever been created, and one can

"All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy."--JokerWow! It's good! I liked this comic. I admit I was afraid because I thought it was published in 1988 and the work of graphics wouldn't be good. But at the same time I wanted to know the origin of Joker. In spite of its release date, the graphics were quite good. I enjoyed reading it. The Joker in this one was portrayed better than that in The Man Who Laughs. The origin of Joker is heart breaking and pretty typical for o...

All it takes is one bad day.This is one of the most iconic comics in the Batman/Joker mythos and arguably has a place as one of the most iconic comics out there period. I think most people will agree that Bolland's visuals are just unbelievable. The expressions on the faces, the body language, even the colors are as close to perfect as you can get.And Moore is at the top of his game here. Wow. Just...wow!The ripple effects of what happened here not only created Oracle, but inspired a ton of othe...

A truly masterpiece of the comic books! This is a prestige format stand-alone story.Creative Team:Writer: Alan MooreIllustrator: Brian BollandColorist: John Higgins HAVE COURAGE Nothing’s going to be the same… …not ever again. A writer should have balls, and I don’t mean the organic meat sacs, since a female writer is the same entitled to have balls. But if you aren’t confortable with the “male metaphor”, I am confident that you already got that I am talking about writing with courage.A

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading ListOMG! THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME! THE STORY LINE! THE GRAPHICS ARE FREAKING AMAZING!I'm sure everyone and their cousin has already read this book, but I haven't so here we go. This is about how the joker turned nutsy cuckoo! He had a good job but left it thinking he could be a stand up comedian and support his wife and unborn baby. Well.... that didn't happen, he apparently wasn't funny --->who knew?Then he goes and tries to get some crime job with some idiots so

The best Batman/Joker story ever! Alan Moore asks the question no one else ever wanted to ask: how much of who the Joker is can be attributed to Batman? How much of who Batman is can be attributed to the Joker? 'Primordial Unity' and the 'Tragic Birth' of both the Joker and Batman has never been explored more deeply - I think Nietzsche would have liked this story.

Should some origin stories be better left untold? Comic publishers will embellish the backstory of character more than necessary or drag it out and milk it, or they’ll retcon the character one too many times until the reader doesn’t know which way is up. If there’s a month, a week, a day, a couple of minutes left undocumented in a character’s background, it’ll be fodder for a future story.Does the Joker need an origin story? Some basic facts are presented here: He was once “normal”. He became a

One of the classic and most brutal Joker vs Batman graphic novels, The Killing Joke is a Batman classic and should be considered one of the essential canonical books in the genre. The Joker is as sinister and terrifying as ever and Batman is pushed to his limits and beyond. A fantastic fast-moving and beautifully drawn epic!

5.5 stars!!! OH…MY…GOD… I thought I knew everything there was to know about the Joker, one of Batman’s greatest foes. But after reading “Batman: The Killing Joke” and how the Joker was portrayed in this book, the Joker has officially become one of the most VILE, TWISTED, DARK and most DISTURBING villain I have ever come face to face with…AND I LOVED IT! Being brilliantly written by Alan Moore and being masterfully illustrated by Brian Bolland, “Batman: The Killing Joke” has remained to be one

This is not the perfect Batman story. It’s got several weird choices, some extremely offensive moments and one of the most infamous scenes of violence towards a female character in comic history (story goes that when Moore mentioned the idea of damaging Barbara Gordon’s spine, the higher ups at DC responded to him with “Fine, cripple the bitch”). Flaws aside, it is the perfect Joker story.These random acts of violence, these weird choices and offensive mockeries… they fit the Joker’s twisted sen...

Just finished rereading this. It’s still such a cool comic! *Batman voice* "WHERE IS HE?" I can see why this is so popular. The story is great and the illustrations are phenomenal. I love the Joker, he's my favourite batman villain (and possibly my all-time favourite comic/superhero villain too). He is just completely insane and I love it. I love getting backstories so I loved getting to see an adaptation of why the Joker was the way he was. It was really well done. However, after reading this I...

I'm probably risking a lynching from the fanboy mob but I liked this a whole lot more than the other well-regarded bat-book, The Dark Knight Returns. It nicely illustrates the Batman/Joker dynamic as well as highlights their similarities. Joker seemed like a psychopath rather than the buffoon he was normally portrayed as at the time. Shooting *spoiler* in the spine and taking pictures in order to try to break *spoiler*. Awesome. My favorite part was the Joker and Batman sharing a laugh while wai...

The Killing Joke does much more for the iconic symbolism & stylistic edge of the Batman mythology than the serious-as-a-heart attack (overrated) Christopher Nolan films. But I am admittedly really in no position to analyze,* I leave this to the millions and lkegions of fans. The afterward by maestro illustrator**- his representation the most demonic and therefore probably my favorite interpretation of the Joker--is correct when he says that Alan Moore has written better stuff. (Watchmen, From He...

Another Alan Moore classic, with this seminal volume set as the perfect synopsis of the yin and yang of the Batman and Joker relationship. For the first time ever, there are insights into the Joker's origin included. A DC Comics universe must-read! 8 out of 12.

2.5 stars rounded up.This book was much better than "The Watchmen" to me. I may just not be a fan of Alan Moore's writing.I mean it has this guy! and I still didn't fan-girl over it.It was an okay book for me though. You get the origins of the Joker..who I think is one of the best villains ever. It's a dark one though for those of you who don't like dark. Barbara Gordan (aka-Batgirl) gets shot by the joker and he doesn't stop there. He pulls out full assholeness for this one.The artwork is...