Panelhopper Reviews: Batman: The Killing Joke

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I honestly did not know what to expect when I began reading The Killing Joke for the first time a few days ago. As an ardent comic book fan, I already knew the story by reputation: One of the many master stokes of the legendary Alan Moore, it is invariably found on " top 10" lists and is held up as one of the finest ever Batman stories. In my imagination, I had always envisioned it as similar in tone to many of the other titans of the Comics world, perhaps something with the sweeping bombast and action of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. What I found was something much smaller in scale but nonetheless very finely crafted.

Described in the most basic terms, The Killing Joke is an Orgin story for The Joker, telling the story of a  failed comedian who, after botched criminal endeavour and a exposure to toxic chemicals, becomes the most iconic comic book villan of all time. As with much of Moore's work however, the true substance of the story lies in the way the story is told. Moore presents a Batman story stripped away from the sweeping vistas of Gotham city and the crazy high tech bat-themed gadgets of modern times, where the primary action comes from the intellectual and verbal sparring between the two central characters and the primary drama from the tense atmosphere. Several scenes are simply a joy to read, while a few, such as the shooting of Barbara Gordon, have impacted the DC universe so severely that they are still referenced today.

All of the excellent writing is supported by equally excellent artwork by Brian Bolland, who provides some truely haunting images.

Overall, I feel that The Killing Joke is complete deserving of its reputation and absolutely worth your time.
Location: Leicester Leicester

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