Rating:  -
What with all of the hype surrounding this work, and with the reputation Moore earned with the Watchmen, I was extremely underwhelmed with the Killing Joke.
The dialog is of the typical amateurish, newstand comic variety, with lots of extremely unnatural sounding lines arising from the author's attempt to weave too much backstory into single sentences.
The artwork is very good, of course, but even here I have issues with the inconsistency in style and art direction. One frame to the next might exhibit vast differences in coloring, technique, etc. depending on how much the artist fixated. The overall impression is that the work as a whole lacks coherency and maturity.
But my biggest exception - especially in light of the quotes and blurbs on the cover - is with the story. Honestly, the jacket copy praising the story is more interesting than the story itself! The entire backstory concerning the Joker boils down to: starving artist, down on his luck, attempts his first crime to make a quick buck. Batman pushes him into some chemicals. (Apologies if that's a spoiler, but if it is here's another: Batman is really Bruce Wayne.) Aside from a little artsy "Batman and the Joker are on a collision course..." monologuing, this really is a story that could have been written by an 8 year old.
Forget this. It's probably been a while since you read Year One or Dark Night Returns. Reread one of those instead.
Rating:  -
Comic books are often handled as a medium geared towards children, with men in capes flying around punching other men in capes. Writers like Alan Moore deconstruct the superhero genre in their works like "Watchmen", and shed new light on characters and events in books like this "The Killing Joke".
Moore and artist Brian Bolland set out to tell a tale of The Joker, Batman's "arch-enemy" and the simple idea that all one needs to become in the state of madness that represents this man, this white-faced, green-haired man, is just one bad day. Criticized, by some, for having done some of the most heinous things in comic books-- including the crippling of Barbara Gordon, who was once Batgirl, but is now Oracle-- this book shows the characters as flawed, human entities in a way that was never seen before and will never be seen again.
This hardback edition, the "deluxe" addition, is a recoloring of the original 1980s work. Fans of the original may remember the almost psychedelic feel of the book, with colors floating haphazardly, almost a form of madness in itself. Bolland, who did not approve of this, re-colored the book to his fancy. The recoloring is more sterile, a frightening take in and of itself, but I found myself longing for the scenes of odd coloring during some of the more emotional and psychologically challenging scenes.
On the whole, though, this is one of those comic books that many people should read. Fans of Batman, fans of Alan Moore. People who, simply, want to get into comic books. I recommend it to everyone like that. You won't be disappointed.
Rating: -
I loved this book, even if it was just a book of pictures, that alone would be worth buying it, the artist is greeeaaaat! I got this book because of the hype that surrounds it and was not let down. The story at first is a bit slow but boy does it gain momentum quick. And before you know it it is over, but the specials at the end are still fun to read after the comic is finished. Please add to your library!!
Rating: -
This was an excellent read. Granted I've never really been into comics, but this was thoroughly entertaining. The Joker tries to prove the thesis that one bad day can ruin your whole perspective of the world, but Gordon pulls through it and maintains his sanity. The running joke throughout this book is pretty funny (not out loud, but good enough for a short chuckle). If you like Batman (especially the Dark Knight movie) I would recommend this.
Rating: -
The above title is not hyperbole on my part. I really do feel, in my humble opinion, that this is THE definitive Joker story. Not only does it completely turn the mythology of the Batman family on it's ear with the shooting and crippling of Barbara Gordon (something that, if occured in todays market, would be contained within an eight issue mini-series, with tie-ins in every DC comic on the racks - here, it's so sudden and unexpected that it makes it positively horrific) and the heart-breaking origin story for the Joker - a fledgeling stand-up comic who loses his wife, unborn child, and sanity in the span of one day. And Bolland's art? Still some of the most cinematic, detail-oriented beauty you will ever find between two covers. From the opening dialogue-free images of the Batmobile arriving at Arkham to the full-circle shots of Batman and Joker laughing at the Joker's ironic joke as the cops arrive, one would be hard-pressed to find a more complete work of art. As far as this edition goes, the inclusion of the story and art by Bolland is a fine complement to the main tale. I've read that some people have an issue with the re-coloring, but honestly, I didn't even notice until it was pointed out. It's a minor quibble in an otherwise exceptional package.
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