Over 20 years ago (1988) comic wunderkind scribe, Alan Moore teamed up with artist mastermind, Brian Bolland, to craft a 1-shot Batman book, "The Killing Joke" which would go on to serve as the blueprint for one of the most popular interpretations of the Joker ever (Heath Ledger in 'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'). Although somewhat tame in today's era, at the time, 'The Killing Joke' stirred up a smidgen of controversy over the use of violence and depictions of The Joker's sadistic crimes. One thing that stands up to this date is the masterful character study of the Joker himself. The book flashes back to reveal the Joker's back story and provides a complete retelling of his origin to flesh out the reasoning on why the Joker became such a sadistic, cruel and brutal cold-blooded killer. While the narrative may feel somewhat skimpy this tale is truly all about the Joker (along with Bolland's detailed and sumptuous art).

The Killing Joke is one of the books that Chris Nolan and Hedth Ledger referenced when creating The Dark Night, so, since i loved that film, i picked it up not even knowing it was a work by the great Alan Moore. It's a great read that attempts to give and origin story to the Joker, whether or not it's canon, i'm not exactly sure. However, it's probably the best written story about the relationship of the Joker and Batman. It also includeds a scene, which truly shocking at the time, still leaves the reader a little shocked afterward. The colouring has all been redone and looks gorgeous. I reccommend to any fan of Batman, The Dark Knight or for those interested in reading more about the Joker.

I love Batman, i believe he is one of the greatest characters created. The Killing Joke follows Joker as he attempts to extract revenge on Batman, and on Gordon. On the whole, I liked this graphic novel, but there were a few moments that didn't make sense, and that were out of character (Batman asking for a peaceful solution to his fued with Joker, and Joker's origin (?)).
On the other hand, the artwork was great, and of course, this compilation holds on of the key moments in Gotham's history.

With the incredible success of The Dark Knight (and my late summer filled with reading comics) The Killing Joke At fourty-six pages long, the reading of this tome hardly takes up an hour, but the content requires several re-readings. The scene starts out with Batman visiting the Joker in prison to discuss their complicated fate, only to discover that the real villian has been replaced with a phony. Meanwhile, the Joker purchases an abandoned theme park in order to show Commissioner Gordon what a real bad day looks like. In the meantime, the whole story is shadowed with a theoretical origin story for who the Joker once was, or might have been.

With the beautiful remastered colours and stunning artwork, The Killing Joke is the perfect companion piece to all of those who enjoyed The Dark Knight, or if you're just curious about the Joker, and if you're a DC fan you should have it already. This is a masterpiece, and it's hard to say more than that. If you want to prove your skills as a writer, write the Joker.

This book explores the relationship between Gothams dark knight and its #1 maniac. The sheer madness of the Joker is brought to the forefront as he attempts to teach Batman a lesson in pain. A must read for any Batman fan.