Written by the legendary Alan Moore and drawn cleanly by Brian Bolland, Killing Joke shows us the relationship between Batman and Joker. The book is amazing because of Moore’s storytelling. It gives the reader’s an insight to Joker’s mentality without really giving away his origins. I thought this was a great move by Moore because I don’t want to know the absolute origin of Joker. Batman’s arch-nemesis is better off as a mysterious psychotic character.  Having only about 60 pages or so, Killing Joke is a short but very effective tale. Besides, giving us a glimpse of the Joker’s history, it also shows why Batman can never kill him. Even after Joker torture’s Comissioner Gordon, Batman still feels empathy for Joker. 

The artwork is no slouch either.  I prefer Bolland’s Joker to the more recent version from Jim Lee.  While Jim Lee’s Joker  is a bit too lively for my taste, Bolland’s depiction is more human.  Because of Bolland’s style, the readers can feel what Joker has gone through and why he chooses to commit psychotic crimes.  Bolland was the perfect artist to complement Moore’s writing.

Having read Killing Joke after viewing Dark Knight, I noticed most of the book’s themes made it to the silver screen. It was better executed in the Killing Joke because it felt more intimate but I see where Dark Knight director, Christopher Nolan was coming from.  The Killing Joke Deluxe edition also comes with a bonus tale from Bolland (written and drawn), “An Innocent Guy”.  “An Innocent Guy” is a short but interesting story about a Gotham citizen and his thoughts on Batman.  It feels dreamy and there’s one artwork that is amazing.  I loved the Killing Joke and definitely lived up to the hype. When you feel sorry for Batman’s arch nemesis, you know the book is worth a purchase.

Grade: A

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