Photo courtesy of mycomicshop.com
CW for The Killing Joke: Violence, Assault against Women, and Frightening Scenes.
“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.”
The above quote is delivered by none other than psychotic pranking extraordinaire the Joker, and represents much of what Batman: The Killing Joke is all about. Blurring the line between social construct and insanity, this graphic novel is a brief non-serialized comic written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland. Published by DC Comics, this tale of Batman doesn’t follow the prototypical structure of a superhero tale. It subverts the notion of inherent good versus inherent evil, giving the Joker—an omnipotent criminal mastermind—a backstory, and it poses more questions than it answers.
For those individuals that find the all-powerful, completely virtuous superhero trope to be a bore, this would be right up your narrative and illustrative alley. Brian Bolland took an immense amount of creative freedom with this work, and even goes as far as to toy with the readers in an afterword about the meaning of some of the more ambiguous panels. The audacity that he emits in his semi-scathing written afterword shows the independent approach taken in The Killing Joke. Bolland’s rendering style supports this free-thinking perspective, as he unexpectedly takes some seemingly standard noire style scenes and expels them of their color, inking only a single object per panel in bright threatening red. In the afterword itself, Bolland has the gall to claim there are many times he had to “grit his teeth” while drawing some of the scenes due to creative differences. That being said, Bolland and Moore did a wonderful job working together to create this graphic novel and establish the waves of brutality and humor that exist within the pages of The Killing Joke.
One reason I felt compelled to discuss this piece was the controversy that exists around the work. The primary source of frustration is the fact that the infamous Joker is provided with a backstory. With the understanding that he would be stepping on many toes, Moore took a large risk and managed to create a less polarized Batman and Joker, whose personality traits met somewhere in the middle of their typical antithetical portrayals. Understanding that they were fated to be irreconcilable, the characterization of the two almost seems desperate, as neither character seems content with their eternal struggle. They both feel unsatisfied and Bolland demonstrates this reality in the pair’s expressions. Continually, Batman even goes as far as to ask the Joker his opinion on their struggle. Basically, Batman gets existential, a powerful decision in regards to humanizing him. The graphic novel shifts perspectives from the Joker to Batman and vice versa, revealing the strain that they place on one another and how truly alike they are in some ways. The Joker seems to assert that the only difference between him and the caped vigilante is that he suffered from one bad day and was forced into utilizing madness as his vice. This was his way to cope with the hardships revealed in the graphic novel’s origin story. Summing up these ideas in an absurd and horrifying musical number, the Joker is absolutely well crafted in this narrative work.
A rare breed of the unique superhero motif that will genuinely make you question your notion of mania and fate, The Killing Joke is not for those looking for a light read. With Bolland’s use of perspective, it feels like a heavily atmospheric and grim tale, with a focus on the Joker, almost appearing to make use of commonly used movie shots to put a spin on the otherwise oversaturated world of bland superhero comics. Furthermore, the wonderful eight pages following the true ending to the novel—during which Bolland provides the conclusion he always felt was destined for Batman—is so absurdist and unexpected, it will sit with you far after you reach the back cover. Weird and harsh, The Killing Joke contains magnificent art, shading, and humor that will lull you into a sense of safety that the Joker knows when to shatter. Give it a look, and thank me later.