Batman: The Killing Joke Review

What separates the sane from the insane?

Is it the adverb, in?

Could it be that the sane reflect on in too much, and slowly become the insane? Or maybe, all it takes is...  just One Bad Day. 

Inside Batman: The Killing Joke, writer, Alan Moore and artist, Brian Bolland, will show you how quickly the sane fade away.

Released in 1988, The Killing Joke was a mature novel intended for the (young) adult readers - which didn't stop me from buying it from my local Kiosk. It was in post-communist Poland (about 1990), that I first spotted the classic cover of The Joker pointing a camera at (a) potential reader, and saying "Smile!"

Interesting fact: the Polish edition had the twisted clown saying "Oh, here's a client!"

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The graphic novel focuses on the man behind the joke: the homicidal and maniacal Joker. Batman arrives in Arkham Asylum to confront the maniacal clown about his angst and motives. Midway through the conversation he finds that the Prince of Crime has already checked out of Arkham, leaving behind a very shaken doppelganger.

Once free, The Joker's targets Commissioner Gordon and his lovely daughter Barbara; his master plan: breaking Gordon's sanity by injuring and shaming his daughter. There's more to the story than just revenge. Because for the first time ever, Joker's past and origin of madness is revealed through a series of flashbacks, alongside a central plot-line which flows to its predestined conclusion. A conclusion Batman has already predicted/anticipated.

Moor's writing is griping and somber. His insight into disturbed minds really punctuates Joker's progression from everyday man into a psychotic villain, whose every punchline often ends with someone's death. I can't think of a better writer to flash-out Joker's believable, yet unfortunate, history. For me, this is the book that made the Prince of Crime into Batman's most iconic villain.

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Bolland's distinctive and often dynamic art does an excellent job of framing Moor's gloomy take on the human braking point. The images do the drama justice, smoothly illustrating the story in an organized fashion - which makes the dynamic scenes even more explosive. The hardcover 2008 Deluxe Edition (which I used for this review) was completely recoloured by Bolland, adding extra details and sleek distinction to an already solid work of art.

The Killing Joke's suit is dark and alluring, pick it out and ponder the fate of the unfortunate individual who reacted to the evils of the world with spiteful madness. Don't fret, the novel ends with a good laugh!