The Killing Joke

Its just one sick joke.

The Joker is one of the most iconic villains of all time. He is the big bad for Batman, and is also known as the Clown Prince of Crime, or the Harlequin of Hate. This comic is one of the ones that really established the Joker as the main villain for Batman, and that he was not a fun loving loony, but rather a sadistic, insane and truly evil villain. The Killing Joke is one of the most famous comics of all time, and unlike most stories I review is not a miniseries or part of a longer run, but is rather a stand alone comic. Printed in 1988, and written by the very talented Alan Moore, it greatly impacted many characters within the DC universe. 

With that in mind, lets take a look at the comic. 

Coulrophobia (Fear of Clowns)

The comic opens up with Batman stalking the cells of Arkham Asylum to see the Joker. The Joker is there, but doesn't say anything to Batman until grabs him, whereupon we learn that it's not the Joker, but instead is someone painted to look like him. Joker has escaped and is purchasing an abandoned carnival. He is planning something big, and the man is just a complete idiot, as he lets the Joker just walk around and be crazy, even though at this point he is a well known supervillian and crazy as can be. Joker shakes on the deal, which poisons the realtor, leaving him with the trademark Joker grin, and Joker reveals a bit about his origin story. While this is not the definitive origin story, with DC never saying which is the actual correct origin story, we learn that Joker was a former stand up comedian who can't get a job doing comedy. In need of support for his pregnant wife, he begins to plan another way to make money.

He needs a good laugh

This is a very compelling origin for the Joker. He is a sympathetic character, one who turns to crime to provide for his family's sake. Its touching that he is so willing to sacrifice for his family, and tragic that he turns to crime to support them. The Joker is still a maniac and killer however. Batman is at the cave and processes all he can on his computers about the Joker, which is almost nothing. Batman talks to Alfred about how unpredictable the Joker is, and how he cannot possibly predict what the Joker will do next. The comic shifts to Barbara Gordon (Batgirl. Not his wife. Its confusing) and her father James Gordon. Jim is pasting photos of Batman's exploits into a scrapbook while Barbara nags him about brining his work home, and his getting paste everywhere. I absolutely do not imagine Barbara Gordon, the first Batgirl,  nagging her father about bringing work home. We then get one of the most classic pages in Batman, and ones that still shape comics today, over 25 years later.

The shot heard throughout a mythology 

One of the stranger scenes in comics. That says something

Joker comes in and makes a bunch of librarian jokes, comparing Barbara to a coffee table book, commenting on the damaged spine, as his goons take out Jim Gordon. He takes Gordon, and takes pictures of Barbara as she is paralyzed. We then flashback to Joker taking to his mob buddies, who tell him that he will be the main man in their heist, and will be able to support his family with the money that he gets. We also learn he worked at a place called Ace chemical, which they will use to get access to the playing card company they are actually trying to steal from. I have no idea why a playing card factory would be a good place to hit, and additionally while I think its interesting in terms of symbolism, it's also kind of not needed. We know he is going to become the Joker, so why a playing card factory? Anyways, our next scene is Batman seeing Barbara at the hospital, where we learn that she will never walk again. Barbara wakes up and tell Batman to go after her father. We then see Gordon waking up, and Joker talking about how insanity is the best way to deal with the cold hard truths of the world. We learn that while Joker was at the bar he was told by the Cops that his wife had died testing a defective electric bottle heater. Joker is still made to go along with the plan. We then cut back to the tunnel of fear ride where Joker is trying to drive Gordon mad, and shows him pictures of his daughter, who has been stripped of clothing, and they torment Gordon

over and over and over. Meanwhile Batman is searching the city trying to gather clues, ranging from mobsters, to streetwalkers to criminals like the Penguin. Eventually Batman gets an invitation to the Joker's carnival, and promptly swings off. Gordon is almost catatonic after days of the torture, and so the Joker locks him up, while thinking about the random injustice that made him what he is today. The trio of criminals go to the chemical factory, but they are found out by security, which they blame the Joker for. They getengaged with a gunfight, but the two mobsters are killed as the Joker in his red hood flees from them as fast as he can. He runs up a ladder and attempts to get away from the Batman, jumping into a vat of chemicals. He washes ashore and takes of the hood, revealing the Joker.

That doesn't really seem like fun. 

Gordon is still in the cage as the carnival taunts him. Joker taunts Gordon by saying he is an average man, and that he is weak, and will soon snap under the pressure. Batman arrives then driving an old school batmobile, with a batram on the hood. He tells the Joker he came to talk. They begin fighting, with the Joker spraying Batman with acid, before retreating, while one of them thinks about the fact that one of them will kill the other one eventually. Joker manages to escape into the house of fun, as Batman rescues Gordon. Gordon implores him to get the Joker by the book to ensure that the way of law and justice works. Batman goes into the fun house, and the Joker attempts to trap him with poisoned spikes and mocks him for his belief that people cannot be driven mad as him by one bad day. He guesses that Batman is crazy from such a day, and how much Batman's refusal to acknowledge that supposed truth disgusts him. The Joker says everything is just one terrible Joke and that he can see how funny that joke is unlike everyone else. Batman finds him, breaking in and beating him up, with the Joker eventually being thrown outside. Joker asks him why Batman won't kill him even after shooting a defenseless girl and torturing Gordon. Batman says because he is doing it by the book, and that he doesn't want to kill the Joker. Its a touching scene, showing us that Batman still believes that the Joker is a human being, and that they don't have to kill each other. Joker seems repentant, but instead offers up an old joke and the two burst out laughing as the comic ends.

Batman employing the shut up Hannibal

I like that Batman is able to show compassion to his arch enemy, but the fact that Batman is not harsher on the Joker after what he has just done, and seems to almost ignore that is kind of frustrating. Batman could still treat Joker like a human, but should also punish him more for his actions, or at least tell the Joker how wrong he is. Batman here shows his genuine good nature, but in doing so loses a bit of my support.

So this comic is well written, aside from my couple complaints, and is one of the better drawn early modern age comics. I think that this is a very important read for those who read Batman and his associates, as this event resonated throughout the entire mythos. It lead to the creation of Oracle, as Barbara reinvented herself as a hacker and information broker to superheroes. Oracle was one of the only disabled superheroes, and ran the Birds of Prey one of the most important superhero teams, made up of female superheroes. I would recommend this comic based on its historical importance alone, but it also gives a real insight into the Joker's madness, as well as Batman's inherent good nature and his need to save everyone, even those who are his enemies.