Breaking down the 'Batman: The Killing Joke' graphic novel

Yesterday the first clip from Batman: The Killing Joke was released. If you weren't familiar with the graphic novel the animated movie is based on, you'd think that Batman was confronting the Joker.

If you need a refresher, our friend Arris Quinones from Variant has you covered! In the video above, Quinones breaks down the popular graphic novel which is considered one of the greatest Batman/Joker stories ever told. If you want to know what to expect when the movie comes out later this month, definitely check it out!

Batman: The Killing Joke is available for pre-order on Amazon now. The movie hits Digital HD on July 26th, and Blu-ray/DVD on August 2nd. It will premiere at San Diego Comic-Con on July 23rd.

27 comments

Seb

July 6, 2016

can't freaking wait

Captain DC

July 6, 2016

Bruce Timm has refered to the "no-kill" rule as being outdated. It was part of the reason why he wanted to do Justice League: Gods and Monsters. With a R rating, I think he'll make it pretty clear, why the title of this book is called, The KILLING Joke.

JaymusYawsley
July 6, 2016
I agree. Now let's not start this argument again. And this isn't directed at you in particular.
1. Kerk Lastnameless
  July 7, 2016
  Owwww, but it's so much fun!
  Can we instead argue about how Luthor is not supposed to be an obnoxious twat?
  1. JaymusYawsley
    July 7, 2016
    Go nuts.
    1. Kerk Lastnameless
      July 7, 2016
      Lex Luthor is not supposed to be an obnoxious twat!
    2. JaymusYawsley
      July 7, 2016
      Wait, never mind, that's off topic. Don't... go nuts.
    3. Kerk Lastnameless
      July 7, 2016
      O\./O
  2. Brandon@BatmanNews
    July 7, 2016
    Having you as a community member is a real riot.
    1. JaymusYawsley
      July 7, 2016
      We have many differing views and tastes, but I like Kerk.
    2. Brandon@BatmanNews
      July 7, 2016
      Agreed. Half the time our opinions are completely the opposite, but he is just so much fun.
    3. Kerk Lastnameless
      July 7, 2016
      I aim to please, sir.
Kerk Lastnameless
July 7, 2016
Incidentally, this book is a perfect evidence for rebuttal of your claim that Joker is nothing but the Shark to Batman.
Another good Joker-centered story is quite possible.
1. Kerk Lastnameless
  July 7, 2016
  I'm not disagreeing with any of that, I'm just saying that it's possible to make a good Joker-centric story without really involving Batman. For instance, I'm among those who want to see him and Harley reunite. But this cannot happen on the old terms anymore because Harley has outgrown her battered wife role. So the only way that can happen is if she teaches him to show a little respect, and for them to become more like Bonny and Clyde, more or less equal partners in crime. For the Joker that would both be a character development and a bit of humanization, which in my mind wouldn't damage the character.
Brandon@BatmanNews
July 7, 2016
I hope not. If you leave it ambiguous, you'll satisfy both audiences. The ones who want to believe he killed Joker at the end can still believe that, and the ones that don't, won't be forced to accept such a theory.
1. Brandon@BatmanNews
  July 7, 2016
  You're preaching to the choir. You'll notice I said that I don't want to be forced to accept the killing theory.
  1. Brandon@BatmanNews
    July 7, 2016
    In the early 90s, there was a huge demand from fans for Batman to kill, but DC didn't want to go there. Jean-Paul Valley was an experiment they used to see what people would really think of a killing Batman. After the huge backlash of having a Batman running around killing people, DC said, see...you don't really want a killing Batman. And then Bruce could return and not have his reputation besmirched by having run the experiment with him.

JaymusYawsley

July 6, 2016

Nice. Different colored titles on the cover or from different printings?

JaymusYawsley
July 6, 2016
Sweet. I don't remember what printing mine is, but I've had it for almost twenty years.

Meg

July 7, 2016

I still think The Killing Joke is better off as a stand alone and should never be brought into any continuity. The last few panels still haunt me till this day. They were disturbing and highly ambiguous, but ultimately the perfect description of Batman and the Joker's relationship - two sides of the same coin.

Brandon@BatmanNews
July 7, 2016
Are you saying that you wish Barbara would never have become Oracle?
1. Meg
  July 7, 2016
  shrug...Oracle is cool and all but I still like her as Batgirl better. But that's not the reason though. I'm actually one of those people who would like to think that Batman kills off the Joker at the end of the Killing Joke, and also, I prefer the Joker not having any specific origin at all. Him being an unidentifiable force of evil seems more terrifying.
  1. Brandon@BatmanNews
    July 7, 2016
    I don't think The Killing Joke is a definitive origin. Within the book itself, Joker elucidates to the fact that the origin we are seeing might just be the way he remembers his past today. Not that it is necessarily true.
    Personally, I liked Barbara's time as Batgirl, but I think she got really interesting once she became Oracle.

Brandon@BatmanNews

July 7, 2016

I have three. 1st, 3rd, and hardcover.

Christopher Smith

July 7, 2016

If you look at the final few panels, on the last page, as the police car arrives you will notice it draws a line between Batman and the Joker. Batman doesn't cross the line. This, I think, symbolises that Batman does not cross that line and kill the Joker. Just saying.

Brandon@BatmanNews
July 7, 2016
I always thought that the way the first few panels and the last few panels were identical, symbolized the fact that Batman and Joker are doomed to repeat their dance forever. No matter how many times it ends, it simply begins again. If he killed him, it breaks that cycle. And consequently, it also destroys the symbolism established through that visual. I don't think Alan Moore ever intended for people to extrapolate that Batman killed the Joker. In fact, I never even heard the theory until Grant Morrison brought it up on "Fatman on Batman".
1. Knight-Errant
  July 8, 2016
  I hadn't heard that theory either until then. Now some people are like "of course he killed the Joker." One of the reasons I find Morrison to be a pompous ass.
  If the story has been continuity, there's no way the Joker could've gotten killed. The story was referenced several times within the main books to illustrate it's cannon.
  I'm not even certain why it's still a floating theory when Moore himself stated Batman didn't kill the Joker.

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Breaking down the 'Batman: The Killing Joke' graphic novel

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