Paperback, 48 pages
English language
Published Oct. 4, 1988 by DC Comics.
This was hands down one of my first few favorite graphic novels.
The Joker & the joke at the end were my favorite parts. A perfect story for a comic book. The illustrations were just great.
Really nice book... although the plot wasn't particularly Moore-ishly convoluted, the art was great and hit some really good progressive beats. I can understand why this is so highly rated.
Wow. Although I read quite a few comics there are only a handful I can say I really love: Jimmy Corrigan, Fatale, maybe a few later Grant Morrison works. I can honestly say The Killing Joke is the most impressive Batman comic I have ever read. More interesting than The Dark Knight Returns and somehow more violent than Year One - I'm not sure how it manages this. The art is unbelievably good and the writing is able to balance subtext with organic story development.
People who complain Alan Moore (and the Joker) killed the character of Batwoman in 'The Killing Joke' do not appreciate Kim Yale and writer John Ostrander for establishing the computer expert character known as Oracle in the later series.
On the surface, this appears to be a very light story. And yet, as you read it, it draws you in. It is a quick read, but an engrossing read. Batman and Joker, in some ways, seem like opposite sides of the same coin. I really liked it, but what I liked the most was the art in this one. The origin story was so-so, and I think that, as another commenter noted, we can look at that story as another one of the Joker's mad memories. I think if one looks at it that way, then the story works better (for me at least). The scheme to drive the Commissioner mad goes right along with something the Joker would do, but it just comes by so fast. And yet, and this is where the strength of the book lies, you find yourself as a reader drawn in all the …
On the surface, this appears to be a very light story. And yet, as you read it, it draws you in. It is a quick read, but an engrossing read. Batman and Joker, in some ways, seem like opposite sides of the same coin. I really liked it, but what I liked the most was the art in this one. The origin story was so-so, and I think that, as another commenter noted, we can look at that story as another one of the Joker's mad memories. I think if one looks at it that way, then the story works better (for me at least). The scheme to drive the Commissioner mad goes right along with something the Joker would do, but it just comes by so fast. And yet, and this is where the strength of the book lies, you find yourself as a reader drawn in all the way to the end. While certainly not Alan Moore's best, this is still pretty good, and I can see why it has held up after 20 years.
