Rating: 
Summary: The Best Batman story. Ever
Review: The Killing Joke is, without a doubt, the finest work that involves Batman. The story goes like this - The Joker, in a desperate attempt to get someone to see things from his point of view, shoots Barbara Gordon (daughter of police Commissioner Gordon), paralyzing her. Then, he takes the Commisstioner and tries to turn him insane. And, as usual, it's up to the Batman to stop him. Maybe the most entertaining aspect of the book is the backstory it weaves. It shows the Joker, pre-accident, as a stuggling comedian unwittingly brought into a robbery. Using elements from the famous 1950's Joker origin story, 'The Man behind the Red Hood', Moore and Bolland make the Joker seem tragic, in a maniacal sort of way. The dark story Moore writes meshes well with Brian Bolland's detailed, linear artwork. Bolland makes every character look remarkable, and his rendition of the Joker on the cover has become one of the most famous Joker images in history. You can't call yourself a Batman fan if you don't own this. Heck, you aren't much of a comics fan at all if you haven't at least read the story. This is ESSENTIAL for EVERYONE'S collection.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Batman: The Killing Joke is simply the finest superhero story ever told. Although the concept looks traditional (Joker escaping and Batman trying to capture him), it focuses very little on action and more on the tortured psychological profile of this famous villain. The Joker here is perhaps in his vilest appearance, but later on, as the story unfolds, the reader almost feels pity for him, as his tragic origin is revealled. The book also contains some very controversial aspects that make it have a really very adult feel. And the art is equally brilliant with the story. This guy (sorry I don't remember his name) drew one of the best Batmans I have seen in comic form. All in all, I strongly believe that this book should be listed in the top-10 of the best comics of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Eerie and powerful
Review: Batman's high-profile villains are actually Asylum inmates, and this should place them apart from most of comics' other foes; still, not all of those who wrote these characters have made the most out of this aspect. Alan Moore understood this: his Joker carries as much of a burden as does Bruce Wayne, even though both chose opposite ways to deal with the anger that resulted from it. But Moore plays down this opposition throughout the work, and not only in the conclusion. This is not a Batman readers are accustomed to, but there are two seemingly unrelated advantages to this: on one hand, Moore states explicitely many details that were mainly hinted at previously (especially concerning Batman's nature and motivations), so it's not as if he ignored what had been done before; on the other, this Batman is strange, peculiar enough to underline the fact that this book is the work of an outsider (or two, also counting Brian Bolland), of someone who has his own take on the eeriness of the characters and their milieu. Bolland's great work is in evidence everywhere, notably in the first few wordless pages featuring very evocative visual narration; and it's easy to understand why colorist John Higgins' name was included on the cover. In short, this is a Batman-Joker confrontation that feels fresh, inspired, dynamic and poetic at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: More than just a comic - True Literature
Review: This is the most in-depth Batman comic I have ever read, and has become my favourite Batman story of all time. The story deals with Joker escaping, paralyzing Barbara Gordon, kidnapping Commissoner Gordon, and trying to prove that any man can go crazy in a single, bad day. As Batman hunts the Joker, the reader is treated to the Joker's origin story, and sees how thin the line is that seperates Batman from the Joker. I won't try to get into the psychological aspects of this story -suffice it to say that other reviews have covered it throughly and any attempt on my part would only make me look foolish. However, I will say that the most chilling part about this book is how, if you replace Batman and the Joker with two everyday people, the events still feel horribly real. This is not escapist reading as all comic books have been labeled, in fact, this is the book to show people who don't believe that powerful stories can be told in this medium. Both Batman and the Joker had a single bad day - so why didn't Batman go insane like the Joker did? The reader wants to know the fine line that seperates these two characters, partly so they can realize how close to crossing that line they are in their own lives. The art is truly amazing -detailed, moody, and brilliantly inked - the scenes in the Joker's funhouse scare the reader as much as they scare Gordon. The flashbacks are also impressively tied into the present, with similiar situations bookending each scene. The story begins and ends on the same note, like a vicious, never-ending cycle. Plus, you know you have something special when, after all the vicious, sadistic things the Joker has done, you still feel sorry for him. "The Killing Joke" is a true masterpiece, and earns its place as one of the best comics of all time, and a true work of fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Inside The Mind Of The Killer Clown Of Gotham
Review: The Killing Joke, first published in the late 1980's is an atypical Batman story and yet, remains, one of the best ever written. Back in print since the 90's I was happy to relive the tale after losing my original copy of the book. As regular readers and followers of the Batman mythology already know, the Joker, is the Dark Knight's most well known and popular adversary. Talented comic book scribe Alan Moore broke with tradition. He decided this story would not just be about the Joker having some demented plan and our hero has to find a way to foil those plans, rather, he chose to examine what makes the villian tick. The story has Joker shooting and crippling Barbra Gordon, then kiddnaping her father Police Commissioner James Gordon taunting him, to see if a man can truly go insane within a short period of time. While the Joker awaits the inevitable confrontation with Batman, he allows himself to reflect on his early days, and thus, the reader learns his origin. The book focuses less on typical "superhero action" and more on the psychology of these characters. Mr Moore weaves his story with such effortless ease that it never gets bogged down. It's all about the choices that a person makes and how much these two mortal foes really do mirror each other. The artistic talents of Brian Bolland and John Higgins really shine in the book. Their rendition of The Joker is quite spectacular and among the best ever produced in a Bat story...Really. The "dynamic duo (sorry I couldn't help myself)" set a standard for the way Joker is now drawn today. Batman doesn't look too bad either. The artwork is a nice mix of subtlty and some broad strokes-matching the story perfectly. I have read a lot of Batman stories over the years, The Killing Joke may not be what you would expect for these icons, but it is worth reading for sure. It is one of the best. The book has 48 pages
Rating: 
Summary: The Worst Alan Moore Work - Even He Says So!
Review: As you can see from nearly every other review here, this work is generally considered a classic - if not one of the all-time best Batman stories, up there with those Frank Miller ones. I disagree. And I disagree reluctantly because Alan Moore's writing is actually very clever and Brian Bolland's artwork is simply gorgeous. Why? Simple. I disagree with nearly everything about Alan Moore's "Batman". Frank Miller mentioned something like that in an interview also. Even Alan Moore has stated countless times that this is his weakest work. But fans still clamour after this book... Five reasons I dislike this book: [1] Batman is totally wrong. It seemed like the pet-peeve of every cynical Brit writer in the 80s and 90s to portray Batman as equally insane compared to his foes [check out Grant Morrison's "Arkham Asylum" for more of the same]. [2] The hopeless ending. Agreed, this book has the Joker at his most evil and the book ends with Batman and Joker laughing in the rain? [3] The level of *sick* shocks in this book. From Barbara Gordon's crippling to Jim Gordon's "circus" experience. This was written at a period where shocking violence in comics is considered a prerequisite in crafting a "mature" work. Granted, I actually prefer Barbara as Oracle than the cheesy Batgirl but I absolutely detest the way Alan Moore did it in this book. [4] The totally unnecessary "origin" of Joker. Joker is one of those characters in comics who really can do without an origin. He is a sicko, and that's all you need to know. We do not need to see him from a more compassionate perspective by having a "tragic origin". [5] The use of "Watchmen-transitions". Alan Moore is justly famous for the use of clever transitions between panels. But in this book, we have transitions such as a poster of a fat woman freak in a circus leading to the next panel of Joker's pregnant wife. Where's the catch? This is the real problem of the whole work - clever but ultimately pointless.
Rating:
Summary: Moody and Tragic story of the Joker and Batman
Review: A comic nearing perfection in both its graphic and story construction. The art, empasising sickly greens, oranges and reds (especially during Gordon's torture sequence) works brilliantly at evoking a sense of the deranged and desperate mind of the Joker. That this tale is only one brutal cycle in the continuing, and perhaps endless, Joker/Batman confrontation is made all-too clear by the same, full-page panel of rain falling in muddy water being shown at both the beginning and the end. The story itself is also spectacular, from Batman's initial attampt to reason with his archnemesis ("There once were two guys in a lunatic asylum...")Joker's merciless attack and humiliation of Barbara Gordon, to Joker's hideous claim that the only difference between him and the rest of the world is "one bad day." One of the most bizarre and horrifying moments in Batman history must be achieved in the two foes final confrontation...that one brief moment when the Joker turns-halfway to Batman...is he considering accepting the Dark Night's help?...to the final scene when both men laugh uncontollably in the killing rain; a single moment when the both the Batman and Joker get the same Joke: that they are together, forever, until they destroy each other. Perhaps this is the "Killing Joke" of the title?
Rating:
Summary: a story you will go back to, time and again
Review: I brought this as a 1st addition when it came out and it's one of the few stories i've re-read time and time again. It's a story of two men who take different paths when their lives hit bottom but find they have a lot in common. I loved seeing the Jokers' life before he turned to crime and evil though he is, you see the events that turn him into the man he is now (with a small contribution from batman - read and find out). Reading this comic is what made is difficult from me to enjoy the first batman movie. Well, how could the joker have killed batman's parents if they are roughly the same age and batman was there when he changed? Read this great comic-novel and enjoy it much as I did, you won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: The finest of all Batman stories
Review: Ironic that the best (by MILES) Batman story ever written was by Englishman Alan Moore, and that the wonderful artwork was by another Englishman, Brian Bolland both famous for the wonderful and original Judge Dredd comics. Reading the reviews, I was absolutely astonished at one of them who complained it was only interesting to Batman fans - then who is going to be buying it pray tell, if not Batman fans ? It is - believe it or not - a BATMAN book ! Its wonderful, and memorable. Not many in this genre can have that said about them !
Rating:
Summary: The Blood Feud Continues...
Review: While this wonderful comic can be enjoyed by all audiences, even those who know little about Batman, for true fans this is one the best and most interesting Batman tales ever told. In these pages, expertly written by comic legend Alan Moore, the intriguing relationship between Batman and his arch-nemesis the Joker are explored in a deep psychological matter. The mysteries of the Joker are explored, which is a very rare occurrence in Batman books, having only been done only once before in the Jokers fifty year history. To defeat the Joker, Batman has to look deep into his own soul, and explore the demons that drive him in his own fight. The beginning of the story finds Batman at his wits end, and understandably so. Fans of the comic know that the Joker is the Dark Knights ultimate foil, an ingenious psychopath who has killed thousands of innocent people. No matter how many times Batman brings him down, the Joker always returns. In confronting his enemy, Batman makes it clear that their dance isn't going to last forever, that one of them is going to die eventually. The Joker, in the midst of yet another prison escape, begins to remember fragments of his past, and the reader gets to enjoy all the irony and depression found in the dark mist of Joker history. In one of the more shocking moments in Batman comic history, the Joker commits a crime of unspeakable proportions, striking at someone very close to Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Gordon. The Joker, in order to fuel his own megalomania, decides to torture Gordon, driving him insane, in order to prove to the outside world that he is just a normal result of modern society. Batman, in reaction, uses everything in his power to bring down the Clown Prince, at the same time wondering if he should just break his vow and end the Joker once and for all. For me, the most powerful part of this fascinating work is near the end, where the Joker and Batman actually have a short, meaningful conversation. In a wonderfully emotional moment, the Joker has self-doubt, and we get to see through the insanity and the murder for one fleeting second. Of course, however, the duel can never die, and the hatred resumes. Alan Moore gives this book his own brand of advanced comic writing, where the story is dominant and the art follows. That is not to say that the art is not fantastic, with Brian Bolland and others giving the tale a vivid narrative style. The story is definitely for adults however, as the reader is faced with some of the more disturbing aspects of human debauchery and criminality, with its horrific crescendo represented by the fate of Barbara Gordon. The Killing Joke stands with Year One and the Dark Knight Returns as classic comics, instrumental to the understanding of Batman and the villains he faces.
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