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Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke

List Price: $5.95
Your Price: $5.36
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wry insight into two twisted minds
Review: This short graphic novel adds new depth to the relationship between the caped crusader and his nemesis. I'm very pleased with the purchase.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Tale of Two Pity's
Review: OK, I love this book.
I know it's Alan Moore's superb writing and Brian Bolland's incredible artwork. But it's the little friggin' details that sold me on it.

1. Like another famous Morre book, Watchman, there is a beautiful segue in each section of the book. Look at the last panel of any section and then look at the first of the next. See the associative context? It's brillian and, having seen it in Watchman also, I heva to believe it is a collaborative effort between the writer and illustrator, rather than just the artist alone. I love it.

2. The comparison between the results of devestating loss upon two personalities, Batman and the Joker are wonderful. Is Moore saying there is little difference except by our perception? The Joker kills people for no reason, he destroys them and ruins their lives, just like his was destroyed by random meaningless events, like his wife's death. So he destroys randomly with a purpose of tortured logic apparent only to himself. On the other hand, Batman preys upon the criminals. "Destroying" their lives and works, from their point of view. They are taken away from their family and friends and placed in prison, a "loss" to their families, etc. They don't really understand why he does it, some silly rules from their point of view. It's only because our perspective is on the side of "good" that we seem him as the hero and Joker as the villian. If we were evil, we would see the reverse. But both sprang from a horrible incident that affected their sanity. They are Yin and Yang. The Joker causing Chaos, Batman trying to cause Order. That is what makes the Joker's smile so chilling. It is a grimace of pain and madness, and we, who are psychologically designed to respond favourably to a smile, are constantly confused and horrified.

3. The Joker went one way, the Batman another, what would happen to Gordon? Well, he goes a third way, he doesn't change, he stays himself in response to the horror. Would it have been different if Barbara had died? Maybe. Maybe having to be sane to be there for here anchored him.

4. The "joke", that for their constant battle to end, they both, each clinically insane from any psychiatric point of view, would have to trust each other is perfect displayed in the last few panels. The fact that they both understand this and realize the status of their mental states is driven home by their reactions to the story.

This is a great book to show to anyone who thinks that "comics" are simplistic tales for kids. It is short, It is brilliant, it clearly takes a legend that has been around for decades and gives it, at this date, a remarkable new twist that affects the way you see the characters moving forward. To take the "red hood" story line and make the Joker a pitiable if not understandable character is genius. I would have to say this rates right up there in my top 5.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A fun romp...
Review: ...but ultimately pointless. Adds nothing to the Batman legacy, but takes nothing away. It's just there, but any self-respecting Batman collector already owns it, and already knows this. Those searching for a weightier Batman story should look elsewhere.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My favorite...
Review: This is my favorite Batman/Joker comic book. I just recently got rid of most of my comics and this is the only one that I missed so much that I bought it again. I've read this comic over and over again since 1989. Love it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the Joker at his sickest.
Review: After Joker escapes from Arkham asylum he goes out and purchases a run down amusment park. Then he goes to the home of Comissioner Gordon, after shooting the original batgirl and taking pictures of her, he takes Gordon back to the park and tries to drive Gordon over the edge. All during this you learn little bits of the Joker's past.
This is an excellent book that shows great emotion from all the characters. A must-have for all comic fans.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not the best but cool (story) 3 1/2 stars
Review: This is a tragic story of showing how people are...well...different. The story is decent, art is great. BUT BE WARNED this book has some very scary looking people and they are compared to "The Average Man".It also tells the tragic story of jokers never before seen origin. The story is 3 1/2 star. Butthe ending fight is fanaminal. So it's worth buying. (If your a fan of batman).

Not suitable for younger children.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: BE WARNED
Review: After you read this or anything else that Moore does (apart from his Image comics work) you will be hard-pressed to find stuff of close-caliber in superhero books. Alan Moore is an amazing writer and if you are a fan or either him or Batman, you need to check this out. But, like I said, Moore's is the best stuff in the industry and after tasting of the sweet nectar of a god, all the rest cannot compare.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good, but not the greatest
Review: This is decent considering it's short length, though no doubt Moore is capable of much, much more as a comic book writer. Though the plotline is original, the fashion in which it is carried out is formulaic at best. Joker seems to be somewhat more humanized here, but as a result it makes him a bit less believable. The last two pages are awesome and what in the end makes the reader realize that no other than Moore could think up of something so brilliant and fitting.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Alan Moore needed a paycheck
Review: Alan Moore is probably the best comic book writer of all time. But while he puts real work into his major projects, sometimes he just throws things out there for a paycheck. This book falls into the latter category. Unlike Frank Miller, who both studied and redefined Batman and the Joker, Moore clearly didn't do his homework here. Both of them are completely out of character with the rest of the series. Perhaps the worst part of the writing is the portrayal of the Joker's "insanity." Sure, he explains how he went insane. But his explanation is perfectly sane. In fact, everything the Joker does in this book is either sane or simply random (and the random acts are carried out just for the sake of doing something randomly: the Joker is trying to prove his insanity). Save your money and get Dark Knight Returns or Batman: Year One instead.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Comic books are just for kids? I DON'T THINK SOOOO!!
Review: If anyone callously dismisses "comic books" as juvenile reading material, I would direct them to this as a fine example of how wrong they are. When I read this upon its initial release, it sent chills up my spine. It is genuinely disturbing in parts, but utterly compelling. It's nice to see a stand-alone story that grabs you by the throat, takes you along for a chilling ride and leaves you with something to think about. A marvel this story is and a modern Batman classic.


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