Ok, so I lied. I am a DC fan in maybe two instances throughout the years. I loved the whole Man-Bat stories because they are weird, and that character design is crazy fun, and then the second instance is with “The Killing Joke”. I just love it when Batman gets dark, like really dark. Well, ok maybe two other instances, the Batman story that Mignola did and the Peacemaker tv show. But that’s it! Anyways, back to The Killing Joke. When Batman gets dark and real, it makes things good. It gives us real stakes, crazy stuff that is both relatable and truly dark. The Killing Joke in my opinion is one of the best comics to ever graze the comic shelves, and it revolves around the reality that a mass murdering psychopath could definitely do heinous things to their victims.
As I was reading this story, I couldn’t help but think about that. This issue is about how the Joker is trying to get the many Batmen and Batwomen, in Batman Incorporated to kill. You know how that’s the whole thing with Batman, right? He never kills his enemies, instead, he finds clever ways to defeat them and then send them back to Arkham Asylum or whatever new psych ward is being built. Yet, Gotham would be so much safer if Batman had the guts to finally kill these lunatics, or at least that’s what we think. In this comic, we see this question being asked and pondered upon through the eyes of different vigilantes that all want what is best for their people, and I think the writing handles it so well. Because yes, objectively the life of one person pales in comparison to the life of many, and yet when put through the eyes of El Gaucho, Batman is dedicating his life to stopping these monsters without killing them because he does not want to be as bad as them. A billionaire playboy that could do anything and everything he wanted with his money, decides to fight crime night after night, despite suffering great physical, emotional, and mental trauma all for a chance at keeping the streets safe and giving these villains a second chance. It is probably the biggest altruistic endeavor any human being could have. It’s not practical at all, but this issue makes you think like that, and I love the writing so much for that. For being able to pose such a strange and otherwise ludicrous idea and making it seem logically sound. This kind of writing is outstanding.
Take that kind of amazing writing and throw in even more beautiful art, by clearly incredibly talented artists and you have a classic in your hands. I haven’t read the issue that comes previous to this one, but this kind of art makes me want to, and again, I am not a superhero fan in the slightest. The art in this book is truly great, the anatomy is fantastic, the panel layouts are just as clever and the big action moments carry immense impact and gravitas. It is truly wonderful. The coloring is just as amazing too, It combines cell shading with very realistic lighting and shape design and you get some beautifully rendered characters that feel three-dimensional and real. The lettering is just as good too. The balloons seem to be hand drawn and aren’t too perfect which makes the marriage between art and text that much better, and the sound fx work is fantastic. The creators in this book all did an amazing job in everything they were tasked to do, and I applaud them heavily for that. The one thing I do not enjoy about this book is that instead of starting on the first page of the story, the first thing you see is an ad for a new “Hawkgirl” they are going to be releasing. Whilst this is not a fault of the creative staff, it is something that will always happen with big-name publishers like Marvel and DC, they are trying to get that money, and well sometimes it hurts the reading experience. It’s a necessary evil I guess.
In conclusion, this is an amazing story and I do suggest you pick it up if you’re into the bigger questions that Batman can pose. Like the true nature of psychopathy, morality, and whether killing is good or bad if it is done for the safety of others. These are big questions and whenever a medium like comics is used to explore these ideas, we have truly outstanding literature. I don’t know where the story will continue from here, but this book spells awards to me personally.
Writing: 5 Stars
Art: 5 Stars
Colors: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars
Written by; Ed Brisson,
Art by; John Timms, Michele Bandini & David Lafuente
Coloring by; Rex Lokus
Lettering by; Clayton Cowles
Cover art by; John Timms
Variant Covers by; Michele Bandini, Rex Lokus & John Timms
Published by DC Comics
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