That's not funny. That's not...

Iconic tale and a must read for not only Batman fans and comic book fans but bibliophiles in general

You are the best.

Probably the most solid story of the Joker, you can't go wrong with this one, Alan Moore did it again.

This is without a doubt the richest Joker story that has ever been written. Alan Moore really knows how to embed philosophy deep within each of the characters he writes...the dialogue is very powerful and sometimes even distracts from Brian Bolland's beautiful art.

The joke at the end, as well as the ambiguous ending, definitely provides for multiple angles of interpretation. Not very often that a writer is capable of invoking this much complexity (and fun) in a comic book.

Probably, the best story of the Joker.

without a doubt the greatest joker story.

I thought this was a great read. Moore does a really nice job with his scripts, in my opinion. He writes everyone well here and I liked the added layer to Joker's origin here. Of course, the story of Joker formerly being Red Hood and falling into a vat of chemicals was well-established before this, but I think the additional story aspect of Joker's family and what led him to taking that job as Red Hood in the first place just makes it better. Plus, Bolland does a fantastic job depicting everything. At first, I read the Deluxe Edition I have from 2008. I didn't find the colors bad or anything, but reading the story with the original coloring by John Higgins makes this, as a whole, so much better. So, I'd strongly recommend you to read this with Higgins's original coloring, whether it's an original copy or a collection featuring said colorist. more

Easily one of the most memorable Batman/Joker stories.

a classic batman tale

One of the darkest Batman stories ever told with the best origin story of Joker !The biggest pro of the book is its artwork and colors which delivers the whole story into our minds.The book had a great open ended mysterious climax which leaves the reader mind blown even after the book ends.

Maybe the most iconic Batman story ever after Dark Knight Returns

Fantastic story. A milestone that inspired dozens of late works!

"you're doing what any sane man in your appalling circumstance would do. you're going mad".
I am not a big fan of Alan Moore: "Watchmen" and "Killing Joke" didn't impress me as much as they could (and as they did impress many other people). But anyway the artist's work is impressive.

8 Art
9 Writing

I can't believe that Batman laughed at the Joker's joke after all the shit he pulled in this issue.

This is THE origin story of the Joker. I also love the aesthetics and colours.
Only thing holding it back for me is that I don’t feel the urge to return to it as often.
But yeah a must read.

A great story, but every time i read it again i lower my note, i've seen claims that this is the best Batman story of all time and i think that's a stretch, even for Sir Alan Moore standards, this isn't his best work.

I hadn't read The Killing Joke for years and years before recently picking up the Absolute Edition for my collection, and... I'm kind of jaded by the fact that I spent $30 on this story. Maybe it's just that I'm coming off of reading Moore's Neonomicon, which I thought was a very smartly written story, but this is such an obvious, bland story. There are cool elements. The idea of Batman thinking about his eternal struggle with Joker. I do like Joker's humanization, not so much in his actual origin, but in the ending fight/monologue. I'm one of those people who really couldn't care less for the more modern approach to the Joker, where he becomes a monster under one's bed. That is never as terrifying or as interesting to me as simply a man dressed as a clown who schemes to murder and hurt people.

I mean, seriously, the reason this book is beloved comes down to its final pages. And that part of the book is very engaging. I really like the dynamic Moore presents between these two characters, and their relationship. It is an interesting take. If this book was a 10 page anthology story, if the bulk of what Joker had done and his origin were ripped from this story's contents, I would be fine with it.

The problem is the rest of the book. Joker's origin is kind of tired. Nothing about it stands out to me, and I think it's pretty bland. I guess because Joker is such a baroque character, Moore felt the best option was to do the exact opposite with his origin. It doesn't work for me.

Similarly, the current day plot failed me as well. Babs is shot and handicapped, and it feels like a means to an end. A prominent, glaring example of female characters as plot devices to motivate the male characters to do what the plot demands. This is tired now, and it was when Moore wrote it. Moore could've done a lot better. Joker's plan failing is treated as though, of course it would, which makes for a really motionless reading experience. And it's not just because I've read this book before and I know what happens in it. There's never a moment where it feels as though Joker will win. It all feels pre-determined, which is unsatisfying.

In the Absolute Edition, they include Moore's outrageously long script, and at the end of it, he does confirm that he thinks of this story as a Joker story, rather than a Batman one. I really wish he wrote it fully subverted as such. It never feels like Joker is actually the main character, despite his prominence, and that just heaps more onto the pile as to why this story feels so uncompelling to me.

Simply put, I know Moore is capable of much better writing and character deconstruction, and I am not impressed with something as mediocre and bland as Killing Joke truly is.

On the other side of things, the art is great. Specifically, the original version before Bolland tried to clean it up along with a lifeless recoloring. That's actually the whole reason I bought the Absolute Edition. I wanted the superior coloring, not available in any modern reprints. What they did to the colors in the newer editions pales in comparison. It's lifeless, and lord knows, the writing needs as much help as possible with keeping its own pulse. more

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Hex - Sep 5, 2022 (edited)

Great for its time and great when you are young and want a story with more weight but it hasn't aged well especially since like you said, Moore is capable of so much better and this seems to overshadow most of that better work. I see a lot of people parrot the, "If I am to have an origin, I'd prefer it be multiple choice," line a lot and it's like yeah I would too. This one is kind of lame. Also, it's not like Moore changed much other than giving him a family. Everything else was already established

Amazing Psycamorean - Sep 5, 2022

I didn't mention it in my review, but I kind of don't like a Joker that isn't funny. And I can't tell if Moore is intentionally writing him unfunny outside of the flashbacks to coexist with the new origin. He should be funny, and mean, imo. The immediate string of book spine puns after he shot Babs almost works because the point in that scene is to pour salt in the wound for Gordon. But the rest of the time, he's really not living up to his name.

Amazing Psycamorean - Sep 5, 2022

The joke at the end is good though. Again, separate the last 10 pages or so and you've got a killer story. It's not very funny, but it is clever enough, and it's lifted up by its relevance to Batman and Joker's characters in the story. Moore nailed the ending, but didn't have a story that was worthy of it. Unfortunately for us nay-sayers, the ending is what sticks with people the most.

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i know that everyone LOVES the killing joke, but i don’t think it’s THAT good... i had high expectations before reading and already knew what happened with barbara, gordon etc, but for me it was utterly disrespectful to barbs character. she’s used only as a plot device to motivate bruce’s crusade, she doesn’t have a storyline or nothing - she is just a victim, with a shallow development and too little personality. i respect the fact that this is one of the most important batman stories because it shows how mad joker is, but i can’t ignore the fact that the lead female character of the batfamily, and one of the leading ladies of the dc universe, is here only to be shot and mistreated.
joker’s background was interesting - i’ve seen better origin stories, but this is the blueprint. the art is really good too.
also, quoting gail simone: "Both (Barbara and Bruce) had their backs broken [Batman broke his in a dramatic Batcave confrontation with the villain Bane; Batgirl broke hers when she was ambushed in her home and shot in the spine by the Joker, never given a chance to fight]. Less than a year later, Batman was fine. Batgirl—now named Oracle—was in a wheelchair and remained so for many years."
and last, but not least - Jeffrey A. Brown noted The Killing Joke as an example of the "relatively unequal violence [female characters] are subjected to" in the major DC/Marvel Comics industry. While male characters may be critically injured or killed, they are more than likely to be returned to their original conception, while "women on the other hand, are more likely to be casually, but irreparably, wounded such as when Barbara Gordon's (the original Batgirl) spine was shattered by the Joker just for fun and has been restricted to a wheelchair for over a decade now" more

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the dark knight of the moon - Aug 21, 2022 (edited)

okay, but 1?

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