While many Joker stories DO copy a lot from this one, I found the Killing Joke to be far superior to any, even knowing all the cliches. Hopefully the fact that it does them so much better will help it when seen by newer fans.
Though, crippling Barbara was NOT A good move. Even Alan Moore regretted that one.
Alan Moore may have regretted it, but funnily Barbara found herself in a new iconic role as the Oracle. Which many people took a liking to. So I see it as a mixed bag. But this story is very strong even today.
That is true, but I see it more like someone managing to get something good out of a bad idea.
Moore didn\'t write the scene with any notion that Oracle would be the result later down the line, so frankly he really can\'t be given that much credit there. I don\'t even know if it was crippling Barbara per se that really gets my goat or that it was done (in story) ONLY to cause Jim Gordon angst. It\'s a classic \'Woman In Fridges\' situation and frankly Moore is or at least ought to be better than that... as he himself has acknowledged in fairness.
"These 'no-nonsense' solutions of yours just don't hold water in a complex world of jet-powered apes and time travel."
I think the editor are to blame here as well, as if I recall correctly, Moore himself said that they should have reined him in with Barbara. Instead...I might be wrong about this, but I believe Moore asked if it was okay to do so, and the response he got back was "cripple the bitch".
Oh God! Natural light!
^You\'re actually right on the money. Moore said that in hindsight, that should have made him reconsider, but at the time he just found it a bit off.
I\'ve read it, and it\'s good. Also, my interpretation of it is that the Joker succeeds in driving Batman insane at the end. I arrived at this conclusion because if Joker\'s line: \"One bad day can break someone.\" or whatever it was. Yes, Gordon had a terrible day. But he pulled through in the end and kept his sanity. Batman had it even worse and his sanity shattered.
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An unforgivable masterpiece... but a masterpiece nonetheless.
Where to begin with this slim little 46-page comic? It might be the most iconic Joker comic today, and its presence is guaranteed on most "Best Batman stories" lists. The late Heath Ledger's endorsement alone probably sent thousands running to order it online.
First off... this isn't a pretty story. Some fans rightfully chew out Barbara's crippling as one of the most gruesome scenes in comic-book history, and for no other reason than to generate drama - to say nothing of Jim Gordon's torture. The only defense I have on that count is that this book was written in an age where such things had not become a trope in and of themselves, at least where comics were concerned.
And actually, that's something that plagues most of the book. Most every Joker story since 1988 has relentlessly picked this story's bones clean, with ever-escalating degrees of violence and nihilism and Foe Yay dialogue with Batman that becomes less and less subtle every time. It was interesting, even revolutionary, the first time (perhaps second, if you think The Dark Knight Returns is what really got the ball rolling) around, but the thirtieth? Given that most Batman fans will have read at least one post-1988 Joker story beforehand, no wonder so many of them call this comic overrated when they finally read it.
But that's not to say this book isn't worth reading in and of itself. Alan Moore is rightfully called one of the masters of the comic-book medium, and even if you don't care for the book's content, the execution alone is a work of art. It's rich with Watchmen influences: Moore's trademark nine-panel grids, laconic (or even silent) scenes, and symbolism galore. Some of the dialogue might sound a bit hokey, but other bits - especially the Joker's first scene - are goldmines of Gallows Humor that most writers today couldn't dream of matching.
And if nothing else: pretty pretty Brian Bolland art. Bolland is one of the few artists who can blend Uncanny Valley levels of realism with the cartoonish energy of Batman's world near-seamlessly. Every page is lush with detail, and his Joker in particular can go from terrifying to tragic to downright likable in the same page, or even the same panel.
I suppose I should conclude with something about the ending. I think that...