Status Updates From Batman: The Killing Joke

The Joker’s goal is to pull someone into insanity through 1 bad day, to prove that his insanity is a normal reaction to what he’s been through, that any sane person would do the same.

The way Alan parallels this with his backstory is masterful. It’s also revealing for the Joker’s motivations. He wants to pull everyone into insanity alongside himself as a defense mechanism to justify his insanity.

Jack is so different from the Joker, yet the same.

He’s completely known and understood. He had a girlfriend and child, and struggles to afford tent, things that are tragically relatable. At the end of Jack’s first scene, we get a glimpse of him in the mirror, and see that he is the same person as the joker. It’s jarring that we “know” the joker’s origin, when he is a being shrouded in horrific mystery.

Jack’s story is written so tragically. The story of a man unable to provide for his family is tragic enough, but adding that he is an unsuccessful stand up comedian really tugs at your heartstrings. He’s falling a part and the reader feels nothing but pity.

His interactions with his wife and those at the comedy club, indicate that no one respects him, and those close to him pity him, and he knows it.

Seeing Jack is almost as chilling as seeing the Joker. The thought that the other-worldly monster that is the Joker could have ever been a man with a girlfriend and child is a horrifying thought. Despite its horror, his backstory is genuinely heartbreaking. Feeling empathy for Joker is impossible, but Alan’s writing demand’s empathy for Jack.

The patient name-plate on Joker’s door on the asylum reads “Name Unknown”, creating a dark and haunting persona of the Joker. From the outset, the joker is painted more like an alien monster than a man. He’s presented as an unsolveable, horrible mystery, a cold case that is better left closed.

This heightens the suspense, but also heightens the contrast between “The Joker” and “Jack”.

The art does a good job at telling the story without words. The facial expressions and body language are crafted to perfection to explain what the characters are feeling at any given moment. The colors are surprisingly vibrant without getting in the way of the dark vibe of the story.

Read this a while back and really liked it, but I don’t know if I really appreciated the full scope of it, especially Alan Moore’s writing.

Since I last read it, I read Watchmen which made me read comics differently. I’ve been wanting to read this back ever since.