DC Comics novels - Batman: The Killing Joke

Bought as a present, my husband was very happy with it.

And the stakes are even higher when you take a classic text like Alan Moore’s seminal classic. It is a pivotal moment in the history of the Batman , and the first thing which I noticed when I started reading, is the skill of writer Christa Faust in not using words to recreate the comic, square by square.She reminds you that the Batman is a detective, something often pushed to the background in both movies and books. She uses her skills as a hardboiled crime writer to create a very dark, noir-ish atmosphere, and leaves you space to fill in the the gaps between what has has written, the visuals which Moore and Brian Bolland imprinted on the graphic novel reader, and what the legend of Batman brings with it.Namely a nemesis-scratch the Batman, find the Joker. Their co-dependency reaches toxic, life threatening levels when he gets a little too close to where Bruce Wayne lives -spoiler, the alter ego of Batman is a millionaire playboy.This time, he involves the Gordons, both the Chief Commissioner and his daughter, Barbara, are pawns in the Joker’s game.A origin story, populated with cameos by Gotham’s dark and dangerous lunatics, a look at the back story of looming gothic nightmare, Arkham Asylum and its bones baked in blood, as well as the corrupt city of Gotham itself, served by criminals and law keepers alike. It is a dark and sleazy city which jumps off the page and reminds you that this is the setting which created both Batman and Joker-toxic fraternal twins from the same diseased mother.It is no mean feat to write a novel which brings new insights into a story so deeply entwined in cultural significance,let us not forget that this is possibly one of the darkest tales in Batman’s back catalogue, except for ‘‘A Death In The Family’It has ripples which forever alter the DC Universe, not only in presenting the back story of Joker as a man, a worker who wanted a family, a chemical plant worker with a young family. He dreams of being a stand up comedian until one day, events spiral out of control and show just how easy it is for those teetering on the edge to fall over into madness.As he becomes more and more unreal, his previous persona disappears until there is only Mistah J, on a mission to create the worst day ever for the Batman.Was he trying to push him into madness for punishment or pleasure, how knows, what is clear is just how much the Joker wants to teach Batman an unforgettable lesson, causing him to make choices he doesn’t want to, and do these against his very strict moral code.The links between morality, responsibility and personal obligation to write wrongs are explored through life events, and opportunities presented to both men, whilst examining the psychological impact of why they became who they became.With Commissioner Gordon trapped in a funfair, literally and figuratively in hell, Joker plays trick after trick to break him, convinced that if he can be broken, then anyone can.An archetypal race against time for the Batman takes place against a stark background with very little light shining through.What will happen when Batman and Joker face off, finally? Who wants revenge more ? And who has the more robust reasons for claiming their prize, or incarceration, annihilation, or insanity?This is a fantastic novel, one for every reader who quietly said ‘awww…’ when they turn the final page of the graphic novel. It takes the core strengths of the original one shot and extends to novel length with nary a slip in the timeline, never missing a beat, or fleshing it out with extraneous details so that the reader does not think they have been hoodwinked by a money grabbing opportunity. This is for every reader who wanted more.And we get it. Alongside the origin tale, we get new plotlines relating to Barbara Gordon and her role as Batgirl, which constantly puts her in danger as well as Bruce and Jim Gordon at logger heads. The joke is that in order for her to fulfil her true potential, and be seen by her father, Barbara has to first walk through hell.It does a remarkable job in transferring the pivotal story of the Joker into from one art form, to another, which then urges you to go back to Moore and Bolland’s version.And you know what?Anything which has me spending longer periods in Gotham City and it’s dark, shadowy enclaves is absolutely alright for this reader!

As someone who loves DC and has seen the killing joke movie, I seriously struggled to understand what was even going on half the time in this book. It seems very rushed and overall is quite badly written. I got bored after a while of reading it.

I went into this book with an open mind, I have read the graphic novel so it was the parts that others have described as filler that I was interested in reading. And to be fair it was enjoyable with nods to a few other batman characters, and a continuation of the Harley Quinn character developed in the Mad Love novel. However when I got to page 204 a character is riding on the back of a motorcycle with the Joker it states “he hadn’t wanted to seem weird or gay by clinging to the Jokers waist, so he just clung desperately to the edges of the seat”. This line really soured the whole book for me. The line was not in keeping with the characters personality and did not further any plot point. Very disappointing that it would get printed in 2018.

It was an easy, enjoyable read. From all the mixed reviews I was at first a little worried but soon found out for myself that it was actually quite good. I loved the comic book ‘The Killing joke’ so I found the story easy to get into and follow, the writing style was fluid and light, so it never really felt like a struggle to read. Would definitely recommend to fellow fans of comic book novelisations, it was a good reading experience.

The killing joke is one of my all time favourite Bstman/Joker stories so when this was announced I couldn't wait. Now just finishing it all I can say is at the minute I'm disappointed , I know the original is only 48 pages so I was expecting filler story but for me it was a let down. Hopefully in a couple of weeks once I reread this without my expectations I'll enjoy it more

This is not the graphic novel. This is a novel based on the graphic novel. I got one paragraph in and realised I was reading a novel based on a graphic novel.

When you can get the real thing as a graphic novel, and as an inferior animated film

It's well written if you overlook the gratuitous swear words and the difficulty of turning a visual comic book fight into a story.

regardless of being a Batman fan or not, recommend it to read

Små rutor, mindre pratbubblor. Har du bra syn uppskattas den nog om du gillar Batman. Hört det finns en liknande bok som berättar allt lite annorlunda, som ska tydligen vara bättre. Lätt att vara efterklok! Båda heter Killing Joke men Jokern har en kamera på omslaget.Övrigt var den i helt okej skick. Första bok jag fått som inte verkar "använt" eller "sliten" på något sätt. Tyvärr är designen inuti boken med minimal text som drar ner betyget rent allmänt.

The book is similar to the one showed and it's an original. The paper quality is also good. But if you are looking for a comic book then you would be disappointed because this is a novel. I wanted to buy a comic but by confusion I bought this. But the novel is good too.

...the original comic is absolute. Like the animated movie adaption there is a lot of, I guess the right word is, filler before the true prose adaption of Killing Joke begins. THAT is the best, and only, way to experience this classic story. And if you love the comic enough and want to explore a different take on it, then try this book. It written well enough, yet not as good as Mad Love.In saying that, I myself as a mad fan of anything Batman and hardcovers am happy to still have this in my collection, regardless of its few narrative flaws. The cover art is absolutely amazing. I just personally think they should of adapted any other classic Batman story to prose over Killing Joke.Next up on my list: The Court of Owls novel.