The Killing Joke

1. What is your reaction to the text?

I guess I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I've heard so much about how great this arc is supposed to be, but something didn't really click with me. I liked the tension, and I liked the art a lot, and the joker actually seemed dangerous for once as opposed to a comical villain. But something was missing for me, as if I had seen it before. And then comes the ending, which I didn't get. I didn't think it was all that necessary, but in my head I saw it as a comparison of how stupid the rivalry between Batman and the Joker is; that it's like a kid in his room planning on killing a public figure.

2. What connections did you make with the story?
Discuss the elements of the work with which you were able to connect.

Obviously I connected it immediately to Nolan's The Dark Knight. All of the segments where the Joker reminisces on his origin story, I thought "Isn't that, like, not real?" So my prior knowledge made his story a little less believable to me. And then he proves that thought when he goes onto say he doesn't really remember his past, but he likes to think of it as multiple choice.

I do think that the frames are set up quite nicely. In a way, they're very cinematic and are definitely engaging. The art seemed to flow easily from page to page which made the story simple to read and digest.

I definitely think the ending and the beginning are connected in some way (the ending as in before the afterword, where Joker and Batman have a giggle fit). The first frame and the final frame are the same, and I definitely think that symbolizes repetition. Both Batman and the Joker know that they'll never stop going in circles with each other, one always escaping the other, one always thwarting the other, one always tormenting the other. Both of them know that any attempt at peace or an even ground are futile, and that's what the punchline is.

3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium?
What medium would you use?
What changes would you make?

I think The Killing Joke would make a really nice short film. The way the story is physically framed is already very cinematic, so I think it would flow nicely into the world of film. Color theory would definitely come into play as it already is displayed with the highlight of red colors in the Joker's black and white past.

I'd take out the ending (the after the afterword ending), again I don't think it's necessary. Or, if anything, have it at the beginning instead of the end. I'd also like more obvious parallels to the Joker's past and Batman's past. It's very clear that the writer was comparing the origins of the two, and how they're more similar than they are different. But I think a few more in your face hints would be useful, because I didn't really catch the parallels until I read through it again.