Batman The Killing Joke Special Ed HC Hardcover – Special Edition, 1 April 2008

THE essential Batman classic. Theres a reason this book is so popular among just about everyone. compelling, gripping, thought provoking and disturbing all at the same time this is a psychological thriller that will leave you thinking long after you've shut the book. After reading some of the very very few negative reviews for this book I should add that this book does have a mature theme and may not be the best book for children as it may and going by the reviews obviously has upset them. This is the book that effectively shaped the Joker for the future. we all know hes been a Murdering Mad Man in the past but this is the first proper look we get inside his head. Not only do we see him at his best here but also at his worst as he commits what could be deemed as his first proper DC universe altering atrocity (But certainly not his last).The story is about the Joker trying to prove that its not just him that's crazy he wants to prove that the world is crazy and in comparison hes normal and its the rest of us that are warped. he goes about this by capturing the sanest and grounded person he can think of, Commissioner Gordon, and then proceeds to do unthinkable things to show that all it takes is one really bad day for even the most rational man to engulfed by insanity.The characters are all at there strongest The Joker especially, for obvious reasons this is the book that Mark Hamill used to base his Joker persona around for the Batman: Animated Series. Jokers never been so lovable one minute then disgusting the next hes definitely at his best here and alot stronger than he is in the New 52 as he doesn't need to be "Gored up" to be scary it just comes naturally with his psychosis in this book. This book also marks the death of the original Batgirl and the birth of Oracle and the way its done is great just a few frames before Barbara Gordon is confronted by the joker you get the real impression of happiness in her eyes and then the tone changes completely and chillingly. I could analyse all the characters but there's little point, this book is about the joker he is the main character he is the hero of the book and the villain stealing the show from all angles.The Art is beautifully detailed and presented, with solid drawings and practical use of colourings and shading to set the tone just right all the way throughout. I especially liked the detail to the eyes its done so well you can tell exactly what the characters thinking and feeling without even having to read the accompanying words.No other book deserves five stars more, this is and always will be a classic and up to this date no writer has come anywhere close to a joker story matching it. You need this book!!Contains Batman: The Killing Joke #1 and Batman: Black and White #4

Before this I had red the Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told collection of short batman stories and so as I wanted to read more, this was the first thing I found from the net. And I was totally surprised. You can read reviews of the comic story itself elsewhere but I'll give you a little opinion: The art is aboslutely amazing, very detailed, considered and vibrant, Joker looks just totally sickening and some frames just make your heart stop for . And the story might be one of the best and deepest stories I have ever heard. It's simple but really toughtful as the story explains the motives of joker. Is he trying to prove that the humanity is a hopeless, sickening joke just to get attention and help, or is he gone totally insane, or something else? It's all about characters and their psychologies; what would you do after somebody you really cared about was suddenly taken away from you? How would you survive? In this way Batman's and Joker's characters mirror each other and make you think about the real people who try to prove that their lives are sad and worthless because the world is evil and incurable. In the ending of the Killing Joke there's one frame where Joker's shell starts to brake and for a second this evil character transforms into something sad, or even sympathetic. And it ends with Joker telling a joke that perfectly captures the relationship between batman and joker. And Batman understands.The introduction by Tim Sale and the afterword by Brian Bolland are written with sincerity and are totally worth a read. It also includes a morally questionable short story (8 pages) written and drawn by Brian Bolland that is surprisingly good and effective short story, even though it's pretty shocking and off-putting (even more than the actual Killing Joke story) as a boy implies that he would be ready to tie up a little girl and do perverted things to her just to ruin the lives of her family. But it's still a pretty neat extra. The book also includes a double page with some sketches for the Killing Joke as well as for the extra short story and every picture includes a caption from the artist himself. It's good as long as it lasts: I would have liked to see even more character concepts and sketches, but I'm glad that they included some of them anyway.The overall design of the book is black and beautiful, the iconic art on the dust jacket (which you'll really get only after reading the book)and the black-and-purple hard cover art are just as good as it gets. I think this might be the best comic I'll ever encounter. Or maybe that's going to be Watchmen after I get my hand on that.

The Joke will not be on you if you buy this mini graphic novel.Short points:-Great art, fantastic. It's clear beautifully coloured in this new edition. So much detail that the panels with no dialogue speak for themselves. The Joker's backstory is constanly in a grey sepia almost, making it clear when the story cross cuts between the past and the present.-The dialogue/script is great. Full of emotion, downside that maybe there is not enough, but bringing in more will take away the fantastic art by Brian Bolland! The flow of the story is fast paced, but not so much you lose control and not understand what the hell is going on.-Hardback. Great for keeping the book in good condition, avoiding pages being bent accidently or if dropped.-"An innocent Guy" story at the end which is about 5 pages, but really good. Interesting veiw of life from a normal guy in an unormal world. Extra files of Brian Bolland shows just how the front cover image of the Joker actually came to surface!Some would say this book is too short, and I couldn't agree more. But it's a pure classic for not only Joker fans, but Batman fans.Yes, I did say that the right way round. This book not only expresses Joker's inner thoughts and feelings on the world, in some small parts we see how Batman feels about The Joker in this world and questions: "How can two people hate so much without KNOWING eachother"It's pricey, but you won't regret it.