The Killing Joke
My indexing of titles that begin with Batman finally comes to an end with this not quite perfect gem, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. Bolland has done a lot of incredible work. This is one.
Since Moore wrote this, expect my entry to be peppered with quotes from the tale his ability to write sharp, memorable, dialog that capture the essence of the characters and story is unsurpassed in comics.
This one-shot is the first ever stab at an origin for the Joker. But Moore, being the genius he is, makes it clear that it is possibly the Joker s origin, but we can t be sure. Or as Joker famously puts his memory of his origin:
Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another. If I m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice.
The tale opens with 3 pages of silence setting the stage for a dark and stormy night at Arkham Asylum. The first line after building up the reader s anticipation with the silence?
There were these two guys in a lunatic asylum
The premise of the story is the Joker trying to prove that:
All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy.
Batman had one bad day and became the fanatical lawman, the Batman. Joker had his bad day, recounted here, and it drove him to be the fanatical homicidal maniac, the Joker.
Joker s target in the scheme is James Gordon. Joker cripples Barbara Gordon to try and get Gordon to snap. Gordon, doesn t, despite going through some graphically unpleasant torture. Batman than captures the Joker:
Joker: Why aren t you laughing?
Batman: Because I ve heard it all before and it wasn t funny the first time.
Batman wants Joker to know that Gordon s refusal to break despite his bad day means that Joker s bad day is no excuse for what he s become:
Maybe it was just you, all the time.
Wow.
That s a powerful line and I can not think of anything more deflating that Batman could say to the Joker. If only the story had ended there, it just may have been the most perfect Batman story ever. But Moore had something else in mind as evidenced by the tale s title. After the battle, Joker and Batman talk. Batman pleads with the Joker to change before the two of them inevitably kill each other. For a split second there is a panel where it looks like Joker may be considering the point. But then he responds with a joke that makes it clear he won t change. The joke leads to a release where both of them laugh hysterically with each other. Batman laughing hysterically after Barbara Gordon has been crippled; after James Gordon has been put through the Joker s A-list torture; and after realizing that Joker will never change and that Joker and Batman will one day, inevitably, kill each other (the killing joke as it were)?
The end didn t work for me. Especially as a more logical point to end existed. Cut out the last few pages. Retitle it Batman: The Joke s On You to reflect that Joker learns at the end that it was his weakness that drove him to become the monster that he is and not, as he wants to believe, that anyone would have become the Joker after the tragic day in his past, and I think a great read, becomes a top-notch classic.
Suggesting how an Alan Moore story could be better? Today s special here at the Treadmill is hubris.
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One summer day a man came home early from work and was greeted by his wife dressed in very sexy lingerie and heels.
“Tie me up,” she purred, “and you can do anything you want.”
So, he tied her up and went golfing.
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One sunny day in 2008, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he’d been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the Marine standing guard and said, “I would like to go in and meet with President George W. Bush.”
The Marine replied, “Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer President and doesn’t reside here.”
The old man said, “Okay,” and walked away.
The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, “I would like to go in and meet with President George W. Bush”.
The Marine again told the man, “Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer President and doesn’t reside here.”
The man thanked him and again walked away . . .
The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same Marine, saying “I would like to go in and meet with President George W. Bush.”
The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, “Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I’ve told you already several times that Mr. Bush is not the President anymore and doesn’t reside here. Don’t you understand?”
The old man answered, “Oh, I understand you fine, I just love hearing your answer!”
The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, “See you tomorrow”
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Little Johnny comes home from Catholic school with a black eye. His
father sees
it and says, “Johnny, how many times do I have to tell you not to fight
with the
other boys?”
“But Dad,” said Johnny, “It wasn’t my fault. We were all in church saying
our
prayers. We all stood up and my teacher in front of me had her dress in
the
crack of her butt. I reached over and pulled it out. That’s when she hit
me!”
“Johnny”, the father said, “You don’t do those kind of things to women!
Just
leave it alone!”
Sure enough, the very next day Johnny came home with the other eye black
and
blue. Johnny’s father said, “Johnny, I thought we had a talk about this!”
“But Dad,” Johnny said, “It wasn’t my fault. There we were in church
saying
our prayers. We all stood up and my teacher in front of us had her dress
in
the crack of her butt. Then Louie who was sitting next to me saw it and
he
reached over and pulled it out. But now I know she doesn’t like that, so
I
pushed it back in!”
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The wife came home early and found her husband in their bedroom making love to a very attractive young woman. And was somewhat upset. “You are a disrespectful pig!” she cried. “How dare you do this to me — a faithful wife, the mother of your children! I’m leaving you. I want a divorce straight away!”
And the husband replied “Hang on just a minute love, so at least I can tell you what happened.”
“Fine, go ahead,” she sobbed, ” but they’ll be the last words you’ll say to me!”
And the husband began — “Well, I was getting into the car to drive home and this young lady here asked me for a lift. She looked so down and out and defenseless that I took pity on her and let her into the car. I noticed that she was very thin, not well dressed and very dirty. She told me that she hadn’t eaten for three days! So, in my compassion, I brought her home and warmed up the enchiladas I made for you last night, the ones you wouldn’t eat because you’re afraid you’ll put on weight. The poor thing devoured them in moments. Since she needed a good clean up I suggested a shower, and while she was doing that I noticed her clothes were dirty and full of holes so I threw them away. Then, as she needed clothes, I gave her the designer jeans that you have had for a few years, but don’t use because you say they are too tight. I also gave her the underwear that was your anniversary present, which you don’t use because I don’t have good taste. I found the sexy blouse my sister gave you for Christmas that you don’t use just to annoy her, and I also donated those boots you bought at the expensive boutique and don’t use because someone at work has a pair the same.”
The husband took a quick breath and continued - “She was so grateful for my understanding and help and as I walked her to the door she turned to me with tears in her eyes and said, Please … do you have anything else that your wife doesn’t use?”
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