A review by spacecase1701
Batman: The Killing Joke (Deluxe Edition) by Alan Moore

3.0

Here's the thing about The Killing Joke. It's obviously become one of those "important" stories in Batman canon, it's iconic at this point. And don't get me wrong, it's a good story (if very short, even by graphic novel standards) for what it set out to do. The Joker origin, the discussion of "one bad day" and Batman's assertion of the inevitable end of their "relationship" make for a very interesting look at the two characters. But for all its iconic status, I just didn't find myself that crazy about it. The big sticking point is the horrible treatment of Barbara Gordon, a decision even Alan Moore regrets now. DC had no intention of reviving her into Oracle at the time (we have Gail Simone to thank for that) so she's basically cast aside, seemingly permanently, for the sole purpose of motivating the (male) heroes. It's a sad black spot on an otherwise interesting examination of the Joker's motivations.

Brian Bolland's art is great to look at, though having seen images of the original, moodier colouring, the reprinted colours look a lot flatter and don't capture the intended mood as well, which is sad.

All in all, a good story for the Joker/Batman dynamic, but held down by how it badly treated Barbara. Both this book and the animated adaptation just seem to really hate Batgirl.