The Killing Joke

I have not read a lot of Batman comics, but this one will probably be my favorite no matter what. The Killing Joke was simply amazing. The insight into the psyche of the Joker is incredibly well done and intense. I like the portrayal of the joker as an intellectual, rather than just a "jokester." I think that it gives his character much more depth to have him give reasons for why he is bad. His description of man kind is particularly bleak. For instance, on page 290 the Joker says, "I give you...the average man! Physically unremarkable, it has instead a deformed set of values. Notice the hideously bloated sense of humanity's importance. The clubfooted social conscience and the withered optimism....How do they live, I hear your ask." He calls humanity club footed and withered, clearly giving a dark outlook on human life. The format of the book sort of reminded me of in Hamlet, when the gravediggers are digging Ophelia's grave make jest of death. Same as in the Swedish film, The Seventh Seal, where the Squire plays chess with death. All three of these characters, the Joker, the gravediggers, and the Squire believe death to be an embittered and hopeless joke. This complexity of the story made it a very sophisticated and interesting read. Besides the story, the artwork was also amazing. Each panel is a masterpiece in itself and as a whole it is an incredible piece of art. One of my favorite panels is the one on the bottom of page 282 where the Joker is looking straight out at the reader with his head tilted sharply sideways. His eyes are bloodshot and the thin, jagged lines that go through it make it even more intense. Everything about it screams insanity. Overall, I really liked this book and the more I think about tit the more I like it. I enjoyed all the conversations between the Joker and Batman, and the back story to how the Joker became the Joker. It has definitely become one of my favorites.