Todd & Joe Have Issues 03/09/17 Batman: the Killing Joke
One of the most well known and, arguably, most influential Batman stories of the last 30 some years comes from the mind of Alan Moore and the pen of Brian Bolland. Supposed to be the ultimate Batman vs. Joker story, but also supposed to be self contained, an elseworlds or ‘what if’ type of tale, but this is why we can’t have nice things.
So much of this story became canon. SOOOO MUCH. The Joker’s origin, the interplay between Batman and the Joker, their entire relationship was changed and shaped entirely by this book. But no impact was felt more than this:
At the time this book was published, Barbara Gordon was no longer Batgirl. Very rarely appearing in any Bat-book. The Killing Joke put her back on the table (no pun intended) but as a new character, Oracle, who became a fixture of the DC Universe. This change, however, has come under much scrutiny over the last 4-5 years, mostly being ignored by many new writers. Don’t let that sway you, grab yourself a copy and judge for yourself!
Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our list.
Perfect timing cuz I’ve been reading the Gail Simone New 52 run in which Batgirl’s dealing with some PTSD fallout from the events. It’s free ta check out on Hoopla too.
Like Dark Knight and Watchmen, i wonder if their ground breaking ends up being a negative, based on all the inferior copycats and those who imitated without the nuances? Other than giving us Oracle and The art, not much to really praise it in hindsight.