★★★★★ 5
You only need 64 pages to tell an amazing story.
Format: Hardcover
Before reading The Killing Joke, I've ready V for Vendetta and Watchmen. Both are other graphic novels written by Alan Moore. I had no idea what to expect, but a friend of mine did call this (in his opinion) the greatest graphic novel of all time. I think it's damn near close to it.
The Good:
I love Batman. Doesn't matter where he is. Nolan movies? Arkham series? Comics? They're all awesome, so of course I was gonna love Batman in this story too. The joker is also a stand out character obviously. I hate to love the joker because he's that awesomely terrible. It's amazing. This story isn't so much about Batman fighting bad guys as it is about proving the joker wrong. "All it takes is one bad day." Well does it? Batman (and Gordon) are pushed to their limits as they not only try to stop the joker, but prove him wrong. By the end of the story, you wonder who TRULY won that night. I won't give any spoilers, but the ending does make you wonder. You see what I mean? It's psychologically complex and disturbing. It really makes worry about the outcome of ALL the characters. One thing I liked from another comic, Batman: Hush, was the use of other DC characters to progress the story, but I really liked how The Killing Joke told another amazing story with less character in less pages. I also really like that short story after the end of the main story. I'm glad it was there.
The Bad:
There really isn't all that much bad. I mean I would have loved for it to be longer, but I still enjoyed it for what it is. That's really my only complaint. It just a little too short, and I wanted to keep on reading.
Final Verdict:
I don't know if it's the greatest graphic novel of all time, but I loved it and I think everyone else who reads it will love it too. I mean I read the whole thing is one sitting in less than an hour. I literally could not put the book down. BUT! There's a lot of very disturbing moments in the story, so know what you're getting yourself into. I mean the animated movie adaption for this book is rated R!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2016
