Assessment

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1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
Batman the Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland is a comic book that takes the Batman story and tells it from the Joker's perspective. It was mature, at the same time the colors and panels were exciting and colorful. The tone of it was that of satire and drama instead of the usual high action we are used to seeing in superhero comics. It explores the Joker's backstory as well as takes a closer look at his codependent relationship with Batman.

2. What connections did you make with the work you just read? Discuss the elements of the work with which you were able to connect.
In this comic, I was able to relate to the Joker more than I could relate to Batman or the other characters. The story introduces some sympathetic elements such as how he was jobless, with a wife who was pregnant, and no one laughed at his jokes. Although he was a psychopathic murderer, and I do not agree with his actions, the motives behind his actions are founded in some form of a rebellion against a society that had turned its back on him. As an artist, I related to the way that he subverted societal normalities in attempts to reveal the uglier, non-sugercoated side of humanity.

3. What changes would you do to adapt this story to another medium? What changes would you make?
I think if this were to be adapted into an animation, I would attempt to set up the connection of the characters a bit more. Because this work is based on a previously existing franchise, many characters are unintroduced and kind of come and go. For example, what was Batman's relationship with Barbara and Gordon. A lot of the comic is very visually developed and has things such as match cuts and features lighting you would see in cinema, which would make for a good movie adaptation. I would also make the style more abstract, because even though the tone of the story is dark, it is juxtaposed with this playful and chaotic overtone.

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