People remark on every era of the comic book genre in different terms. It starts with the Golden Age (1938-1950), then the Silver Age (1956-1970), followed by the Bronze Age (1970-1985), and the Modern Age (1985-Present). And the beginning of the Modern Age is regarded as when comics “Grew up” Writers like Frank Miller and Alan Moore had taken Comics writing to an unbelievably dark artform. Writing and artwork in comics seem to ebb and flow regarding importance. With things like Watchmen, Swamp Thing, and Batman: The Killing Joke Writers were king. And today many of those books are looked back on fondly and even used as inspiration for large scale movies today. All of this brings me to the fact that Batman: The Killing Joke is getting an ‘R’ rating when it releases later this year as an animated film.
If any Batman story deserves an R rating, it’s certainly this one. Sure I could think of a few more grizzly ones, but this one means something to fans. And it means something to Batman. Joker’s origin is a very fluid thing. “If I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!” But this book puts into perspective how tortured, and horrible one man can become if he just has one bad day. R rated comic book movies have just started to become a thing. And seeing an Animated R-rated comic book movie done by the same people who did Batman: The animated series might be a shock to the system. But this is the progression we’ve been set on ever since that cartoon originated. Just like comic books starting out earnest and compelling to only then turn into dark and gritty a short time later.
Regardless of your opinions on the book itself. The Killing Joke has left a lasting impact on the past thirty years of Batman, And an even bigger impact on Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. Meant to be a one-off book that didn’t tie into the larger Dc comics continuity Alan Moore crippled Barbara Gordon and brought the Gordon family to its breaking point. But the book doesn’t dive very deep. You’re supposed to read with an invested knowledge about Batman, the Joker, and the Gordon Family. That’s why Bruce Timm and Co. are adding much-deserved backstory to characters like Barbara and Jim Gordon. Characters who are used as pawns by the Joker to show how awful one person can be. Batgirl means something to Gotham she’s not some woman who is caught in the middle of this two-person war.
Movie ratings over the years have fluctuated, Bruce Timm mentioned before the film was rated that they might be able to get away with a PG-13 rating while also staying faithful to the source. PG-13 has sort of become a catch-all for every movie these days, and especially for Comic books. But seeing The Killing Joke make the R rating should be a sign to fans that this is a step above most straight to Blu-ray animated movies. Not regarding quality, most of the DC animated movies are well made and worth the watch. But this one can signify a sort of end point not only for the characters arcs but also for the actors. Now in no way do I want to live in a world were both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are not portraying Batman and The Joker. But Mark Hamill has repeatedly retired from the role and on every occasion, he has said that he would always come back for The Killing Joke. This character means something to Hamill, and this book is the closest we will come to an accepted origin of the Joker for both fans and DC itself.
Batman has lost plenty of sidekicks over the years but Barbara being paralyzed has left the biggest impact on the DC universe. From becoming Oracle to then starting the Birds of Prey. And then returning to Batgirl with the emotional scars left over. It’s probably time the character move on from the ordeal and start to find some new story lines. But Alan Moore leaves Barbara in a useless state in the book. She’s mostly a narrative tool. I expect Timm and Co. to delve deeper than that and even give Barbara agency in the movie and not merely a victim. If this were anyone else making the alterations to such a sacred text, me and many other fans would begrudgingly accept it. But because this is Bruce Timm we’re talking about I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that this movie will be what it’s supposed to be, great.
In some ways, The Killing Joke is a culmination of the old Animated series beloved by so many. A movie that has been talked about but never started then when it began production it was canceled. But now it rises again because why not? We aren’t getting any younger. Batman and Joker these two opposites locked in a never ending fight. It’s so tragic it reminds me of a joke, “See, there were these two guys in a lunatic asylum…”
