In Class Questions; BATMAN THE KILLING JOKE
1) What is your reaction to the text you just read?
To be honest I don't think I've ever read anything so dark before. I think the best way to describe it is there is a little knot in my stomach. Batman is my favorite male super hero and the Joker my favorite male villain, and to see this version of them was unnerving. Honestly I'm not entirely certain why either, it's not like they were doing anything out of the ordinary.
2) What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you were able to connect.
They were having the same struggle they always have "Do we kill each other? If so who pulls the trigger first, and is that even necessary?" so it's not like there was anything earth shatteringly disturbing about it. I think the way Allen wrote it and the way the artist drew it adds to the punch of the comic. You have some really beautiful transitions between "scenes" flash backs and such. It's a very fluid and cohesive story, you get a real sense of pacing and speed. But I think what most made this story so unnerving was how normal they made the joker appear in his memories. How he acted with his wife, a guy just trying to make it work and live a dream at the same time. How much he really cared about her, genuinely, cared about her and wanted to do right by her. He never had any intention to become what he did and I think that is honestly the most difficult thing about this story. The Joker is almost objectified, like he is Bruce's subconscious personified so that we can see a physical struggle to match the internal one. So even though he is a terrifying villain we are able to withdraw ourselves from him and feel safe because we know he isn't a real person, and the chances of something in reality being his level of fucked up are incredibly slim. However with this telling, he felt human, he felt normal, he felt weak and vulnerable. There is a specific shot where he breaks down in front of his wife, saying it's so hard when he's on stage and no one laughs, and how degrading and embarrassing that is. He breaks down crying in her lap. What?!?!??!!??!!? The Joker crying in his WIFE'S lap?!?!?!?!??!!? He's human, he's afraid, he's touchable......He's relatable. I could always relate to the objectified Joker and what he would say because we were given permission as the audience to do so because Bruce related to what he said. If the hero does it, it must be ok right? That was another thing about this version, Batman has come to this uneasy passive understanding with where he is in this relationship with the Joker. It's as though he has given up the idea of "defeating" the Joker and has come to terms with the fact that he is one and the same with the Joker, an equal. NO!!!! This goes against what we have been taught out entire lives!! Heroes rise above the villains they aren't accepting of them and accepting of the fight they fight. In this telling though they really push the fact or Batman and the Joker almost being one in the same person. This is a fact that they bring up but will more skim over it in order to keep the Batman superior to the villain. In actuality though they are two sides to the same coin...you relate to Batman in his fighting his demons, and you relate to the Joker in his acceptance of his demons....Damn....Never in my life did I think I'd relate to the joker so much...HA...HA...HA...HA..HA...HA..................HAAAAAAAAAAAA!
3) What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
I'm a Computer Animations Major. This story would be incredible done in the style of the Spider-verse or in a collage style. The Spiderverse would permit the dynamism and vibrance that the story would benefit from having. But the collage style would help enforce the lack of mental stability and chaos that the story thrives off of. I feel were I to change anything about the story it would be bringing in the commissioner and his daughter. While I know and understand their importance and place in the world it seemed strange that it was the commissioner who was throne through the Jokers mental joy ride. And why shoot his daughter? To insight a heavier response from Batman? No because Batman was already after the Joker enough. It just seemed strange and a little out of nowhere. You'd almost be better off just pulling in a random person and be able to play with that character and evoke a stronger emotional response from them. Having a random person would also drive how batman's point of "Normal people are stronger than you think."
Just a few thoughts on the story. I really loved it.
To be honest I don't think I've ever read anything so dark before. I think the best way to describe it is there is a little knot in my stomach. Batman is my favorite male super hero and the Joker my favorite male villain, and to see this version of them was unnerving. Honestly I'm not entirely certain why either, it's not like they were doing anything out of the ordinary.
2) What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you were able to connect.
They were having the same struggle they always have "Do we kill each other? If so who pulls the trigger first, and is that even necessary?" so it's not like there was anything earth shatteringly disturbing about it. I think the way Allen wrote it and the way the artist drew it adds to the punch of the comic. You have some really beautiful transitions between "scenes" flash backs and such. It's a very fluid and cohesive story, you get a real sense of pacing and speed. But I think what most made this story so unnerving was how normal they made the joker appear in his memories. How he acted with his wife, a guy just trying to make it work and live a dream at the same time. How much he really cared about her, genuinely, cared about her and wanted to do right by her. He never had any intention to become what he did and I think that is honestly the most difficult thing about this story. The Joker is almost objectified, like he is Bruce's subconscious personified so that we can see a physical struggle to match the internal one. So even though he is a terrifying villain we are able to withdraw ourselves from him and feel safe because we know he isn't a real person, and the chances of something in reality being his level of fucked up are incredibly slim. However with this telling, he felt human, he felt normal, he felt weak and vulnerable. There is a specific shot where he breaks down in front of his wife, saying it's so hard when he's on stage and no one laughs, and how degrading and embarrassing that is. He breaks down crying in her lap. What?!?!??!!??!!? The Joker crying in his WIFE'S lap?!?!?!?!??!!? He's human, he's afraid, he's touchable......He's relatable. I could always relate to the objectified Joker and what he would say because we were given permission as the audience to do so because Bruce related to what he said. If the hero does it, it must be ok right? That was another thing about this version, Batman has come to this uneasy passive understanding with where he is in this relationship with the Joker. It's as though he has given up the idea of "defeating" the Joker and has come to terms with the fact that he is one and the same with the Joker, an equal. NO!!!! This goes against what we have been taught out entire lives!! Heroes rise above the villains they aren't accepting of them and accepting of the fight they fight. In this telling though they really push the fact or Batman and the Joker almost being one in the same person. This is a fact that they bring up but will more skim over it in order to keep the Batman superior to the villain. In actuality though they are two sides to the same coin...you relate to Batman in his fighting his demons, and you relate to the Joker in his acceptance of his demons....Damn....Never in my life did I think I'd relate to the joker so much...HA...HA...HA...HA..HA...HA..................HAAAAAAAAAAAA!
3) What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
I'm a Computer Animations Major. This story would be incredible done in the style of the Spider-verse or in a collage style. The Spiderverse would permit the dynamism and vibrance that the story would benefit from having. But the collage style would help enforce the lack of mental stability and chaos that the story thrives off of. I feel were I to change anything about the story it would be bringing in the commissioner and his daughter. While I know and understand their importance and place in the world it seemed strange that it was the commissioner who was throne through the Jokers mental joy ride. And why shoot his daughter? To insight a heavier response from Batman? No because Batman was already after the Joker enough. It just seemed strange and a little out of nowhere. You'd almost be better off just pulling in a random person and be able to play with that character and evoke a stronger emotional response from them. Having a random person would also drive how batman's point of "Normal people are stronger than you think."
Just a few thoughts on the story. I really loved it.
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