Week 13: The Killing Joke
“All it takes is one bad day to drive the sanest man alive to lunacy.”
1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
I'm quite the fan of the Batman Saga, but before reading The Killing Joke I hadn't known anything
about the Joker's backstory, aside from him falling into a vat of chemicals that left him with his signature
look and a heightened sense of insanity. With the recent release of the live action film, Joker, I had more expectations for his backstory in this comic. Yes what he went through was tragic,
but I thought it could have been more so to 'justify' him turning into a psychopath that didn't trust
anybody. Regardless, this piece inspired sympathy for the character.
about the Joker's backstory, aside from him falling into a vat of chemicals that left him with his signature
look and a heightened sense of insanity. With the recent release of the live action film, Joker, I had more expectations for his backstory in this comic. Yes what he went through was tragic,
but I thought it could have been more so to 'justify' him turning into a psychopath that didn't trust
anybody. Regardless, this piece inspired sympathy for the character.
2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss what elements of the story with which you
were able to connect?
were able to connect?
I actually felt pretty disconnected from the story. I couldn't relate to the Joker's problems in the past,
and I especially couldn't relate to the final monologue when (i guess it's the writer?) talking about doing
one really bad thing so he can decide if he's really a good person. Yes we are all capable of good and
evil, but the things he was talking about doing to a little girl- I've never played with an idea as evil as
that in my head.
and I especially couldn't relate to the final monologue when (i guess it's the writer?) talking about doing
one really bad thing so he can decide if he's really a good person. Yes we are all capable of good and
evil, but the things he was talking about doing to a little girl- I've never played with an idea as evil as
that in my head.
3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you
choose; what changes would you make?
choose; what changes would you make?
I think it might be fun to adapt this story for the stage. I'd keep the sequence of events pretty much the
same, changing between flashbacks and the present time. I think we'd have to reel back on certain
obscenities for it to be a little more appropriate, excluding nude photos of Barbara, and lighten up the
torture on Gordon.
same, changing between flashbacks and the present time. I think we'd have to reel back on certain
obscenities for it to be a little more appropriate, excluding nude photos of Barbara, and lighten up the
torture on Gordon.
4. In what ways does this story differ from the typical expectations the reader might have for a
superhero story?
superhero story?
The story even brings up this up- in typical heroic stories, everything is straight forward- the good
guy wins and the bad guy gets what he deserves, but this particular story looks into the psyche of
the bad guy, and you find out why he is the way he is and that he doesn’t trust anyone to help him.
People are more complicated than good vs evil- this is exemplified in the monologue at the end.
guy wins and the bad guy gets what he deserves, but this particular story looks into the psyche of
the bad guy, and you find out why he is the way he is and that he doesn’t trust anyone to help him.
People are more complicated than good vs evil- this is exemplified in the monologue at the end.
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