There is perhaps no greater Batman/Joker tale than “The Killing Joke,” the Alan Moore penned tale that gave us a glimpse into what may have been the true origin of the Clown Prince of Crime (or not, given the Joker admits even he is not sure what his true origin is, and like Patrick Bateman in the book “American Psycho,” is an unreliable narrator). And this tale is finally getting an animated film adaptation. And I am excited for that, because thus far DC is killing it with its animated features.
Above is a redrawn version of the film’s trailer by Emil Ryderup . And, frankly I really like how that one looks. Here is the official trailer:
So when the official trailer dropped, many people wondered why it was so dark in its visuals, given how the source material’s original version used a lot of colors that helped show off the madness of the Joker’s world. I wasn’t even aware that the colors from this book were changed until recently. I have only read the original version with the use of bright oranges, reds and yellows, so that was sort of a surprise to me.
So, I’m guessing this is why the animated feature looked somewhat different from what I remembered (it’s been years since I have read this. Also, it was one of the first Batman books I owned, which I somehow attained at the age of 8-years old).
Either way, while I prefer the fan-made version posted above, I am still excited to see this film, which I am also glad got an R rating, because this is a pretty messed up book. Also, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill return to voice the characters of Batman and the Joker. The digital version comes out July 26 and the DVD/Blu-Ray arrives August 2.
The JOE-DOWN 