Madness, Power and Violence in Alan Moore's "Batman: The Killing Joke". Lunatics in Costumes (eBook)

Essay from the year 2022 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,4, , language: English, abstract: Moore’s novel adds a new layer of perspective on the figure of the hero as well as on the villain - and thus blurs the strong contrast between the good and evil sides of both protagonists - resulting in a grey mélange. The picture of Batman which is nowadays portrayed in some graphic novels is extremely different from the two-dimensional superhero a few decades ago, and Moore’s work has its share in the psychological immersion. But how can we understand the major topics of madness, violence, and power which are common in all Batman comics and superhero franchises and especially in Alan Moore’s "Batman: The Killing Joke?". This question will be answered over the course of this essay.

Every reader of a Batman comic knows that in the end the superhero will finally defeat the bad guys and bring them to justice. Many fans of the series, therefore, claim that the stories in the universe of Batman are not interesting to read because Batman will win, but because of how he will win.

Alan Moore’s "Batman: The Killing Joke" is considered a milestone in the history of comics and graphic novel culture and is often referred to as one of the best graphic novels of all time. What makes the novel more special is that it "was actually supposed to be non-canon, but it was so impactful that it was incorporated into the DC Universe".

Moore provides the reader with the story of how an average nobody transformed into the villain who is throughout popular culture known as Batman’s greatest foe and the embodiment of chaos and destruction. It is revealed that Joker is the product of a sequence of tragic events that turn a loving and caring husband into a murdering psychopath who wants to hold up the mirror to the world and society. But the story goes way beyond that as it also sheds a light upon the way Batman feels for his opponent, how Barbara Gordon became the mastermind behind Batman’s high-tech and questions the way of how we as readers have to interpret the dazzling figure of the superhero Batman and his actions.