Alan Moore’s opinion one the Killing Joke

[Jøker]

Quick question why dose Alan Moore dislike his work in the Killing Joke? The comic has gone down as one of the most famous comics of all time yet the author despises it.

[Arsenal]

“I’ve never really liked my story in The Killing Joke. I think it put far too much melodramatic weight upon a character that was never designed to carry it. It was too nasty, it was too physically violent. There were some good things about it, but in terms of my writing, it’s not one of me favorite pieces. If, as I said, god forbid, I was ever writing a character like Batman again, I’d probably be setting it squarely in the kind of “smiley uncle period where Dick Sprang was drawing it, and where you had Ace the Bat-Hound and Bat-Mite, and the zebra Batman—when it was sillier. Because then, it was brimming with imagination and playful ideas. I don’t think that the world needs that many brooding psychopathic avengers. I don’t know that we need any. It was a disappointment to me, how Watchmen was absorbed into the mainstream. It had originally been meant as an indication of what people could do that was new. I’d originally thought that with works like Watchmen and Marvelman, I’d be able to say, “Look, this is what you can do with these stale old concepts. You can turn them on their heads. You can really wake them up. Don’t be so limited in your thinking. Use your imagination.” And, I was naively hoping that there’d be a rush of fresh and original work by people coming up with their own. But, as I said, it was meant to be something that would liberate comics. Instead, it became this massive stumbling block that comics can’t even really seem to get around to this day. They’ve lost a lot of their original innocence, and they can’t get that back. And, they’re stuck, it seems, in this kind of depressive ghetto of grimness and psychosis. I’m not too proud of being the author of that regrettable trend.”
- Alan Moore

[Vakanai]

I don't care what Alan Moore thinks of it now, I'm just glad he wrote it because I love it. At the end of the day that's all that matters, what you the reader feel about it.

[Jøker]

I don't care what Alan Moore thinks of it now, I'm just glad he wrote it because I love it. At the end of the day that's all that matters, what you the reader feel about it.

Amen to that

[Miles To Go]

I used to like it, and my favourite version of Babs spins directly out of it, but I find myself agreeing with Alan the more it's legend grows and as I grow as a writer and a person. It's an edgelord's gateway into Batman. It's not the best representation of either him or The Joker.

[Vordan]

A couple reasons:
1. He thinks trying to make a “realistic” analysis of fictional characters created for children was stupid because they’re not real. Sure Batman is crazy for dressing like a Bat, but is Spider-Man any more sane? Or Superman?
2. He regrets the violence done to Barbara because it was only done to hurt the male characters, Bruce and her father Gordon’s feelings. Barbara herself would’ve been left to rot if Ostrander hadn’t taken that moment and used it to give us Oracle which was a fantastic bit of character development. But it was NOT why she was crippled in that story, she was crippled solely to hurt Batman and Gordon and DC didn’t have any plans to do anything with her after that before Ostrander came along
3. People just copied the edginess without the deeper meanings behind it just like with Watchmen, which angered Moore. People thought just adding murder or rape made your work deeper because TKJ/Watchman had murder in rape in them
4. Moore is a contrarian lmao

[DebkoX]

He is entitled to his opinion, but I respectfully disagree with him. It is a superb piece.

[dancj]

I have issues with The Killing Joke, but none of the ones that Moore mentioned.

To me, its biggest issues are:
1 - Batman barely has a personality in it. He does a good little talk at the beginning, but other than that, he turns up and saves the day, but is pretty one-dimensional.

2 - The resolution is very weak. Gordon just waves it away with "didn't work". Very unsatisfying.

3 - The song.

On the plus side, I love the origin it gave for The Joker.

[Batman1970]

The Killing Joke in and of itself, is a well written piece of comic book reading. I thoght the story was spot on as to describe what is and or COULD BE the Jokker. Now, I can see where Alan is coming from BUT, it is what it is, and what it is, is showing the reader what The Jokker CAN be and is in his mind, when he wishes it so. Make no doubt, he's the MASTER of death, and takes pride in it, AND the Master of mayhem, and loves that, too.

So, love it or leave it. One has to appreciate that it's a Batman story, one that may seem "out there", but hey, its a good one!

[Gurz]

Old age made Alan Moore soft... lol The Killing Joke is his best work and i love it.

[Oberon]

Its brutal, but worthy.

[Jackalope89]

Not particularly fond of it. And find myself agreeing with Moore's quote above.

[phonogram12]

The first half not withstanding, I did see what Moore meant when I watched the animated adaptation. Brian Bolland's artwork and the colors are just so beautiful that they completely blunted just how cruel for cruelty's sake his story is.

All this said, I'd read the f*ck out of a Sprang-inspired Moore Batman story.

[Flash Gordon]

Prolly his weakest link. I can't stand it THE KILLING JOKE.

I say this as someone who loves Moore's work.

[oasis1313]

Quick question why dose Alan Moore dislike his work in the Killing Joke? The comic has gone down as one of the most famous comics of all time yet the author despises it.

It's too pervy. I'm sure Moore liked the paycheck, but now that it's spent, he can diss it all he pleases.