SDCC: Timm Announces "Batman: The Killing Joke" as Next Animated Project

[Maxpower00044]

People don't get tired of this argument?

- It's extremely influential to the mythos, like it or not. Fictional characters getting killed and crippled is nothing new.

- If you don't like it, don't read it. Definitely don't be the person who says things they don't like shouldn't exist.

- "Alan Moore even hates it so 'me' hating it is the correct answer". Yeah, don't do that either. Odds are Moore is just saying that to add fuel to the fire. I love a lot of the guy's work, but let's not pretend that he's not an A hole to both creators and fans. Plus, there's the fact that it already exists, so even Moore himself can't change that.

- It will probably be the #1 Joker Story on CBR's list, so, that leads me to believe way more people love it than want it off shelves.

[XanatosVanBadass]

Not to mention the "creator hates it so we must respect and honor his feels," can be utterly deconstructed with one name. George Lucas. He hates the theatrical versions of the Star Wars trilogy, so his Special Editions therefore MUST be the better films, right?

[Maxpower00044]

Yeah, any time someone uses the Alan Moore defense, I think of a stray animal cornered. Lol

[XanatosVanBadass]

Now about that cover, well there was a real reason for the outrage about that. Everything the current creative team is doing is about making Batgirl more modern and lighthearted and here is a cover implying she's about to get brutally raped. That's just not cool, man.

The best thing about that whole controversy is that the cover itself got so much butthurt and heat that it completely overshadowed the comic itself. I don't even know what that issue was about. Moreso the cover is still out there on avatars, wall papers, etc. Even on this very forum and its achieved a level of fame and popularity it never would have gotten had the usual suspects not raised a stink over something so minor and non threatening.

Way to make The Killing Joke irrelevant, guys! /s

[ABH]

If some of you haven't noticed by now, the tumblr people are back at it with their complaining. Now they want The Killing Joke to not be filmed, because you know how people on the internet complain. These are the same people that got the Joker Variant cover pulled. This just goes to show that comicbook fans can't have nice things.

An example of someone complaining on the internet
http://www.hitfix.com/harpy/its-time...e-killing-joke

The tumblr people? Why not just criticize the those that wrote the article?

Your entire post is all over the place with placing blame and assuming that all comicbook fans feel the same way that you do...

[Claude]

The best thing about that whole controversy is that the cover itself got so much butthurt and heat that it completely overshadowed the comic itself. I don't even know what that issue was about. Moreso the cover is still out there on avatars, wall papers, etc. Even on this very forum and its achieved a level of fame and popularity it never would have gotten had the usual suspects not raised a stink over something so minor and non threatening.

Yeah, the "ususal suspects" really did behave contemptibly there.

I assume that you, too, mean the pro-cover people who threw death threats around at the idea of "Tumblr" taking way their God-given right to see a crying woman with a gun between her legs on the cover of a comic book?




This is unrelated, of course, to the "Killing Joke" adaption - which is going to be crap. Who's writing this "fifteen minutes of extra material" at the start, and are they as good as Alan Moore? I doubt it.

[XanatosVanBadass]

Yeah, the "ususal suspects" really did behave contemptibly there.

I assume that you, too, mean the pro-cover people who threw death threats around at the idea of "Tumblr" taking way their God-given right to see a crying woman with a gun between her legs on the cover of a comic book?




This is unrelated, of course, to the "Killing Joke" adaption - which is going to be crap. Who's writing this "fifteen minutes of extra material" at the start, and are they as good as Alan Moore? I doubt it.

If you want to believe the narrative that only one side of the argument was slinging mud, a narrative that was created by the Batgirl writer when it was his convenient to his agenda to do so, that's your affair.

Regardless, it doesn't ruin my point. The controversy gave that image more power than it would have otherwise. That's just the truth.

[Claude]

If you want to believe the narrative that only one side of the argument was slinging mud, a narrative that was created by the Batgirl writer when it was his convenient to his agenda to do so, that's your affair.

Not "slinging mud". Sending Death Threats. I'm sure both sides were a bit rude on the internet about it.

And his "agenda" being that he wasn't happy with the idea of that variant cover on his book, and lobbied for it's removal, kinda takes "Tumblrinas" out the equation doesn't it? They didn't steal your Crying Babs, the creative team on the book did.

Regardless, it doesn't ruin my point. The controversy gave that image more power than it would have otherwise. That's just the truth.

Nah. For people invested in such things, it now has power as "they wanted to put this on the book, and the book represents such a different type of Comics that they didn't". For people who thought it was a bad idea to associate it with the title, it is no longer associated with that title.

And for the people who liked it as a piece of art? As you point out, they can enjoy it as a piece of art.

How is that not a Win/Win for everyone concerned?

[Tuck]

- It's extremely influential to the mythos, like it or not.

How? Barbara is no longer paralyzed and the idea of the Joker being insane goes back to the 70s.

- If you don't like it, don't read it. Definitely don't be the person who says things they don't like shouldn't exist.

The author of the article doesn't really say this. She basically says the story is a product of its time and should probably be left there. You can disagree, but it's not a radical idea. No one's clamoring to remake Birth of a Nation.

- "Alan Moore even hates it so 'me' hating it is the correct answer". Yeah, don't do that either. Odds are Moore is just saying that to add fuel to the fire.

He's said it in multiple interviews over the years since the book's publication, even before the internet became this behemoth. And he has given well-reasoned explanations for why he feels the way he does.

[Dark_Tzitzimine]

The author of the article doesn't really say this. She basically says the story is a product of its time and should probably be left there. You can disagree, but it's not a radical idea. No one's clamoring to remake Birth of a Nation.

[AJpyro]

So basically, this happened in a GN. SOmeone wants to make an animated movie of it. Certain people don't want it due to the content within despite the fact that it is for the fans of the GN and making big changes to it (aka the consequences) would just make the whole thing moot.

[Carabas]

The Killing Joke is not a story that has aged well, but it's getting way, way too much blame here.

Editorial had already decided they had no use for the character.
If The Killing Joke hadn't happened she'd probably have ended up being killed off in some event like Invasion! or Armageddon 2001.
She had already retired as Batgirl. Nobody was using the character.

[Robotman]

over the years i've gone from loving this story to hating it. i hate that DC allowed Babs to be sexually assaulted and crippled. a group of men tear the clothes off of a helpless woman and then proceed to photograph her naked against her will is sexual assault. even Alan Moore, who has been accused of having misogynist themes in many of his books, says he went too far.

that being said i'm not gonna rally against this animated movie. i'll just choose not to watch it.

[Badou]

It's a story where a very popular female characters gets brutally attacked, beaten, raped/sexually assaulted and humiliated. At the same time this is a character that is at the forefront of trying to change the role and the perception of female heroes in comics. So there is a huge conflict here. I think the people that are upset have some valid points, at least the ones who don't resort to lashing out do.

I personally think The Killing Joke story is overrated and hasn't aged that well too, but if DC/WB wants to animate it then I'm fine with it. Though I don't think I'd want to see it. I've read it and that is enough for me. I sort of feel that the timing to animate TKJ is really bad though. If they had deiced to animate it several years ago the complaints probably would have been a lot fewer.

[Tuck]

I'm not sure if you're disagreeing with me or making some other point.

But I mentioned Birth of a Nation because it's still considered one of the greatest movies ever made. They still discuss it in film school. It always comes up on best of lists. But no one is looking to modernize it for the 21st century. And if they were, they would certainly re-frame the narrative greatly. I'm not sure that's an option with The Killing Joke. Barbara's assault is integral to the plot. I suppose one thing they could do to mitigate the issue is give us Barbara's perspective on the assault, which is absent in the book. Her assault is something done to Jim in the narrative.

EDIT: Hmmm . . . in Arkham Knight, there's a flashback where Joker shoots Barbara and then just starts snapping pictures. Just him. Not undressing. Might be closer to what they end up doing.