“Batman: The Killing Joke” – Alan Moore and Brian Bolland

Sometimes all it takes is a single bad day to turn someone’s world completely upside down. And who better than the mass murdering, psychotic, clown-faced Joker to try and prove it.

Renowned comic writer Alan Moore’s famed graphic novel “Batman: The Killing Joke,” originally published in 1988, has been re-released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of what is widely considered the greatest Joker story ever told.

The new deluxe hardcover edition features vibrant re-coloring done by Brian Bolland to make up for the unattractive blandness of the original, giving this unpleasant tale more life than it has ever had.

The story remains the same though, as Batman discovers the yin to his yang has escaped from the Arkham Asylum for the criminally insane. Of course, this is nothing new, but the Joker quickly puts a stop to the monotony and raises the stakes.

He visits the home of Lieutenant James Gordon and his daughter Barbara (aka Batgirl). He shoots Barbara, paralyzing her and taking photos of her naked body. He then kidnaps her father, and literally tries to drive him insane by showing him the photos.

Why does he do all this? Why has he gone so far over the line? That is all revealed as the novel looks into the Joker’s past. Batman’s agenda throughout the novel is to get the Joker to understand that he wants to help him, because if they continue their ongoing battle, one of them is going to eventually be killed.

Still, the Joker is a loony who has no interest in engaging in logical behavior. All he wants Batman and Gordon to see is that we’re all insane inside. All it takes is one bad day to make someone’s sanity fade away into oblivion.