The animated adaptation of one of the best Batman comic books around, The Killing Joke, is set to premiere at Comic Con with a home media release date just a couple weeks following that. Are you excited? Because I certainly am. Considering how well WB Animation adapted The Dark Knight Returns, I can’t wait to see how they bring one of the darkest stories to life.
A couple days ago, iTunes posted the following description for the adaptation:
“What does it take for a person to snap? How much despair for a mind to fracture? These are the twisted questions that The Joker has set out to answer, to show Gotham that even an ordinary man like Commissioner Gordon is only one bad day away from sheer insanity. Based on the acclaimed DC Comics graphic novel, witness a journey into the dark psyche of the Clown Prince of Crime. Follow his humble beginnings as a struggling comic to his fateful encounter with the Dark Knight that changed everything. Fueled by the return of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker, witness the birth of a super villain, the fortitude of a hero and the punch line that will leave you speechless.”
“The punch line that will leave you speechless”? My first thought is that it’s likely they’re simply referring to Joker crippling Barbara Gordon, or the implied sexual assault, or even Gordon’s mad ride. But then, there’s a sneaking suspicion that they may be hinting at some new material.
I can only speculate that they’ll provide a definitive interpretation of the ending and listen to Grant Morrison… which is something that I really hope they don’t do. The ambiguity of that scene is really important because how you interpret the ending reflects how you view the Batman. I’d just rather not be told what Batman actually did to the Joker.
What do you think?
Batman: The Killing Joke hits physical and digital shelves on August 2nd.