The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Some Guy With Crayons.

Discuss.

And if you disagree, you'd better have a convincing argument.

"I didn't read it" is not a convincing argument.

 

this the one where the joker kills robin? don't know if it's THE BEST, but I've read it and it's pretty damn good.

 

No, that's "a Death in the Family". And compared to The Killing Joke it's rubbish.

 

Killing Joke is where Joker shoots and paralyzes Barbara "Batgirl" Gordon.

And I'd rank it up as one of the top Batman stories.

 

NO. Not top Batman stories. The *single* best comic. Of all time!

YES.

 

I didn't read it

 

doesn't it end with Batman and Joker laughing or is that a different one?

 

...

 

Correct.

 

You guys need to try harder. HARDER. Come on, there *must* be a better comic than this, you can't let me win!

 

Some guy with crayons?

Thats Brian Bolland of Judge Dredd and more-DC-covers-then-you-can-count fame, also one of the best B+W comic artists that money can buy. I'll agree that he loses some of his mojo in colour thougth.

 

Sorry Yak, I was way to lazy to Google it. And even still, he kicks total ass on that book, total ass. Everything is wonderful.

So, still no takers on a better comic? Come on guys. Come on.

 

He should kick ass on that book, it took him 2 years to do it.

 

I guess someone has never read watchmen.

 

Watchmen doesn't count. It's a series, not a single issue.

Can't argue with The Killing Joke. My original version is framed on the living room wall, and I keep a reprint lying around to thrust in the face of unsuspecting non-comic-readers who make the sad, sad mistake of coming over to visit. Indoctrination by force, says I.

 

that's the one where Barbera Gordon gets shot, correct, and Commisioner Gordon abducted, and at the end Bat's has a laugh?

i have it, got because it was supposed to be fantastic, have read it 2x, and really never thought it was much beyond a "meh". i don't think it holds a candle to pre-total-insanity Frank Miller's take on Batman ~ Year One and Dark Knight Returns. Or even the best episodes of Batman: The Animated Series.

honestly, i've never really understood the whole "Alan Moore" thing. there, ive said it. i'm sorry. take away my comic geek card.

my personel favorite Comic of all time, i think, might be the Therapy issue of X-factor, back around '91/'92, by Peter David and Joe Quesada. an entire group of characters defined to their core with such a simple framing sequence. Also, one of the first itmes it really occured to me (as ateenager) that comics really could be 'mature'.

by the way, did you hear Paul Dini's gonna do a year on Detective Comics following the "one year later" stunt? sign me up, now.

 

Hoo boy, single issues, huh? That's a tough one, especially since you started with The Killing Joke. Some single issues I've read that at least rival it:

Punisher: The End
Fables: The Last Castle
Elementals Special #1
Fell #2

 

I looked to see if I had 'The Killing Joke' but it turned out to be "The Joker's Five way Revenge" still a great story though and part of it was even sdapted into the episode "The Laughing Fish" in Batman: TAS.

Another good single story is "Night of the Stalker" and "Favourite Things"

 

I've always liked Crisis on Infinite Earths # 8:

1.I love George Perez art (better than Bolland's IMHO)
2.Flash's death was probably the comic death that touched me the most.
3.End of a legend kicking ass and going out like the man.

Killing Joke was great, just not that great for me....

EDIT: Oh crap, I meant # 8.   so tired..... :redface:

 

FUN FACT: Alan Moore looks back at his KILLING JOKE writing with disdain (but thinks Brian Bolland did a wonderful job with the art). Check out the interview at http://www.blather.net/articles/amoore/brought_to_light1.html