The Killing Joke: Original vs Recolored

[cyberghostface]

With the rerelease of 'The Killing Joke' a few years ago Brian Bolland opted to recolor the original art to his liking as John Higgins' coloring wasn't what he intended the book to look like. This of course has proven to be controversial and has been compared to George Lucas messing around with Star Wars.

I'm in the minority but I actually prefer the new recolors with some exceptions. The big difference is that the original is much more garish and psychedelic whereas the new colors are much more stark and muted.

My only real issue is that the original coloring is technically out of print and not at all available in a digital format. DC is rectifying this somewhat with 'The Absolute Killing Joke' which contains both coloring so hopefully the original will be available in some capacity in the near future.

The one bit where I prefer the original colors are the scenes with Joker's funhouse at the end.









So yeah I think given the surroundings and what Joker's trying to do the garish colors work better and the more muted look doesn't capture the insanity as well. The "throne" with Joker doesn't have that oompf with the plain colors.

Another big change was the flashbacks; in the new recolor they're all black and white except for the color red culminating with the helmet and cape of the Red Hood.





Ultimately I really like the black and white coloring with use of red but Joker bleeding from the eyes as opposed to just crying was in my opinion an unnecessary change. I prefer the idea that Joker is laughing and crying at the same time.

I think the ending scene between Batman and Joker works better with the new colors.









From a visual perspective I just think the scene works better with the more gothic coloring over the garish one. I think it's a powerful moment and one of the best Batman/Joker scenes and the psychedelic coloring doesn't suit the story as much when we're out of the funhouse.

Curious as to which colors you prefer and why.

Comments

[starwolf_oakley]

So, is Alan Moore really trying to say something about mental illness with TKJ? I've mentioned I don't like stories where characters say someone went crazy from a moral failing, like Carol Danvers did about Wanda Maximoff.

Still, there's a difference between "Someone goes through horrible stuff and it affects him or her" and "Someone goes through horrible stuff and he or she goes insane."

Rolling back the clock, I see Batman hating Hal Jordan for going insane after Coast City was destroyed BECAUSE of the Joker's "One Bad Day" theory. That makes more sense than "Batman hated Hal for not being afraid of him."

[lego_joker]

I think he said in the script that he was "just" futzing about, looking to see whether he could add depth to the single shallowest character in Batman's rogues gallery (survey says: no, but it was a good try, Alan).

[cyberghostface]

Idk I think he succeeded, to me the problem is other writers missed the point and tried to top it by making Joker more and more despicable to the point where he cut off his own face and wore it as a mask.

IMO the final joke about the two escaped patients is one of the most tragic and poignant takes on the Batman/Joker relationship.

[alicemacher]

Also, subsequent writers tried to top TKJ simply by turning Joker into a killing machine, sometimes with god mode powers. Which misses the point because in TKJ he kills only (heh... only) one person, the co-owner of the carnival. What was new about Moore's take wasn't the lethality of the Joker's crimes but their visceral and horrific nature, not to mention the motive behind them.

[cyberghostface]

I don’t think Moore intended for there to be a meaaage regarding mental illness at least.

One of the reasons why he’s pooh-poohed TKJ is he says it doesn’t have a greater message beyond “Batman and Joker are more similar than they’d like to admit” which according to him is only profound to Batman fans and meaningless to anyone else. To me that’s kind of a silly criticism, a story about the Batman and Joker doesn’t need to have something new to say on the human condition but he’s entitled to his opinion.

[lego_joker]

If nothing else he probably regrets spending 46 pages and Brian Bolland slaving two years over a message that probably could've been knocked off in a four-page farce. IIRC it's the longest single thing he wrote for DC that's "just" about DC.