Inoviso, Mica O.

World Literature

ABLCS 2-1

Understanding the Villain, a Close Reading

Analysis of the Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke, a one-shot graphic novel written by Alan Moore
and Illustrated by Brian Bolland published in 1988. The theme of the story is about
Joker and Batman themselves, a sane and insane man trying to let the world
experienced what they’ve gone through that make them as they are. Joker who
overpowered my madness brought upon the past and Batman who’s trying to make the
world a better place and free from any danger. This paper aims to argue (1) The
Character motivation of Joker (2) The underlying message from the story (3) Identify the
true villain from Batman: the killing joke.

The one-shot graphic novel started with the scenes where Batman or Mr.
Bruce heading to the Arkham Asylum a jail for the criminally insane, in order to talk with
Joker. He was having a conversation with Joker about ending the feud that strongly built
between them since, it will not cost them any better it is either Batman die in Joker’s
hand or vice versa. Batman being himself doesn’t want to have Joker found death to his
hands but the latter chooses not to speak anything. Until, the Joker he was supposed
talking with was only an impersonator of Joker. At intervals, the story cuts away to the
real Joker himself inspecting a property that he was planning to buy without any specific
reasons from the scenes. Because the story is interspersed with flashbacks the graphic
one-shot showed us the different story of Joker’s origin. An ordinary man having a
rough day with his work as a comedian, unsure that he was able to call again to his
work since no one seems to entertained by his performance. Brought by these stressing
situations he put it all to his wife Jeannie, but later on he breaks down after his wife
comfort him to understand their life situation in a positive light. Joker was planning to get
set-up in a decent neighborhood which is so unlikely to their current home before the
birth of his son. Going back to the current time the Joker with his clownlike appearance,
depicted with white skin, ruby red lips which is permanently fixed in an evil or demonic
grin drawn to his face and have a green bright hair, which makes him a totally creepy.
Joker shoots Barbara Gordon and kidnaps her father, Commissioner James Gordon in
amusement park where he will mentally tortured by Joker. Commissioner Gordon
chained to one of the park’s rides and forces him to watch all the photo of the last
incident that includes him and especially his daughter lying nude on the floor with shot
in her stomach. Batman on the side finally arrives to save Gordon and lead for the
intense fight between Batman and Joker. That brought by the scene where the joke was
mentioned by Joker as an answered to what Batman’s offering to him which is to help
him to get through his own madness, to treat his psychological needs.
 I want to argue through-out this paper the character motivation of Joker
which includes his backstory that is evident from the story. The flashback scenes and
dialogues in the graphic comics help the readers to understand the character motivation
of Joker leading him to cause destruction, create violence and use his own way to pull
other by his madness. We need to first Identify who is Joker before he was considered
one of the villains or the antagonist in every DC superhero stories. From the narrative of
the story they share glimpse from the Joker’s past which I think plays an important role
in understanding more about the character of Joker. Based on the characterization or
how I understand Joker through dialogue, description and action. From the first scene of
flashbacks which entails Joker as a husband to his 6 months pregnant wife Jeannie. I’ve
seen a completely different Joker through it. A husband longing for stability for his own
family, a passionate person who only wants less for herself and it is the acceptance
between his audience. Since, he was a comedian it brings him joy and somewhat
satisfaction if your art as a performer or an artist is being embrace or appreciated by a
lot of people or even one person in the audience, it brings great impact. But with the
case of Joker according to the dialogues he can’t receive those things, it was
devastating to his part as a comedian who just wanted to perform well and make the
audiences laugh but the reality is nobody laughs at her own punchlines. Which cause
him to think that he was a less person, a loser who can’t even give a decent life to his
wife.

Joker: You think, you think. I don’t care that it’s all a big joke to me or something
Joker: Jeez I have to go, I have to go and stand up there, and nobody laughs and you think, you think… I
Don’t mean to take it out on you. Your Suh-suffering enough
Jeannie: Honey, that’s not
Joker: It’s true. I can’t support you. Oh, Jeannie what are we going to do?

From the second and last flashback scenes I come to finally identify the prelude story
and the tragic event of Joker himself. Since, he was too desperate to experience a
proper life and a good neighborhood like what he promised to his wife. Joker finally
agreed to the conditions given by the two-unknown guy in their suits. The two have
planned in executing a robbery including Joker who will help them get through inside the
chemical plant that he was working before as a lab assistant. Before going to the
robbery incident Joker must wear a red hood mask but Joker felt confused about the
whole mask thing that only him must need to wear, yet the two explained that it was
merely an additional anonymity to the most valued member of the mob, and it was him,
Joker.

Joker: Y’see…y’see, I have to prove myself as a husband, and as a father! I mean, I, well, I wouldn’t be
doing this sort of thing if, if it wasn’t something important. It’s like I began as a lab assistant, right? Was a
good job, real good job. So, what I did, I quit to become a comedian. I was so sure, so sure had talent

From this dialogue we can assumed that the reasons why Joker let this crime from
happening including himself was because of poverty. He doesn’t want to raised her son
in difficult situation and stay in the same neighborhood they’re currently living at.
It’s true in the story, it only takes one bad day to completely turn a good and sane man
into nothing but madness. From the last scenes of flashbacks where we explore before
he became the Joker from the present time. It is just too shallow for Joker to understand
that her situation is merely a plan to destroy his life. The day that they’ve planned to do
the crime is also the day where his wife, Jeannie found death in their apartment. An
accident happened in morning when Jeannie apparently testing a baby-bottle heater
and there was an electrical short which basically end her life.

Joker: Tonight? But…but anything tonight, th- there’s no reason anymore, Jeannie… Jeannie…Jeannie’s
dead. You don’t understand
Unknown guy: What’s happening tonight, it’s no little thing. Nobody backing out now remains healthy. No
exceptions.

Completely devastated, Joker still commit to the crime with two-unknown guy. Wearing
the red hood mask while Joker guiding them through the chemical plant a security
caught them, leading for the crime to be failed one. As Joker getting rid of his situation
all of a sudden Batman appeared from the incident and try to captured the “red hood” he
was referring to Joker, but the latter successfully escaped when he jump-out of to the
water. When he survived and finally far away from the chemical plant he pull-out the
reed hood mask he’s wearing

From these evidences presented, I assumed Joker doesn’t exist in the world to be a
villain or always the evil one and he doesn’t plan to be a Joker at all from the very start.
He started to be a victim of this cruel world or another man who always want the world
to be in chaos. Contrary to what Batman or Mr. Bruce knowledge, he basically doesn’t
have any idea with the backstory of Joker. In the narratives of the story, he always
assumed that because of his existence as who always want to keep the world free from
violence and Joker on the other side wants exactly the opposite of it, he believes that its
either him or Joker found dead in each other responsibility, since they both want
different outcome to this world.

Batman: I’ve been thinking lately about you and me. About what’s going to happen to us in the end.
We’re going to kill each other, Aren’t we?

There’s a lot of underlying message that explicitly and not explicitly mentioned through-
out the narratives of the story. Like the characters, how they symbolize and differ from
one another. We’re just going only to identify Batman and Joker because they are
considered as the main antagonist and protagonist depicted from the story. According to
the dialogue and action, Batman symbolizes the utopian world where’s everything is
perfect in the society and Joker symbolizes the dystopian world or all the dark side or
force which exist in the society, Joker is the evil who created chaos in this world.
There’s the idea of dualism that basically every superhero story emphasized. Because
of their differential in terms which I can view in the light of the structuralism, wherein you
can’t identify the differential of between two things in a positive term, it only possible
with the virtue of their differences. In the case of the narratives of the Batman: the killing
joke obviously, it strengthens to my argument how the two symbolizes two different
things.

Also, I want to raised the argument that Batman and Joker at the same time symbolizes
the balanced with one another or in this world. With the connection of how the story end
in the most open-ended way. Batman doesn’t kill Joker and Joker doesn’t kill Batman
even they have chances to do such thing to one another. I think they both understand
the situation, Batman a sane man offered to help Joker since he is mentally-ill person.
But Joker declined it

Joker: too late for that. Far too late

and did answer the question “why” in a manner of sharing a piece of joke with batman.
They shared a continuous and genuine laugh at the end of the story, what makes it
even more controversial is where Batman laugh, and it did mean something. I think, the
whole joke is purely signifying themselves, and Batman did laugh because of the joke
and how ironically, he’s willing to help to a helpless individual who’s destined to be that
way. That speaks to me in a way that you can’t help everyone, because not everyone
wanted to be help and break the idea that all so called superheroes can do anything,
this scene basically emphasized what things they can’t do and they can’t control and
that speaks louder to me. In understanding this context, we need to first understand that
before they became Batman and Joker they’re both an ordinary person until a tragic or
one bad day came that changes it all. Batman as a result to spend his life serving the
people by trying to prevent all the evil forces trying to attack them and Joker who wants
to experienced the world that he has gone through, the absurdity of life, and all its
random injustice and only believes that madness is the emergency exit for all these
sufferings. When I come to reflect it through the lenses of present day I somehow agree
that there are these two types of person that outgrow from all the sufferings. The one
where he can use it to bring back the humanity or the one who will also return all the
sufferings to the world. From these textual evidences, I also want to argue the true
villain from the story. I’m not saying that Joker is not a Villain, he tortured people, create
chaos and want nothing but suffering from people he is definitely portraying a Villain
character from the story. But the true villain it’s the origin of all the suffering of the
society and it is the social injustice, poverty and oppressions. These are the motivations
of Joker for creating destructions.

In conclusion, there are a lot of artistic technique that is evident to the