The Killing Joke - 2pts

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?

    I really liked the darker take on the relationship between Batman and the Joker where this cat and mouse game has gone on for so long. Batman begins to question what exactly is the reason it's all happening. I also liked how the backstory for the joker was interlaced within. The Joker has a way of talking where he appeals to the audience, in a way that even though he is the bad guy he seems to make some sense. The ending panels are really interesting to me because batman starts to laugh at the Joker's joke and then it pans down to the reflection in the water. The space between the two characters merge into one and the reflection becomes all black. As if to say that they really aren't that different. 

2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss what elements of the story with which you were able to connect?

    Sometimes the way the Joker speaks makes a lot of sense and it's almost as if he's able to convince us to join the dark side. I think they do a good job of making the characters relatable by giving them human, normal, everyday problems. So the back story the joker has is very sad and unfortunate. We can understand everything that drove him to become what he is. 

3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you choose; what changes would you make?

    I really like the appeal of the comic, which is why I would chose to make it into an animated format. I'd probably treat it similar to Spiderverse and keep the iconic look of the comic book style. The changes I'd make would have to not interfere with how the joker is able to persuade the audience. It banks on the idea of "it takes one bad day to mess you up." I also wouldn't want to change the violence in it, even though with animation it's usually geared to a younger audience. I think it's important to have the artistic style involved in the medium.

4. In what ways does this story differ from the typical expectations the reader might have for a superhero story?

     This superhero comic focuses more on the villain than on the hero. It also has a way of explaining the villain's way of thinking in a way that's very relatable. It's also something that deals with a lot of deep psychological thinking rather than the simple good vs evil. It even has the hero casting doubt on the whole situation. Where Batman doesn't want this to end with them killing each other. We've all doubted the meaning of the path we're on. Also Batman, because he doesn't want to go as far as killing the Joker he seems almost passive to the whole situation. 

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