Review by Dennis D. McDonald

Gotham City is a dark place, never more so than in BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE. It’s a place where, after hours, the streets are deserted and evildoers skulk as they work in open contempt for the law and Batman.

Batman and his partner (but not equal!) Batgirl live and work here. They scan the streets from their brooding rooftop perches. Occasionally the bat signal is sighted and Batman and Commissioner Gordon exchange information.

This (dis)harmony of good and evil is disrupted when the Joker escapes confinement. He sets up an elaborate trap to engage Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and Batgirl in a diabolically twisted vendetta. Along the way we watch (another) Joker origin story unfold and learn more about the complexity and intimacy of the relationship between Batman and Commissioner Gordon’s daughter Barbara.

We also witness a stereotypical gay character whose outward “gayness” I had thought had become unfashionable by the time the 21st Century rolled into town. How naive of me!

Released in 2016 this R rated cartoon is well produced and engrossing. I’m sure it’s controversial among comic character aficionados but that’s OK. “Canon” or not it’s well produced, entertaining, and refreshingly twisted.

Review copyright (c) 2019 by Dennis D. McDonald

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