When it comes to the Batman comics, each follows a story sacred to its own, many manage to stand out, but only some are Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke. It is the story that is regarded as one of the darkest in Batman’s many variations. The violence is off the charts, the tones set much darker, and everything else in Gotham is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Despite being regarded as a storytelling masterpiece, there is a lot about the comic book arc that Moore hates. Ironically, it was his own mindscape that came to life through this project. There are many artists who come to hate their art after a while. Some could hate it in the process of making it, while some might simply dislike it.
The Killing Joke writer had a lot to say about what and why he disapproved of much of his own creation.
Alan Moore Thought Things Went Too Far
Alan Moore, in an interview with Mania.com (via Inverse), commented on how he does not see The Killing Joke to be his best, or even one of his best works. Moore believes that he was simply not able to capture the essence of who Batman really is as a character.
“I think it put far too much melodramatic weight upon a character that was never designed to carry it. It was too nasty, it was too physically violent. There were some good things about it, but in terms of my writing, it’s not one of me favorite pieces.”
Moore thought of the arc to be far too violent for his liking, stating that despite it not being a flawed piece altogether, there wasn’t much he found appropriate in the work. He wanted things to be more imaginative and playful, as compared to the dark and thrilling piece that was presented to the fans.
To him, stories bring a certain sense of freedom, creativity, and liberty. All those things, according to Moore, were lost in The Killing Joke.
Alan Moore Wanted More with Batman
In the interview, Alan Moore added that in his opinion, the world is dark enough on its own to let some characters who live in the shadows simply remain there. He did not believe that there was any need for heroes who were too absorbed in their own twisted heads.
“I don’t think that the world needs that many brooding psychopathic avengers. I don’t know that we need any. It was a disappointment to me, how Watchmen was absorbed into the mainstream. It had originally been meant as an indication of what people could do that was new.”
Media such as this was meant to be taken in the form of entertainment and be remembered for its originality, rather than anything else. He wanted The Killing Joke to be a message and not a blueprint. He wanted it to inspire many to create their own stories.
However, the results he saw felt much more counterproductive.
