Price:

3.50 USD; 4.75 CAD

Pages:

52

On-sale date:

1988-03-29

Indicia / Colophon Publisher:

DC Comics, Inc.

Brand:

DC [bullet]

Editing:

Denny O'Neil

Color:

Color

Dimensions:

Standard Modern Age U. S. (6 5/8" x 10 1/8")

Paper Stock:

Baxter

Binding:

Squarebound

Publishing Format:

One-Shot

Issue Notes

This issue has variants.

The on-sale date reflects the publication date as reported in the U. S. Copyright Office filing. It matches the shipping date listed in Direct Currents #2, February 1988.

Comic has been through 14 printings. Most can be identified by the color of the lettering on the title and cufflink.

cover price for following is 3.50 USD
1st printing is neon green
2nd printing is pink

cover price for following is 4.95 USD
3rd printing is dark yellow
4th printing is light orange
5th printing is dark blue
6th printing is dark orange
7th printing is light yellow
8th printing is light blue
9th printing is red
10th printing is yellow and cufflink is dark yellow
11th printing is yellow and cufflink is dark yellow
12th printing is yellow and cufflink is light yellow

cover price for following is 5.95 USD and there is an "!" after the word "SMILE"
13th printing is yellow and cufflink is white
14th printing is dark green and cufflink is white

New printing: October 28, 2009.

[no title indexed]

Batman; Joker / cover / 1 page

Pencils:

Brian Bolland

Inks:

Brian Bolland

Colors:

Brian Bolland

Letters:

Richard Starkings ?

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Joker

Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman; Joker / comic story / 46 pages

Script:

Alan Moore

Pencils:

Brian Bolland

Inks:

Brian Bolland

Colors:

John Higgins

Letters:

Richard Starkings

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Batman; Commissioner Gordon; Barbara Gordon [Batgirl]; Harvey Bullock; Alfred Pennyworth; Joker (also as the Red Hood in flashback); Two-Face (cameo); Penguin (cameo)

Synopsis:

Batman visits the Joker in Arkham Asylum only to discover he has been replaced by a double. As Batman attempts to track the villain down, the Joker shows up at the house of Commissioner Gordon where he promptly shoots Barbara and captures her father. The Joker takes Jim to a modified carnival where he tries to drive him mad (partially by showing him pictures of his naked and bleeding daughter). Batman arrives and starts beating on the Joker who attempts to reason with him in his own insane fashion. As things wrap up and the police arrive, the Joker finally tells Batman a joke that he gets.

Indexer Notes

The endpapers (which include credits and publishing information) are close ups of the raindrops from the first and last panel of the story. Story tells a comprehensive origin of the Joker based on the story "The Man Behind the Red Hood" from Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series) #168. This story is still considered controversial over two decades after its publication, mostly due to the crippling of Barbara Gordon (which was not revealed to be permanent until subsequent issues of Suicide Squad where she first appeared as the wheelchair bound Oracle), but there is a clear indication that creators Moore and Bolland originally intended this to be a non-continuity "final" Batman vs. Joker story when Bolland strongly insinuates in the afterward printed in Batman: The Killing Joke Special Edition (DC, 2008 series) #[nn] that Batman kills the Joker "off camera" in the last three panels of the story.

[Back Cover]

Batman; Joker / illustration / 1 page

Pencils:

Brian Bolland

Inks:

Brian Bolland

Colors:

Brian Bolland

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Batman; Joker

Indexer Notes

Back cover shows a playing card featuring Joker on the top and Batman on the bottom.