I have to say this comic book was more shocking than I thought. I'm really excited for the upcoming DC animated film, which will be rated R (as it should be). I guess I didn't expect the plot to be dark in the way that it was. I loved being able to see the Joker's past and that he was at some point just an average guy. The dynamic between him and Batman is one of the most interesting elements of the story. Alan Moore truly shines a light on how Batman and the Joker are two sides of the same coin. Way to put a psychological thriller in less than 50 pages of a comic book. That is part of what makes me have a problem with the comic book, though. As important as this storyline is to comic book history, everyone just seems very out of character for the most part and I hate how female characters are often used by Alan Moore simply as a plot point. I also think that the way the Joker is depicted in terms of psychopathy and cruelty is unfair to the character. I'll get into more details in the spoiler section.
SPOILERS: Do not continue reading if you haven't read the comic book yet or if you mind spoilers!
Okay, so when I said dark, I meant like traumatizing. The comic book starts off with Batman going to see the Joker at his prison cell only to discover that there is an imposter there in his place. This sends Bats on a manhunt for the missing Joker. The conversation he has with the fake Joker is really enticing, though. Batman discusses how the battle between him and the Joker can only end with one of them killing the other or both of them killing each other. He confesses that he wishes that there was an alternative before going to search for the real Joker once he discovers the imposter.
Later in the comic book Joker has the infamous scene where he goes to James Gordon's home where Barbara answers the door and is shot in the spine by Joker's gun. She is deemed paralyzed from the waist down later when she is taken to the hospital and given medical attention, possibly for life. Meanwhile, James Gordon is kidnapped by the Joker where he is humiliated and tortured. What really makes all of this really dark is the way it is all done. Barbara Gordon was shot as a way of provoking Batman. The Joker obviously knew he was hitting a nerve when he planned all of this out. During Barbara's medical diagnosis, it is stated that she was found naked and it is strongly suggested that the Joker took photographs of her while she was unconscious and nude (in her genital areas too). This is, unfortunately, confirmed later in the comic. Talk about creepy. I had a discussion with a friend about this comic and what we both agreed on is that the Joker commits a lot of his crimes because he thinks they are funny. This just seems like something he did out of vengeance and hatred toward Batman which is not Joker-ish at all. It's also a disrespect to Barbara to just use her as a plot point to then go on to only focus on Batman and Joker like what just happened to her wasn't disgusting and terrible. Moving on with the story...
James Gordon, now alone with the Joker, is deemed completely nude and tied up. Very BDSM, but in a totally humiliating and unflattering way. James is at an abandoned amusement park where Joker has his minions (or whoever is working for him), take him for a ride on a roller coaster as he is shown large projections on various screens of the nude photographs Joker took of his defenseless daughter earlier in the story. After the ride, Gordon is eventually found by Batman, still naked, in a cage. Gordon is very shaken by the experience and tells Batman that he will be okay, but that Joker needs to be stopped "their way" so that he can be shown that the straight legal path works.
Batman goes to find the Joker and they have their final confrontation in the plot. Batman really fears that their confrontations will eventually end in one of their deaths, which he doesn't want. He offers an opportunity for redemption which the Joker refuses. Joker then tells a joke to which Batman chuckles and he's shown touching the Joker's shoulder as the police approach them.
The story ends in an ambiguous way which I think is appropriate and very Alan Moore. I should mention that flashbacks of the Joker's life before he became Batman's nemesis are given throughout the comic book. He started out as a regular guy working at a chemical plant that quit his job to try and become a comedian. His attempts failed and he struggled to support himself and his pregnant wife Jeannie. He makes a deal to participate in illicit activities to make some money with a group of guys. During one of their meetings, the police come to him to tell him that his pregnant wife died. Devastated, he tries to back out of the plan, but is threatened into not doing so. He goes to a chemical plant with these guys dressed as the Red Hood and falls into a tub of chemicals emerging with his signature bleached skin, red lips, and green hair, officially becoming The Joker. Whenever The Joker speaks to Batman in present day he mocks him saying that all it takes is "one bad day" to change everything. His assumption is on point since "the bad day" for Bruce Wayne was the day his parents were killed in front of him pushing him to become Batman. I feel like I would have enjoyed the story more if it wasn't with these DC characters and with original characters made specifically for this storyline. Even then, it bothers me that using female characters as victims just to further a plot point seems to be a recurring theme in Moore's stories. However, I think this is a comic book everyone should read to gain perspective on Moore's work, but not as an overall depiction of any of the DC characters. Those are my final two cents on this storyline.
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