American Update: Batmania: The Killing Joke – 1st US Printing of Controversial Moore/Bolland 1988 One-Shot
*DC: Originally planned as a regular Batman Annual, the story which would become The Killing Joke evolved by accident; as the wait lengthened for the pages to come in from illustrator Brian Bolland, Alan Moore’s story shifted, becoming more of an examination about the nature of the relationship between Batman and his arch-nemesis the Joker. Collateral damage along the way was Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, who was crippled and traumatised in the start of events which transformed her into Oracle, a sequence which outraged many at the time and polarises factions even today. Regardless of whether you love it or hate it – and there’s many on both sides – its importance and popularity can’t be denied, as it has remained constantly in print and gone through a myriad of formats. This first printing copy is vibrant, firm, glossy and tight, with just some small amounts of non-colour breaking stress marks at the spine bringing the grade down a little.
PICTURED: BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE VF- £40