Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke is a 48-page prestige-format one-shot written by Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bolland, originally colored by John Higgins. It intercuts the story of a failed stand-up comedian who becomes the Joker with the Joker shooting Barbara Gordon and kidnapping Commissioner Gordon to prove that one bad day can drive anyone insane.

DC Comics published it in March 1988. The 2008 Deluxe Edition has new, more subdued coloring by Bolland, and an Absolute Edition followed in 2018. It won the 1989 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album, and Moore took Best Writer that year.

An animated film directed by Sam Liu was released in 2016.