Batman : The Killing Joke assessment






What is your reaction to the text you just read:

My reaction to the text I just read was pure enjoyment and appreciation to the artists that worked on this novel. Being a huge fan of Batman, I had prior knowledge of the plot as a animated version of this came out last year. Where the animated version lacked is where the comic novel really shined. Emotional shifts and beats were clearer and the Joker was better established over the course of the book, having constant flashbacks to his past, setting up his clear path to madness and what his goals were. Similar to watching the animated novel, I found the ending a little ambiguous and think it was a unique and cool direction to take the ending to. The style of the book also seemed to be grungier and had more high contrast elements, setting the dark tone of the novel.


What connections did you make with this story, discuss the elements of the film in which you are able to connect. 

I was able to pull connections to past comics I have read like Tarzan or even Spider-man for the similarities when the hero tries to redeem and “save” their arch nemesis. The villain hurting the ones that the hero cares most about is also seen as a common element throughout the superhero comic book genre. Also the dilemma of wanting to deliver justice the way you see fit versus conforming to society’s rules of justice is something I connected with being put in a “tough” spot and having to follow rules - Similar to Batman having to follow the rules an abide by the law and bring the joker in as opposed to killing/hurting him. 

What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use and what changes would you make?


I think for starters I would push the comic book into a digital comic book novel with animated panels to full immerse the audience into the narrative. Coupled with music, especially the score in the existing animation film, it would be an all around package for fans. Another medium I would use would be a theme park attraction. The UAE theme park in Dubai has a similar ride, chasing after the Joker and other villains of Batman, but a ride dedicated to telling this narrative in a 3D themed environment would be interesting as guest could literally be transported to that exact moment where the Joker escapes from prison or even have VR sequence during the circus scenes. Changes made would be for the benefit of making the environment and attraction for applicable to younger teens.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week Seven: Maus Response

Image
This week, we had the chance to read the graphic novel, Maus by Art Spiegelma. I found this graphic novel to be highly metaphorical with dealing with such a traumatic event. Through making me way through the narrative, I was very surprised at the honest response the author was able to tell and did not have any reservations - one of the benefits of the graphic novel format.  Like mentioned in class, this book reminded me a lot like Animal Farm and choosing to portray the animals in Maus to represent the different sides as a cat, frog, dog. The anamorphic nature of these characters made it visually plesant to read despite the subject matter but upon further investigation, turning the Nazi's into cats and the Jews in to mice can either make me chuckle at its brilliance or feel sad about the matter. Overall I appreciate the opportunity I had to read Maus and would definitely suggest it to people to at least read a bit of it.
Read more

Week Five: Eisner and Thompson

Image
This week we watched an interview with Stan Lee and Will Eisner. The interview addressed the making and evolution of comics. Eisner is a comic veteran who has delved further into pushing the format of the graphic novel. Lee on the other hand was more adept at the comic format, constantly praised and shared how he felt the graphic novel had such a profound impact on comics. Additionally Eisner further emphasized that the graphic novel is not catered to the mass public. I found it interesting that while both interviewers were using different formats, they collectively addressed the controversial issues on how some feel the graphic novel format is hurting the face of comics. Eisner equated it to a drug dealer going to schools with comics. Lastly, Eisner talks about how the comic format is the only medium where you have complete control over ever aspect -  he draws to bring you into the story. 
Read more

Week Fourteen: The Future of Comics

Image
With the last blog post of the semester and talking about the future of comics, I choose to read "Stand Still, Stay Silent" - a webcomic Drawn to the premise from the get-go, I love the setting of a post apocalyptic story of a boy living the Icelandic countries of Iceland, Sweden, ect. With a disease running rampage across the country and the goverment scrambling to find the source of it, I was hooked with the impending danger while being drawn to the heart of the story about friendship ad exploration. I absolutely enjoyed the style of the comic through and through. It was a pleasant blending of western and Asian styles of drawing to illustrate the book. Sepia tones were used to shade and add an atmospheric perspective to the panels which helped further place me into the setting. Another aspect of the presentation I really enjoyed was the variation of the panels! No two pages were alike and you could tell the artist had a lot of fun composing these shots and did
Read more