Going insane just takes one bad day, according to the anonymous and relentless foe of batman. To this version of the Joker, madness is the opportunity for emotionally tortured individuals to escape their pain and create an alternative story that replaces their worst memories. Joker himself claims that if he had to have an explanation for his past life he would rather have it be "multiple choice." But, when these lines traversed off of the pages of the comic into the imagination of human beings and onto the big screen, something changed dramatically. The characters moved, they were given voices and the atmosphere was brought to life in a reality different from the one readers had experienced on the pages of the comic book. This transition has amplified the story for me in such a way that I can't help but draw out some of the most intriguing qualities of this dark and convicting tale.
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For starters, the "R" rated story of this animated adventure is extremely dark and is not meant to make you burst out laughing at the twisted violence and destruction. Perhaps more of a nervous chuckle or a shock of laughter at the unbelievable extremes to which the Joker is willing to go to carry out his schemes. This story digs at the motivation of the Joker while teasing at his origin. It also exposes the Batman's compassion for his enemies and his logic behind sparing such a depraved mind.
Joker has Kidnapped Commissioner Gordon and shot his daughter, Barbara, through the spine. He takes Gordon through a series of mentally devastating mazes and spectacles at a condemned circus. His goal is to drive Commissioner Gordon into insanity. Batman is racing against time to rescue the commissioner and his mind from Joker. When Batman finally catches up and rescues Gordon, he goes on to capture the mad mastermind, but with a strict request from Gordon that it be done "by the book." Gordon's mind is still intact and the Joker's scheme has nearly been thwarted, but there was something more he was trying to prove: That anyone is capable of going as insane as he has, and that one terrible day can be enough to lead someone to lose all inhibition and become the most extreme psychopathic maniac. But Gordon's resistance disproves that; however the hero of this story and the only person who is able to confront the Joker is not quite as sane as one may expect. The only thing that sets Batman apart from the Joker is his golden rule: his conviction that all people deserve a chance to change and every life is worth attempting to save.
True that there are alternate versions of Batman who have moved beyond this rule, but this comic calls back to the classic detective who doesn't kill. And one joke that is told at the very end of the comic explains Batman and Joker's relationship to a T, and proves that Joker is capable of perceiving his own state of mind.
This joke merits a laugh, but carries with it the clearest metaphor for Batman and Joker's relationship: both of them are insane, but both of them desire to escape the grip insanity has on them. Batman has the strength to will over the madness that haunts him and thus he is the inmate who can jump across the rooftops. Batman has to believe that he is not alone, that he can save the others who have become lost and so shines his light of redemption to try and guide others away from madness. The Joker is the other man who can make the jump, but he understands that it is too late for him and the light that Batman gives offers no solid footing for him to make it across the gap that divides sanity and insanity.
This is the killing Joke, this is the epitome of Batman and Joker's relationship. If you are a Batman fan then this is a Golden moment in the development of these characters, and I couldn't resist putting it up for discussion.
