Hey folks, Harry here...
It was 1988, I was a Junior in High School on Spring Break in Austin with my father. At the time, Dad was working at a Head Shop called SOUTH OATS, and he took me to work with him. We'd get there at 6am to restock the store. In addition to all the stuff you'd expect in a Head Shop, there were tons of comic books - and I can remember cutting open the shipping box and discovering BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE for the first time. I sat with my back in the corner of the stockroom enthralled. I'd never read a comic like it. There were so many times where I leapt up to show Dad a panel while he was working - and he kept telling me to just finish it so he could read. (yes, we bought the copy). Now the RED HOOD origin to the Joker wasn't news to me, cuz being raised in a comic shop from an early age and Dad having a life long obsession with the Joker - well, he had shown me and let me read this comic, when I asked him, "Dad, how did the Joker become the Joker?"
That's actually Dad's copy he's had since the 70's that I read as a boy! But in no way does that issue prepare you for BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE. I remember at Noon that day, DEE VICE - a girl that worked at South Oats with my Dad came in - and I made her read the issue and she bought one of the copies from the store to take home. THE KILLING JOKE, to me, is the best BATMAN comic I've ever read. Brian Bolland's art... Alan Moore's writing... hell, the use of fucking color is magnificent!
I'm kinda over the moon that this is being done by Warner Animation. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill doing this story... It's been a dream since the BATMAN: ANIMATED SERIES gave us MASK OF THE PHANTASM - and I realized the team there was interested in harder Batman tales. More emotional... and you really don't get harder or more emotional than BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE. Now take a look at this featurette - and don't you wish you could pay to see this on the big screen with your fellow fans? Me too.
Keep it cool,
Harry
