The Killing Joke Script Shows Batman Did NOT Kill the Joker
Grant Morrison stirred up a lot of chatter online with his claim, during Kevin Smith’s “Fatman on Batman” podcast, that Batman kills the Joker at the end of the classic graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke. Writer Alan Moore’s script, which tends to read as a direct communication to artist Brian Bolland, indicates otherwise.
The moral to this story: Just because an author you like says something does not make it so.
We are working to verify this page from the script, transcribed by Mr. Phil, but it looks consistent with copies we have from the first dozen pages. The graphic novel’s letter, Richard Starkings, also confirms that Batman was simply leaning on the Joker while laughing and did not kill the clown.
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August 17, 2013
The script page isn’t really proof, because DC editorial would have had to see the script and approve it. The only proof whether Batman kills the Joker at the end will come from the mouths of Moore and Bolland.
August 17, 2013
That makes no sense. You’re suggesting DC didn’t see the script? Of course they did. They had to give approval to create the thing in the first place. What a weird comment.
August 17, 2013
My comment meant that Moore may have had every intention to kill the Joker. But he was not going to even hint at that in the script since DC would look at it. Again, what I’m saying is the script is NOT proof that Moore’s intent was not to kill the Joker. Only Moore and Bolland know if that’s what the end of the comic meant.
August 18, 2013
This is an extremely stupid counterargument to the whole interpretation.
Even disregarding whether or not Moore was trying to hide it from DC, or if Batman even is supposed to kill the Joker, why in the hell would Moore have written in the script in the first place?
“By the way, Brian, while you’re drawing this puddle, I thought you should know that Batman totally killing the Joker right now. Don’t tell anyone.”
This is easily the most lowbrow attempt to interpret a text I’ve ever seen.