Despite fears to the contrary, my opinion on The Killing Joke was not enough to bring DC Entertainment to their knees. The seminal Batman graphic novel by Alan Moore was still turned into an R-Rated animated film. And now the trailer is here. Presented without comment…haha,just kidding!
Anyone else a little sad the animation style didn”t keep Brian Bolland”s creepy psychedelic vibe? But the color palette isn”t the only change. As I reported earlier this month, Batman: The Killing Joke will have a 15-20 minute prequel added on to flesh out the story of TKJ. A prequel that focuses on Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl. This new footage can be seen in the trailer as Bab”s features several times in costume, both standing on the rooftops of Gotham and fighting an unseen enemy. I said then that this news gave me a glimmer of hope that the adaptation was taking pains to correct issues with Barbara”s portrayal in the graphic novel. A hope I still harbor because of this:
This cartoon is not rated ‘R” for nudity. Yes, Commissioner Gordon is naked but as we all know society”s double standard means unless we see his junk, it doesn”t count for MPAA purposes. The entire film qualifies as “disturbing content” and Bab”s being shot is definitely “some bloody images,” but there is a chance DC Animation is going to temper The Killing Joke”s visuals of Barbara”s maiming. If we”re lucky, they”ll completely remove the sexual assault. Seeing photos of his daughter writhing in pain and bleeding out should be enough a make a father go mad; she doesn”t have to be naked to drive the point home.
Batman: The Killing Joke is coming soon to home video.