In May, Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s Batman: The Killing Joke rose to the top of Nielsen BookScan’s (via ICv2) Top 20 Adult Fiction Graphic Novel chart.
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Since August of 2014, the 1988 graphic novel has been among the Top 20 and has continued to rise up the charts with an R-rated, animated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke arriving next month and David Ayer’s Suicide Squad movie, featuring The Clown Prince of Crime (Jared Leto), coming out in August.
DC Comics also had three other titles in the Top 20: Garth Ennis’s Preacher Book One, coming in at #8; Batman Vs. Superman: The Greatest Battles, taking #10; and Alan Moore’s Watchmen, nabbing #17.
Marvel Comics only had two titles in the Top 20: Mark Millar’s Civil War at #3 and Cullen Bunn’s Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe at #13.
What does it take for a person to snap? How much despair for a mind to fracture? These are the twisted questions that The Joker has set out to answer, to show Gotham that even an ordinary man like Commissioner Gordon is only one bad day away from sheer insanity. Based on the acclaimed DC Comics graphic novel, witness a journey into the dark psyche of the Clown Prince of Crime. Follow his humble beginnings as a struggling comic to his fateful encounter with the Dark Knight that changed everything. Fueled by the return of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker, witness the birth of a super villain, the fortitude of a hero and the punch line that will leave you speechless.
The voice cast features Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Tara Strong, Ray Wise, John DiMaggio, Robin Atkin Downes, Brian George, JP Karliak, Andrew Kishino, Nolan North, Maury Sterling, Fred Tatasciore, Bruce Timm, Anna Vocino, Kari Wahlgren, and Rick Wasserman. It was directed by Sam Liu and executive produced by Bruce Timm, based on a script written by Brian Azzarello.
Batman: The Killing Joke will officially come home on Digital HD on July 26, 2016, and Blu-ray and DVD on August 2, 2016. A special Deluxe Edition of the Blu-Ray combo pack will run $29.96, and includes a limited edition figurine of The Joker. The regular pack runs $24.98, and DVD runs $19.98.
