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DC Comics is giving fans a lot of Mark Hamill lately, and it couldn’t be better. With the announcement of him reprising his role as the clown prince of crime for the animated adaptation of ‘The Killing Joke,’ they’ve got everyone buzzing with anticipation. Although it doesn’t have an official rating yet, DC has made it a point to let fans know early that it could be an R-rated animated film. If you’ll remember your comic history, the ‘Killing Joke’ told two different timelines for the Joker, and shed light on his past.

It´s Mr. Mark Hamill Aka Luke Skywalker Aka The Joker.

We also saw a very graphic portrait of The Joker painted in a way—many hailed as sheer brilliance. Without giving away spoilers if you haven’t read the graphic novel, ‘The Killing Joke’ is a great read and should be a hardcover classic in your collection. Writer Alan Moore gave readers the insight they sought for many years with this masterpiece. He captured and explored the narrative that Batman, and The Joker are mirrors of each other. One is loose and uninhibited. The other is tightly and perfectly wound to the limit of almost breaking.

“The Killing Joke” is a really good graphic novel, in my opinion (it was original released by DC Comics back in 1988).

The Joker’s ultimate goal has always been to pull more people into the folds of his insanity, or what he would call life. With each appearance of The Joker in the DC universe, you can see how much he balances Batman’s life, and his own simultaneously. One cannot exist without the other. Batman brings the order and brutal justice necessary to live in Gotham “safely,” and The Joker brings the chaos, and lunacy needed to keep the GCPD employed, and Arkham asylum in business.

As many fans know already, Bruno Heller of Gotham the series, has been teasing The Joker since the debut episode in Gotham Season 1. Honestly, with everyone believing it was Jerome his demise couldn’t have come at a better time. His particular take on what The Joker could have been, was—in a word—Ice cream soup. It felt rushed, forced and mixed.

Although many would disagree with my assertion (as is your right), his sendoff was perfect. Laughter being a curse throughout Gotham to infect who will eventually become The Joker is great. It’s probably safe to assume we’ll be seeing the Jack Napier incarnation soon, or more of the mysterious comedian from Fish Mooney’s club. Mark Hamill bringing his miraculous vocals to The Joker, and The Flash is a great recipe for 2015-2016. Speaking of The Flash, It’s confirmed we’ll see him once more on The Flash as The Trickster. Although, we don’t know what his role as The Trickster will be just yet, we can assume it will be a hoot once it premieres.

Kenay Peterson
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheDark_Mage