Absolute Killing Joke - new colours

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Bolland says in the afterword that there are 2, totally new figures he added. There's 1...anyone find the other yet?

Batman's expression on his face looks altered a bit when Joker fires the prop gun at him.

 

[deathfromabove]

the bearded character V poses as in V For Vendetta: The Movie is based on Alan Moore.

i have only found a few changes, and ive been looking...

in addition to the previously mentioned oval going missing i have found that...

right before babs opens the door her neck and face have been altered a bit ( credit to l. panaflex)

the writing "just put a penny in the slot " is different on the "laughing clown" machine.

the penguin has been inserted into the bar scene. (alan moore was always there...)

also in the bar scene there are very small changes to some of the linework. dots for eyes are added to the bespeckled bartender and the man chomping on the cigar gains a moustache (or bigger lips?). a few more lines in a patrons hair here or another laughline there that could almost be due to better printing technology.

batman's reaction shot to the gun features a completely redrawn cowl and the eyes are different. this might qualify as a new figure as more than 50% of the line work is new or different.

and the joker is now smiling instead of frowning when he says "reminds me of a joke..." this last change really bugs me. that particular expression always really stood out to me and the change seems just one little step too far.

i think thats about it. something else that is changed are the full page blown up panels of the rain that previosly bookended the actuall comic.

i will always prefer the original for a number of reasons (nostalgia not being the least...) but overall i think the tweaks are great in and of themselves and brain bolland has more than earned the right to revisit his own work. and besides, if not for the new edition we wouldnt be talking about the book again...

something else i noticed while pouring over the pages this last week...
page one of his first flashback where he is telling his wife about his audition...panels four and five...who does that look like?

i see a young heath ledger.

 

[Mister J]

This was a great pickup. I like the new coloring more than I expected; the variance in visuals serves as a nice distinction between the two versions. Looking over the more subtle changes is a plus too.

I had pretty much lost tracking of the shipping date, so it was a pleasant suprise when this arrived my copy of The Man Who Laughs.

 

[Finlandman]

I need help. I've never had a chance to buy The Killing Joke and so I haven't EVER read this. I know that this is a classic and should be in my collection, but which version? The one with original coloring, or this newer version?

 

[Mister J]

The Deluxe Version (Hardcover), that this thread is in reference to, is widely available now and is less than $20 (a little more than $12 on Amazon). In addition to the new coloring, it's got some insight from the artist and a few subtle changes in some of the panels. You can check out a sampling of the coloring variance here (original coloring on the right).

At the same time, a barebones release of TKJ (near certain to have the original coloring) will be included in as an accompaniment to a box set with Batman and Joker action figures, designed in their TKJ style. That'll likely run about $40 and will be available later this summer. You can check out some shots of the figs and the discussion on that here.

Yet another option, if you're interested in the original version, is to pick up DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore. It's an anthology of a number of good stories, including TKJ, that runs less than $20 as well.

I don't think you can really go wrong either way. I suppose it comes down to preferring the new bells and whistles or opting for nostalgia. There's not a great deal of difference in the editions.

 

[Finlandman]

Thanks, I've decided to buy Deluxe edition, since I prefer hard covers.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Just noticed the face on Barbara Gordon as she's about to open the door before getting shot seems altered a bit too, Bolland seems to have drawn her neck more thicker to make her younger, in the original it was a tad skinny making her look old.

 

[deathfromabove]

Just noticed the face on Barbara Gordon as she's about to open the door before getting shot seems altered a bit too, Bolland seems to have drawn her neck more thicker to make her younger, in the original it was a tad skinny making her look old.

good eye

im going to add it to my list

 

[Comics N' Toons]

i don't know about all the changes... i love mine!

 

[Eggyman]

I got mine delivered today and I have to say that it's brilliant. I love the new colouring and the under cover with the green silhouettes is awesome

 

[TheDarkKnight_NL]

Got it for my birthday, and I love it.
I had the original (in Dutch though, was alot younger when I got that) but I like the new colouring.

If the set with the figures include the originial colouring, thats even better as I plan on picking those up aswell

 

[Cain]

I was going to avoid this altogether I just love the acid trip vibe of the original coloring compliments the madness of the Joker very nicely. I'm going to bite the bullet after reading this thread though and cop this too. I want to go through both page by page, panel by panel at the same time once I read the absolute version in it's entirety the first time. Thanks to you all cause you guys for convincing me with the details behind the reasoning for this dramatic change you changed my mind I would've avoided this like the plague otherwise.

 

[dlvillarreal]

picked this book up a like a week and a half ago and already read it a few times. i like it a lot. glad i got it!

 

[War Party]

I enjoy the new coloring. I actually prefer it over the original, but I still like both. But the original coloring gets a little overwhelming.

 

[Mr. Socko]

I've read the deluxe edition twice now and also read the original again, and I love it. I forgot how great this comic was. The colors of the original are so bizarre, but it works well. Though unexpectedly, I prefer the new colors, it really brings the comic to life far more than the original colors do. Bolland has also placed more detail in this version.

As for the book itself, I have come to appreciate it more than I ever did. I didn't use to like the idea of Joker as a comedian, upon re-reading it lately, I absolutely love it. "One bad day," it's so perfect. He just completely crumbles before becoming The Joker. Moore is/was a genius, the greatest one-shot ever produced.

 

[BubbaGump]

I finally picked up my order today, and I stand by what I said. The recoloring is gorgeous and the book itself is beautiful (especially beneath the cover). The book is flawless except for...the size. It's too big and sticks out like a sore thumb alongside my other books. I expected it to be a perfect shelf companion next to my TMWL hardcover, but it overshadows it. I had this same problem with Batman Black and White Vol. 1. Damn you, DC!!!

 

[Tvar10]

ya i was mad about that too, its freakin huge. i dont kno why they screwed it up so bad, they did somethin really good then messed it up with the huge size

 

[Joker]

The bigger the better, as far as I'm concerned. I have a ton of different sized trades, so it doesnt really bother me.

 

[Comics N' Toons]

The size of a book shouldn't matter... I mean as long as you enjoy it... I have tons of Batman TPB's that are small compared to my Shadow: 1941- Hitler's Astrologer graphic novel...

so yeah JUST ENJOY IT!

 

[BubbaGump]

The size of a book shouldn't matter... I mean as long as you enjoy it... I have tons of Batman TPB's that are small compared to my Shadow: 1941- Hitler's Astrologer graphic novel...

so yeah JUST ENJOY IT!

No.

 

[Mr. Socko]

Gawd I love it, just want to have sex with it.

 

[Illstreet]

I prefer the original... The over the top, almost dream like colors from the original is one of the reasons I love this book so much. It's really not the same with the new dulled down feeling... I assume if I had never read the original and seen this one first, I'd hate the old one, lol...

But I respect Bolland's right to recolor his own story, and it's cool to own just for the contrast between the two. Still, I hope at some point they do a Hardcover of the original.

 

[ronny]

It's a real shame that now he has The Joker crying blood. That ruins one of the best pictures in comic book history. I really cannot fathom why he made that particular addition.

 

[Joker]

The bleeding eyes not only look much cooler than just the water streaming down his face, but also makes sense. He was just dipped in a chemical that was powerful enough to bleach his skin and dye his hair and nails, think of what that would do to your eyes. If you look, his mouth also has blood coming out, probably due to him swallowing some of it too. It adds to how painful it must have been to have that happen. He even mentions in the original that his eyes are burning and he cant see, so the blood is a logical addition from that too.

 

[Nepenthes]

can we get a scan of this blood picture?