Absolute Killing Joke - new colours

[-Arya-]

I just finished reading it and I can now see why its such a great graphic novel. Absolutely spectacular! I just have one question.

Was it left to speculation as to what happened at the end with Batman and the Joker dissapearing or was it revealed?

 

[Illstreet]

I loved the new coloring. The one panel that pushed it over the top for me was the panel in which we see Joker's first victim on that carnival ride. Shocking compared to the original. But alas, I am weak, and will more than likely be buying the anniv. ed. again when it's re-released w/ the figures.

What anniversary edition are you refering to with figures?

 

[Joker]

I just finished reading it and I can now see why its such a great graphic novel. Absolutely spectacular! I just have one question.

Was it left to speculation as to what happened at the end with Batman and the Joker dissapearing or was it revealed?

There is no speculation. Joker was arrested. And they dont dissapear, it just pans down to between their feet.

 

[-Arya-]

There is no speculation. Joker was arrested. And they dont dissapear, it just pans down to between their feet.

Well on the first of the last 3 frames it shows their feet and a police car light. Then on the last scene its just a shot of it raining so I was confused about that.

Thanx for clearing it up though

 

[Snoo]

While I prefer the original coloring and will always hold the first edition close to my heart, I've found the new colors pretty exciting in some cases and then not so much in others, which I'll try to show in the following comparison shots of the two editions. Apologies in advance for my "mini essay"-ish post, hehe, I don't often get the chance to post long posts.

Comparison shots and my comments are under spoiler tags due to size.

01:

Spoiler

Let's start with this one, one of my fave panels in the entire comic. In the original version on top, Batman and the Joker are looking into a beautiful sunset. It's as if they're basking in the warmth of the morning sun. Nice yellow coloring on both figures there. The right side of the panel is still dark because the the sun hasn't penetrated it yet. I always liked that "gradient" from yellow and orange to purple.

In the new version we're getting a very different picture of this scene. There are dark shadows everywhere, even the figures themselves have become silhouettes. The sun is still coming up but it seems "cooler" and further away. The feel and the atmosphere of the panel is different. It doesn't look nearly as warm as before. The lights hanging above the figures' heads (notice how they weren't alight before?) now stand out.

I much prefer the original in this case.

02:

Spoiler

Here we have the original on the left and the re-colored version on the right. While the shading on people's faces and skin (Joker, Gordon, the midgets) is more detailed and looks gorgeous in many cases, there's still something about the original version that I prefer. For instance, I don't have to know the color of the midgets' hair bows and tutus because they're background characters to me. The Joker's the one who should be standing out while his little helpers and goons are blending into the psychedelic background, as if they're only part of Gordon's hallucination. And he's right there with them, getting lost in the sea of colors.

On the other hand, seeing Gordon's skin colored and thus "exposed" like this makes it even more horrific to see him naked and humiliated. It feels you could almost touch his back...

In the below example in the re-colored version I like the second panel most ("Commissioner? Hello?") with the new white iris, followed closely by the last panel of Joker's feet in the puddle. Even his reflexion has been re-colored and in the water you can clearly make out the purple of Joker's outfit, his white face and the green hair. Not so in the original where the crazy, trippy lights of the amusement park are reflected everywhere (even in the second panel the dots behind the Joker are in different colors). I love the way the yellows and reds are reflected off Joker's shoes in the original but I also like the re-colored Joker in the puddle in the new version, so there's much to enjoy in both versions here.

03:

Spoiler

This is another example of me prefering the original on the left for some reason. I think it's because in the original the poster actually looks like a mug shot they'd put on a poster, while in the new version it looks detailed, crisp and rather like a crystal clear photograph. A good-quality poster, maybe even glossy, hehe. Both very nice pictures to be sure (love the teeth in the new version, for instance) but I still like the simpler coloring of the first edition, with Batman's hand standing out nicely against the yellow (not so much in the new version).

04:

Spoiler

A great example of the vibrant colors of the original on the left and the muted hues of the new version on the right. Joker's outfit is colored the same way in every panel in the new version (even his reflections in the mirror room) and the slightly muted green color of his hair suits the rest of the darker palette.
The mirror room and the passageway in the original are eye-poppingly green and red, swallowing the purple of Joker's clothes (but not the hair!) in the first two panels. Awesome. The red and green go together really well in the second panel.

Another very obvious change is the facial expression in the last "Why aren't you laughing?" panel. He looks scarier and demented in the newly colored version. The almost "puppy look" of the original is gone. *laugh* I'm a bit sad about this change to be honest. In my eyes the new version doesn't portray his "hurt" quite as well but he does look stunned, I'll give him that. The bone structure of his face is very defined in the new version due to the shading – probably my fave bit on this page.

Overall I much prefer the original here.

05:

Spoiler

The crazy hot pink of the original on the following page always fascinated me because it's a major source of light coming from the right. It's everywhere. There's that gradient again, going from pink to violet and blue, casting over everything but Joker's hair and bowtie.



The new version drops the source of light but Batman's and Joker's faces and clothes are shaded nicely. In panels 2 and 3 Joker's right side (our right) of the face is in shadow which I like a lot, as well as his puffed cheeks in the last panel when he gets hit. Very nice shading indeed. The orange-ish background isn't my fave and the folds on Batman's cape in the first panel are lost a bit due to the digital re-coloring.

I'm kind of undecided on this one. I like both versions but for different reasons.

06 and 07:

Spoiler

How about a scan where I actually prefer the new colors? I've thought about it a lot and as much as I like Batman coming into the yellow light in the original version on the left, the cold feel of the new edition is very fitting I think. Joker's cell shouldn't feel "warm" and welcoming in any way and that's the strange feeling I get when I look at the original. I can't quite put my finger on why I like it better. "Joker" looks lonelier to me in the new version... Is it just me?

And here as well, I love the new version with its noir movie feel and the blood red cape and hood standing out in a very creepy way. I like the 3rd panel in the original ("Oh, Jesus!") for the sepia tone but I think the monotone coloring of all the panels in the new version work better. If the original was all in sepia I'd have liked it just as much as the new b&w. My least fave panel here is the last one in the original version. The yellow coloring of the two criminals bugs me.

Yes, that was long. *cough* Snoo gets wordy when she's talking about things she loves! Thanks for reading.

 

[mongoose-mania]

^I really enjoyed reading your comparisons, Snoo. I get pretty torn on which colors I like better sometimes and it's nice to see what other people think.

 

[Man Who Laughed]

Snoo, I enjoyed reading your comparisons and analyses as well. I do have to say, and I don't want an argument, that I really prefer the new colorings. There's just something about the way it feels so... detached. I think that a novel covering Joker should avoid feeling warm and well-lit. Not to say it should be dark and shadowy, but it should just look f'ed up. Higgins could have achieved that with the "color" version, had it been possible to portray different beams of light crossing over each other, as opposed to fading from one to the next. But I love Bolland's color work. It's nice to see an artist get a chance to color and portray the original vision he had in mind.

 

[Man Who Laughed]

What anniversary edition are you refering to with figures?

This summer, in June or July, a 20th Anniversary Edition of TKJ is being released w/ newly sculpted Batman and Joker figures.

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=DCC10416&mode=retail

 

[DARKxGOTHAMITE]

AWESOME SNOO

but man...i do really prefer the original colors, in it theres color and lights, seemingly all around em, and in the new ones...its bleh...ruins the carnival atmosphere

 

[Banquet]

Thanks Snoo! That post was very helpful. I don't think I'll buy this... I already bought The Man Who Laughs and I have the original TKJ. These scans give me a good idea of what I'm missing anyhow. I love the coloring of the original, so the only thing that really stood out as better is the flesh tones. Gordon's nakedness is more uncomfortable to look at when it's flesh-colored instead of bright yellow. Still not enough to make me go buyin' it all over again though. Haha I'm cheap.

 

[Eggyman]

That was an incredible post, Snoo. I love the new colouring, but I agreed with just about everything you said