Dark Knights of Steel Vol 1

A friend of mine lent me Dark Knights of Steel, Volume 1 awhile ago, and I finally sat down to read it today. Dark Knights of Steel sets Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman in a medieval fantasy setting with an alternate history for Kal-El. In this setting, Kal-El's parents escaped the dying planet Krypton when his mother was pregnant; Kal-El is born on Earth. Batman's parents were the rulers of one of the three kingdoms, but after they were killed by the Green Man (Lex Luthor who found the Green Lantern ring and became the Joker), Kal-El's parents took over. Bruce was the bastard son of the Waynes (Thomas isn't his dad here) and so would never have been accepted as the ruler. 

While the Els rule fairly peacefully, magic is banned from their kingdom. Batman is tasked with rounding all of the magic users up and imprisoning them. Due to this, and a prophecy from John Constantine, the neighbouring Kingdom of Storms wants the Els dead. With the help of the Green Man, Green Arrow launches an arrow and kills Jor-El, starting the three kingdoms' descent towards war.

What's really fun is that Dark Knights of Steel takes you in some really unexpected directions. There were a few moments that I did not see coming because the story plays with what you know of the characters: for example, Dark Knights of Steel's Kal-El is not the same (Superman) Kal-El who we're used to. But you don't realize it until the story unfolds.

I thought this was a fantastic reimagining of the three superheroes, and I can't wait for Volume 2!!!!

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

My brother got Batman: the Dark Knight Returns for me during Christmas.  We had talked about how it was super influential in regards to Batman and comics in general (this review by Stephen on Goodreads sums up the historical significance quite nicely), but I purposely didn't really read what it was about so I could just let the story happen with as few expectations as possible. 

The Dark Knight Returns starts with Batman having been retired for ten years.  But unlike in The Dark Knight Rises, Batman hasn't been moping about in his home all alone; he's been living life as billionaire Bruce Wayne.  But with crime spiking in Gotham thanks to the Mutant Gang, something inside Wayne snaps and he can't keep the Batman hidden inside anymore; Batman returns with a vengeance.  But Wayne is a man pushing sixty.  Being the Batman is no longer an easy task for his older body.

But Batman is not alone in his war against these new criminals.  He is joined by Carrie Kelley, a girl who is inspired to become the new Robin after Batman saves her.  Unfortunately though, Batman's return doesn't just inspire the good like Kelley; the Joker also returns with a vengeance! 

I wasn't remotely prepared for how political this story was.  In many ways it reminded me of Watchmen in how much it comments on the very real threat of nuclear warfare that people living during the Cold War were dealing with.  But the book also looked at how people in and around Gotham reacted to the Dark Knight's return, with ordinary citizens, doctors, and politicians commenting on whether or not Batman is a menace or a boon to Gotham City.  This book also dealt with Commissioner Gordon retiring and being replaced by a woman who very much believed Batman was a menace. 

While the story is interesting from so many angles, I have to say, I was not a fan of the art.  The heads were weirdly blocky, and it was hard to distinguish who a good chunk of the characters were supposed to be (Lana Lang in particular - if they didn't say that's who she was, I would have had no idea - but I'm also more familiar with more modern iterations of her character). 

I can usually get through a typical graphic novel in an hour or two of reading.  The Dark Knight Returns is NOT your typical graphic novel.  There's so much dialogue in this that it gets a bit overwhelming at times.  It took me several days devoting a bit of time here and there to get through the whole thing. Luckily it is broken up into four fifty page chapters, so I generally was just trying to make a mad dash to the end of the chapter before I would put it down and go about the rest of my day.

So all in all, I enjoyed Batman: the Dark Knight Returns.  It's very interesting for its historical and political commentaries on the time it was written.  It's very interesting for how it made Batman a much grittier hero than he had been in decades. And it's just a really good Batman story in general.

Batman/Tarzan: Claws of the Catwoman

I saw this graphic novel go by at work and thought it would be a fun mash-up.  Batman and Tarzan are actually quite alike in a lot of ways!  They are both orphans who have taken it upon themselves to defend their respective jungles.

This story opens with Bruce Wayne having funded a new wing in Gotham's Museum of Natural History (in memory of his parents).  He has financed a second expedition to Africa so that the explorer, Finnegan Dent, can finish what he started on the first one.  At the wing opening ceremony, Bruce Wayne meets John Clayton, Lord Greystoke (aka Tarzan of the Apes), who had business in New York and so made a point of coming to Gotham for the unveiling.

Later that night, a Catwoman breaks into the Museum to steal some of the artifacts.  She's not Selina Kyle; instead she is Princess Khefretari of the Hidden City of Memnon.  Finnegan Dent found the city and stole many of their artifacts; he's going to use the second expedition to finish his looting.

So Batman, Tarzan (who realized Batman is Bruce Wayne due to his smell), and Khefretari team up to stop Finnegan Dent!

This book was a lot of fun.  I think I'm going to go and read Tarzan of the Apes next because of it!  :)

Interlude: All Star Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder Volume 1

The friend who lent me both Volume 3 and 5 of Star Wars Tales also lent me All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder Volume 1. He told me it was a really good story. And it totally was. All Star Batman & Robin is a reimagining of the origins of Robin. This volume starts with Dick Grayson's parents getting killed in front of him at the circus. The cops of Gotham are still crooked, and they take the boy. Batman follows them and saves him (while looking like he kidnapped Dick), having decided to recruit him as his protege. He sets about training Dick in much the same manner as he trained himself. Or at least he tries to - Alfred won't have much of that and takes it upon himself to feed Dick hamburgers and help him where he can.

This takes place at a time where Batman isn't established yet, and neither is the Justice League. The Justice League consists of four people: Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Plastic Man. And they aren't happy with the Batman's actions, especially now that he's kidnapped a kid. Wonder Woman wants to go hunt Batman, but the rest of the League insist on talking with him first. So they send Green Lantern.

This led to a hilarious encounter between Batman and Green Lantern. I didn't know this, but apparently the colour yellow is Green Lantern's weakness. So Batman and his new sidekick Robin (named after Robin Hood - Dick Grayson styled his costume after the hero, wanting to be called "Hood." Batman removed the costume's hood and called him "Robin" instead) paint themselves and the meeting place completely yellow. Green Lantern is unable to use his powers against them. Robin also manages to steal the Green Lantern's ring, leading to a fight between the two where things almost turn tragic for Green Lantern when Robin hits his windpipe. Batman has to perform a tracheostomy to save him.

In the aftermath, Batman realizes that he has failed in his teachings. And more importantly, he hasn't given Dick the time he needs to grieve for his parents. So they stop in the cemetary to grieve together.

All Star Batman & Robin was a lot darker than I was expecting. But it was a really good story all the same, giving origins for several super heroes (like Black Canary). I'm really glad my friend lent it to me!

Library Book: Batman: Noel

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you combined Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol with Batman? Batman: Noel! Batman has lost sight of the people he is protecting, becoming rather akin to Scrooge in his outlook towards crime. On Christmas Eve he is visited by three "ghosts" who help him see the error of his ways, and help him change before it is too late.

Written and illustrated by Lee Bermejo, Batman: Noel is a haunting and beautiful tale. This is a must for every Batman fan. I'm hoping to pick it up myself after the holidays so I can read it every year before Christmas!

Library Book: Batman: Long Shadows

I found Batman: Long Shadows while I was at work today. As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I had to keep reading!

Batman is presumed dead, so it is up to Dick Grayson to don the cowl and convince everyone that Batman lives on. The problem is that Dick Grayson is a very different man from Bruce Wayne. He fights differently and even acts differently from his predecessor. And unfortunately for him, Two-Face has noticed the differences.

So now Dick has to convince everyone (including himself) that he IS the Batman.

This was a really good story. But the graphic novel ends in the middle of a larger story arc. And unfortunately, Batman: Long Shadows is part of a longer story arc which includes Batman: Battle for the Cowl, Batman: Life After Death and a few other volumes. The library has neither of these titles, so it may be awhile before I get my hands on the rest of the tale.

Batman: R.I.P.

When I started reading Batman: R.I.P., I had a bit of trouble figuring out what was going on; it felt like I was starting in the middle of the story, with Batman going steady with some girl (and it took quite awhile before they even mentioned what her name was). But once I got over that, more and more I was reminded of Knightfall, Part 1. But unlike Knightfall, where Bane was physically trying to break Batman, coming after him while he was physically very weak, Batman R.I.P. was concerned with breaking Batman's mind.

In Batman R.I.P., The Club of Villains has targeted Batman. They have gone after Batman, targeting his friends and releasing the Joker, all in the name of gambling. Assurred by their host that the Bat will break, it is simply a matter of deciding how and when. But have they severely underestimated him? Or is the world's greatest detective's mind about to fracture into insanity forever?

While I didn't enjoy this as much as Knightfall, I felt like Batman R.I.P. was written in the same spirit. Both stories were concerned with breaking the Bat. And both were good reads. Knightfall was just a lot less confusing (and in my opinion just overall better).

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader

I took a bit of an Ever World break in favour of some Batman; I'll be writing a column for work on books in the near future with Batman as my chosen topic so I thought I should read one or two more before it's due. I was also in a Neil Gaiman kind of mood so Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader was perfect.

The main story was really interesting. Everyone whom Batman touched, both friend and foe, were gathering for his funeral. And everyone was telling stories of how he both lived and died. Unfortunately these stories were all extremely different, leaving you with no real idea as to what was the truth. And over it all, the Caped Crusader himself watched, invisible along with a mysterious other. Whatever Happened was, in true Gaiman style, very intriguing; a fun read that leaves you trying to solve the mystery of what's going on right along with the Bat.

My version was the deluxe edition, which included a few other tales There four stories were all in widely differing art styles. It took me a bit to realize that they were also written by Gaiman. The first one, "A Black and White World," was pretty fun, featuring Batman and Joker rehearsing and acting out their roles for the comics; here they are just two guys who chose a career as comic book actors. "Pavane" was a strange story featuring Poison Ivy. It was a little hard to figure out (and, in my opinion, the worst story in this edition). Finally, "Original Sins" and "When is a Door" were related. "Original Sins" is the story of a man wanting to film a documentary on the human side of the villains; he is visited by Batman, who warns not to proceed. "When is a Door" is the interview of the Riddler. It was a bit confusing, but that was okay, because you do not go to the Riddler for answers. While not my favourite, this tale had the best ending.

All in all, I enjoyed reading Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader. This was by no means my favourite Batman graphic novel (or my favourite Gaiman stories), but altogether this was entertaining and makes you think.

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth

I honestly don't have a lot to say about this one. I finally bought the Arkham Asylum 360 game and decided I wanted to read the graphic novel before beating it (I've played through quite a bit of the game at a friend's place so I know a lot of the story for it). I was prepared for the graphic novel to be a bit weird, especially with the art of Dave McKean, but I really wasn't prepared for this. My big problem was that I had a hard time following the story. There were quite a few parts where I wasn't sure what was going on. There were other parts where I couldn't follow the panels (by the end I figured them out but there were a few places where it looked like you could read them in a couple of ways). And I had a hard time reading some of what the Joker said (his speech was written in crazy letters in red ink).

The basic idea is that the inmates of Arkham take over and want Batman. Batman rises to the challenge (mostly going so the inmates will give up their hostages relatively unharmed). But once inside he has to struggle with his own sanity as well as those inside. Running parallel to Batman's story is the story of Arkham, the owner who converted the house into an insane asylum.

There were some cool moments (like Two-Face being weaned off of his coin). I'll probably try rereading it one day (as an attempt to better follow the action). But all in all this definitely wasn't one of my favourites.

Batman: Death and the Maidens

After reading The Long Halloween, I decided to give Batman: Death and the Maidens a try (I have one more Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale book left, and kind of wanted to save it. Plus this is shorter than Dark Victory).

Reading the introduction to Death and the Maidens, I became quite excited. This was, according to the editor Matt Idelson, Greg Rucka's best work. Having no experience with Greg Rucka's work, I was prepared to be amazed. Unfortunately, I was not amazed.

As you can tell from the cover, Death and the Maidens deals with Ra's Al-Ghul. I don't know a lot of the history of him, but he is a bit more supernatural than I like my Batman villians to be (with the Lazarus Pits and him being centuries old and all). So when we are immediately introduced to a hitherto unknown daughter of his, Nyssa, and her back story gets spliced into the action of the main story, I had a bit of a hard time. The problem was both little knowledge on Ra's and company, but also I didn't really care what was going on.

The main idea is that Nyssa is completely against her father, wanting him dead. And Ra's is dying, having been deprived of his Lazarus Pits by Batman (I think). So Ra's visits Batman with a desperate deal: he will trade Batman a drink that will allow him to communicate with his dead parents in exchange for a working Lazarus Pit. Meanwhile Nyssa is busy kidnapping her sister Talia and plotting the murders of both her father and Superman. (As a side note, Superman has an awesome and completely unexpected moment in this story).

One of the main problems with this story was one pointed out by Craig Johnson on Comics Bulletin: Batman is like a side character in this story. Even the whole plot with his parents seems completely unnecessary.

So overall, I wasn't really fond of this graphic novel. The story was just okay, nothing special. I'd pass this up in favour of something like The Long Halloween or Knightfall pt 1.

Batman: The Long Halloween

I've had Batman: The Long Halloween for a long time; I bought it in Toronto at the same time as Batman: Haunted Knight. I've really wanted to read it, but I've had a hard time justifying it because it is much longer than most of my graphic novels. But after reading The Incident Report, I wanted something that I knew would be excellent. And since I am heading back to Toronto in a few days, I wanted to read a few of my graphic novels in preparation of buying some more. My plan for today was to hang out and read, making it the perfect time to read The Long Halloween.

The Long Halloween is a lot of things. It is the story of the downfall of the crime family led by "the Roman." It is the story of a serial killer, named "Holiday" because he kills members of the crime family on holidays, leaving little holiday mementos to mark the occasion. And it is the story of how Harvey Dent became Two-Face. The Long Halloween will keep you guessing right to the end - just who is Holiday?

Batman: The Long Halloween was an excellent story, and well worth reading if you like Batman. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale did a fantastic job, and like the Dark Templar Saga, I wish I had read it sooner!

Batman: Haunted Knight

After finishing Dalamar the Dark, I knew I needed something fast and good to read. So I decided to give one of the three Batman graphic novels by Jeph Loeb that I bought in Toronto a try. I arbitrarily chose Batman: Haunted Knight because it looked like it was the shortest of the three.

Haunted Knight is a collection of three Batman Halloween specials by Loeb and Tim Sale. The first story features the Scarecrow rampaging through Gotham during Batman's early days. Batman becomes torn between his duty of stopping the Scarecrow and his personal wants when he meets a beautiful girl at a Halloween party.

The second story features the Mad Hatter's twisted scheme based off of Alice in Wonderland. He kidnaps children in an attempt to reenact the novel. While Batman is on his tail, the Hatter makes it more personal for Commissioner Gordon when his daughter is kidnapped by the madman.

The final story is a Halloween version of A Christmas Carol. Batman is visited first by the ghost of his father and then by three spirits who wear the guises of various villains and Death.

All three stories were excellent! I felt like I devoured the book, it was so good!

Harley and Ivy

This was one of the graphic novels I picked up from Toronto. While the other ones were a bit more serious looking, this one just looked like a lot of fun. So I just had to buy it. I mean, I can't really picture Harley and Ivy together.

Luckily, this was exactly the type of read that I needed: totally different from those magazines! Harley and Ivy are indeed an odd pair, which led to some hilarious antics! This volume collected three different stories about the unlikely duo. The Bet, the first story by Paul Dini, was a hilarious little romp. Harley bet Ivy a dollar that she could get more of the Arkham males to kiss her! Love on the Lam by Judd Winick had Harley kicked out by the Joker, so she enlists Ivy's help for a big score. Ivy attempts to get Harley to go off on her own for awhile, away from the Joker's influence. And finally, there was Paul Dini's Harley and Ivy, a longer story about the pair on their random adventures to South America and Hollywood.

This was a great read! Perfect for any Batman fan who wants a break from the seriousness!

Interlude: Batman: A Death in the Family

It's been a month or so since I've read any Batman graphic novels. So I was rather excited when a friend lent me Batman: A Death in the Family, which tells the story of the second Robin's death. I knew the second Robin had died, but I did not know how, other than that the Joker was responsible. I pictured the Joker shooting Jason, rather like he shot Barbara Gordon (but this shot would have been lethal). Other than that, I wasn't really sure what to expect; I don't really know anything about Jason Todd.

A Death in the Family opens with Jason disobeying an order from Batman and nearly getting killed. Batman decides to take Jason off of active duty; apparently Jason has not gotten over the death of his parents. While wandering around Gotham City, Jason encounters a friend of his parents who saved some stuff for him. He brings the box of stuff back home and discovers on his birth certificate that the woman he thought was his mother, Catherine Todd, was actually his step-mother. His real mother's name is blurred, but it begins with an "S" rather than a "C." Luckily his father's address book was also present, so he decides to track down the three women in there with a first name starting with "S."

Meanwhile, Batman has to decide whether to track down Jason, or stop the Joker's latest scheme (selling a cruise missile to Arab terrorists because he is broke). He regretfully chooses the latter, but luckily finds Jason along the way. Jason's quest had brought him to the Arab nations because that was where the three women were all working. So the duo track the Joker down, then continue to look for Jason's mother.

Lucky for Jason, the third time's the charm; the third woman turns out to be his real mother. They are briefly reunited, but then the Joker turns up, having some business with Jason's mother. Jason tracks the Joker down, then goes to warn Batman. Batman has to stop innocent people from dying of the Joker's laughing gas, so he warns Jason to wait for him. Jason doesn't. He goes in after the Joker to save his mother, but gets beaten practically to death. Then the Joker decides to dispose of the evidence, so he blows the place up, with both Jason and his mother in it!

It wasn't what I was expecting at all. Definitely not the best Batman story I've ever read, but it was pretty good to read. I know I gave away a good chunk of the plot in my summary, but I left a couple cool twists and turns out that are definitely worth checking out. Definitely a must-read for any and all Batman fans!

Library Book: Superman: Emperor Joker

Normally I prefer Batman stories, but while I was at work this last Saturday, Superman: Emperor Joker caught my eye. It looked fun, and it screamed a Batman/Superman crossover, so I decided to give it a shot. And I wasn't disappointed.

Superman: Emperor Joker opens in a strange alternate reality. Superman is a criminal, accused of murdering Lex Luthor. Villians like Bizaarro are considered the heroes. And for some reason, it keeps raining pies . . .

Yes, the Joker has managed to get God-like powers. He has remade the world into his dream, whatever that dream happens to be at the moment. Everything is opposite, and only the Man of Steel seems to realize that everything is wrong. And every night there is the unearthly scream . . .

Yes, Superman: Emperor Joker was a great story. It was a bit of a crossover, but I enjoyed every minute of reading it. From Bizarro's opposite talk to the Joker's cruel insanity, this was a good story for everyone who likes the DC Universe.

Interlude: Heart of Hush

I was telling a friend how much I enjoyed Batman: Hush, so today he lent me the five part comic series Heart of Hush (Batman Detective Comics #846-850). Heart of Hush is the return of Hush, with another plan to destroy Batman. This time, he has enlisted the help of the Scarecrow to distract Batman's attention while Hush strikes from the shadows.

And what a strike! While Batman is off dealing with the Scarecrow, Hush attacks Catwoman. He kidnaps after catching her completely off guard, and steals her heart - literally! With the help of Mr. Freeze, Hush removes her heart from her chest, delivering her to Gotham General while he has her heart in his hospital! (The scene directly after this had Batman beating up the Scarecrow in Arkham, demanding to know where Hush is; the Joker is sitting nearby, enjoy the show. He remarks at one point that watching Batman work is like Christmas! I thought it was hilarious!)

This story reveals Hush's reasoning for going after Batman. His reasoning is quite flawed, not really making sense, but I guess that's the point: Hush is kind of insane (what Batman villian isn't?) I really liked how Batman managed to get a few steps ahead of Hush, such as when he stormed Hush's hideout, or at the end. And Catwoman's revenge at the end was a nice little "so there." All in all, this was a great story, and I'm really glad my friend lent it to me. Definitely worth the read (after the two part Hush graphic novels, of course!)

Oh, and as a fyi, the picture I chose is of Batman Detective Comics #450 (the final part). I felt it best captured the story as a whole (and I really liked the picture!)

Batman: Hush Volume 2

And like I knew it would happen when I finished Volume 1, I wasn't able to go to sleep until I had finished Batman: Hush Volume 2. Volume 2 was even more intriguing than Volume 1. At the end of Volume 1, you are presented with a hidden menace to Batman; a man who has a bandaged face, who is studying Batman's life. Volume 2 opens with Batman knowing there is someone out there, but not sure who. And so he continues to battle through the villians, playing the game of Hush.

In the meantime, Batman and Catwoman's relationship continues to evolve. Batman decides to trust her with his identity and with the location of the Batcave. But as more and more villians are revealed to be part of the game, Batman is left wondering whether he can trust her, or whether she is another piece in the game?

The revelation of who Hush is, as well as the stunning conclusion, make these two graphic novels an unforgettable experience for every Batman fan!

Hush.

Batman: Hush Volume 1

I bought this graphic novel at HMV of all places, along with volume two. I was originally going to buy them both before Christmas, but I ended up waiting until afterwards to buy them.

I've been meaning to read it before today, but with school being a bit heavier this term, today was my first chance. And after having read Batman: Hush Volume 1, I can only say that I should have read it sooner!
Hush Volume 1 opens with Batman trying to save a little boy from Killer Croc. But it quickly becomes obvious that the kidnapping was not planned by Croc; it isn't his style. When Catwoman appears on scene to steal the ransom money from Croc, Batman knows something major is up; Catwoman had left Gotham sometime before to try her hand on the right side of the law. It turns out that Poison Ivy is behind the whole thing, as no man or woman can resist her.
Ivy gets away, and Catwoman comes looking for Batman. While telling him that she wants to get her hands on Ivy, Batman and Catwoman kiss. And in that kiss comes many possibilities; as Catwoman says on page 78: "Easy boy. You play your cards right and . . .there will be plenty more where that came from." And so the rest of the graphic novel is coloured by the possibility that a romance finally will build between Batman and Catwoman.
This was a fantastic read. I read it in about a half hour. It is very intriguing, and now I can't wait to read Volume 2!

The Joker's Last Laugh

The Joker's Last Laugh was the last Batman graphic novel that I bought in Toronto back in November. And of all of the Batman graphic novels I bought, this one is my least favourite.

It started out with a pretty good premise. The Joker has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, so he goes crazy and plans his last laugh. I think my problem with the whole thing was that it was a major cross over. The Joker's Last Laugh didn't just feature other villians from Batman; no it featured villians from all over the place in the DC multiverse. And I really don't know who the vast majority of them are.

Another thing that I didn't like was that Batman wasn't really a major part of this story. I bought it thinking it would be a fun battle between the Joker and Batman. But Batman only showed up every here and there. The Joker's Last Laugh was more about Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson. Well, and the Joker as well of course. I think Batman only showed up like two or three times in the story. And he never punched the Joker out the way they show on the back of the book.

So as far as Batman stories go, this one really wasn't one. If you like cross over stories, you'd probably like this one. But otherwise, you're probably better off passing this story up.

Batman: The Killing Joke

I know, I know, another Batman story. What can I say? They're good reads. The Killing Joke was no exception. It was written by Alan Moore, and drawn/coloured by Brian Bolland. This was the deluxe edition, reprinted 20 years after it was originally made. My copy has the following quote by tim Burton: "I loved THE KILLING JOKE...It's my favourite. It's the first comic I've ever loved." While I don't exactly agree with this (My love goes to Knightfall part 1), The Killing Joke was pretty amazing.

When I bought this, I didn't bother reading the back of it. I just assumed it was the story of when the Joker killed Robin. While I was very wrong (Robin does not appear in this story at all) it was still a very interesting and involved story. The Joker believes that one bad day is all that separates so called normal people from the psychopaths of Gotham. To prove his point, he's decided to subject Commissioner Gordon to the worst day of his life.

This story is rather brutal at some points. To give Gordon a bad day, the Joker does some extremely terrible things both to Gordon and his daughter, Barbara. But The Killing Joke is extremely well written, and the art is fantastic.

Oh, and here's a bit of trivia: the original edition was not coloured by Brian Bolland. He recoloured everything for this deluxe edition. He also changed some of the drawings. So if you have both this copy and the original (which I don't, I just have the deluxe edition) then you can go through the books page by page looking for the differences.

The Killing Joke is a must-read for all of the Joker fans out there!