The $17.99 price tag is kinda hefty for a slim hardcover like this, but the new coloring — by artist Brian Bolland himself — on DC’s just-released Killing Joke Anniversary Edition is really impressive! Check the scans below and you’ll notice that the new coloring is often a subtractive process, making everything look less gaudy and more refined. Interestingly, the yellow oval on the Bat logo has been removed everywhere.
I might just have to buy this (especially since I gave my copy away years ago…)!
Wow, that IS impressive. Looks like Bolland really put a lot of thought into his choice of colours. This alone might change my mind about picking the book up.
I have to say … I’m on the fence. As a big fan of the original, it seems some of the boldness of the colors really defined the style and era … especially with the last big Joker reveal panel there. I can see Bolland cut back the colors for the flashback sequences, assumably to distinguish them from the “present” sequences, but … I dunno.
Plus, removing the yellow oval? That’s not recoloring — that’s Greedo shooting first. I’m no fan of the yellow oval suit, but it’s WHAT WAS THERE. Unless there’s some revisionist editorial mandate …
People really seem to frown on the oval for one reason or another. It sucks that they feel compelled to omit it as if it never existed. I definitely agree, it’s Greedo shooting first, most definitely.
On the whole, I’d say the recoloring is okay. I definitely agree with the sentiment that it thankfully no longer looks like a coloring book. Especially the page with Batman smearing the white makeup of the joker imposter’s face. I always hated the skin looking so yellow. And the flashback scenes really benefit from the muted colors, while the red is still fairly vibrant. Not to mention the added shading and lighting effects.
6.
camilo | March 27th, 2008 at 9:25 am
It was a Joker’s story. With Joker’s colors. The colors now are more like a story about Batman. With “Batman Begins” colors, and “X-Men - the movie” uniforms.
Er, I’m not convinced…the original book might have been a bit garish (with good reason, considering that it was the Joker’s Big Moment), the colors were beautifully applied, vivid, and even cinematic.
The new version = dullsville, at least to this reader.
8.
Martin | March 29th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
“Pimp” Gordon don’t look all that flash in the new version.
I can tell you that when I was working with Brian, ahem, TWENTY years ago, he often talked to me about how he visualized each page being coloured the way they look now is exactly as he described. Im so glad he has had this opportunity now to present his artwork the way he always intended.
10.
Sean McCoy | April 2nd, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I think the new colors, as subtractive as they are, are the worst kind of artistic retconning. The book comes from a beautiful period of comics history and I think should stand the way it is. Alan Moore is an impeccable writer when it comes to obsessively controlling his artists and I don’t think “The Killing Joke” is any different. I think he get exactly the look he was going for, and I think to change it to meet today’s standards of post-Dark Knight Returns desaturation and disenfranchised heroes is an abuse.
i color my own linework, and being in that position i see how colors relationship to lines shapes what you see in regards to where your eye moves, settles, etc. the new colors are much more beneficial to the line art. there’s open spaces, depth, restraint, benefit to the storytelling and mood. lotta pluses, if maybe a bit too subdued for my particular tastes. i dig 80s colors for the same nostalgic reason as everyone else, in fact i incorporate alot of the look into my own work for some impact and effect here and there. but really, it’s a crude way of coloring, and if the artist has the opportunity to go back and do what he sees as a greater service to his work, which in his heart is a greater service to the reader, let’s celebrate his work for the good reasons, and let the subjective purism go. you now have two options=)
I like both too, but the first one is clearly cruder, I think the new one’s mood is very subtle and since it’s Bolland himself doing it, I really can’t see what the fuss is about…
I didnīt like. The original colour is more dramatic, more shocking, add more insanity to the art, to the history… but maybe itīs just because I read the first one first and am a great fan…
16.
jamie | June 30th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
it went from bad to….meh. would of much rather see bolland invest time into something new,color is not his strong point. Im a huge fan of his work otherwise……
17.
Scot | July 31st, 2008 at 2:08 am
I like how the re-coloring was supposed to make the world more “realistic” and help accentuate the line work. Unfortunately Bolland subdued the colors while over rendering with whatever program he used. The cape and the helmet look terrible and the over rendered sky takes away focus from the lone mad man emerging from the water. Not only boring but an example of how computer based coloring can really ruin great line work. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Give me the original.
18.
Jack Mama | August 14th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Yikes. Attack of the Whiny Commenters. How is removing the yellow oval equivalent to Greedo shooting first? Greedo shooting first damaged Han Solo’s character; the yellow oval is a minor stylistic choice at best. It’s not like the artwork was altered to make the Joker shoot Barbara in the kneecap instead of the spine.
I recently bought this hardcover edition, and it was worth it. (The $18 price sucks, but Amazon is selling it for just over $10.) And yes, the new coloring is an improvement, much like the recolored version of Batman: Year One. It looks cleaner but at the same time grittier. It just looks better.
19.
Archile | August 14th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
It actually….looks good. I remember the first time I read TKJ, and I glanced at the coloring, I couldn’t help but think “What the hell is this?!”, but as I read it, it kinda grew on me, although I found it “out of place”…..it was waaay too yellowy for me.
The new coloring, however, suits my tastes much more. The colors look more natural, which helps inmerse the reader much more, atleast I think it does.
In the end, I like both takes, but if I had to choose, I’d go with Bolland’s take.
I think it’s great to reissue this excellent story. New coloring brings added value, at least to those of us who like to keep every version on their shelves. The old book DID NOT GO AWAY!
The Deluxe Edition may even bring in a couple of new Batman/Joker fans.
Now we have a Joker version and a Batman version of the book, and multiple choice past as well.
“How is removing the yellow oval equivalent to Greedo shooting first?”
I think the reasoning people aren’t liking the change is that it appears Bolland changed his line art to remove the oval.
This becomes revisionist editing akin to Lucas making Greedo shoot first or changing the conversation between Vader and the Emperor in Empire Strikes Back to reflect Episode III’s version of events, or putting Hayden in the final shot of Return of the Jedi.
In the comics, Batman was still wearing the yellow oval suit when it was originally published. He doesn’t now (that I am aware, I haven’t read Batman comics in a long, long time), and he didn’t have the oval in the flashbacks because of the time it was supposed to be set. So it seems more akin to the changing of the art to make it seem more relevant to today’s Batman instead of just recoloring and keeping the line art the same.
23.
JSL | August 18th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Well, that’s just ridiculous. The artist says that is the way he wanted to color the book. It doesn’t matter what happened in the “era”. If I’m hearing things correctly, it seems the “era” steamrolled over the artist, and it’s good to see his original vision restored.
I’ll bet if someone forced Frank Miller to watercolor Sin City and he took the opportunity to reissue it b/w in the wake of the movie, you’d hear an equal number of whiners.
“Greedo shooting first.” Man, grow up. Lordy, no wonder people have such a negative image of the net community. I’m going to Border’s right f’n NOW to get this edition.
24.
Jack Mama | August 18th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
“This becomes revisionist editing akin to Lucas making Greedo shoot first or changing the conversation between Vader and the Emperor in Empire Strikes Back to reflect Episode IIIs version of events, or putting Hayden in the final shot of Return of the Jedi.”
It’s not “akin” to those changes. If Bolland changed the artwork to make the Joker shoot Barbara only after she attacked him first, it would be fair to compare it to Greedo shooting first. But removing the yellow oval, which changes nothing in regards to story or character, isn’t even in the same galaxy as Greedo shooting first.
Greedo shooting first changed Han Solos character. It changed his motivation for killing Greedo. He originally shot Greedo in cold blood, and Lucas changed the scene to make him kill Greedo in self-defense. Removing the yellow oval changes a small part of Batman’s costume.
Also, it’s worth pointing out that the original version of The Killing Joke is still in print, unlike the original theatrical versions of Star Wars. So if you don’t like the new version, fine, but nobody’s rewriting the history books.
25.
Kevin Murphy | August 24th, 2008 at 3:27 am
I read this book several times over in the original color (whether online or from the library). I recently bought the Deluxe Edition not knowing it was recolored and was pleasantly surprised. Im a big fan of the new colors.
26.
Alan Strangis | August 25th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I’m with Jack Mama. The Greedo comparison doesn’t work at all.
Though I was a huge fan of the original, I personally like the subtler colours in the new edition. It really makes Bolland’s inks stand out much more clearly, and IMHO his line work certainly should be the focus in anything he draws.
BTW, Brian Bolland was interviewed at Fan Expo this year, and talked about the recolouring process, and a few other topics, here.
I read the Deluxe version last week and hated it because of the recoloring. The color-coded flashbacks of the original version gave me the impression that the story was Joker-oriented — like how schizophrenics supposedly have heightened color-perception. I mean, does Van Gogh ring any bells? BMY1 by contrast was known for pseudo-monochroma.
Removing the yellow oval from Batman’s insignia was a rather cheap attempt to shoehorn TKJ into the current DC continuity. In all the post Zero-Hour retcons right up to now Batman has never had the yellow oval insignia.
28 Comments Add your own
1. Ernie Estrella | March 23rd, 2008 at 12:10 am
Yeah it went from a coloring book to something dynamic and with real mood and excitement!
2. Jeffrey | March 25th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Wow, that IS impressive. Looks like Bolland really put a lot of thought into his choice of colours. This alone might change my mind about picking the book up.
3. Marco Milone | March 25th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Awesome!
4. Pj | March 25th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I have to say … I’m on the fence. As a big fan of the original, it seems some of the boldness of the colors really defined the style and era … especially with the last big Joker reveal panel there. I can see Bolland cut back the colors for the flashback sequences, assumably to distinguish them from the “present” sequences, but … I dunno.
Plus, removing the yellow oval? That’s not recoloring — that’s Greedo shooting first. I’m no fan of the yellow oval suit, but it’s WHAT WAS THERE. Unless there’s some revisionist editorial mandate …
5. Kayode Kendall | March 25th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
People really seem to frown on the oval for one reason or another. It sucks that they feel compelled to omit it as if it never existed. I definitely agree, it’s Greedo shooting first, most definitely.
On the whole, I’d say the recoloring is okay. I definitely agree with the sentiment that it thankfully no longer looks like a coloring book. Especially the page with Batman smearing the white makeup of the joker imposter’s face. I always hated the skin looking so yellow. And the flashback scenes really benefit from the muted colors, while the red is still fairly vibrant. Not to mention the added shading and lighting effects.
6. camilo | March 27th, 2008 at 9:25 am
It was a Joker’s story. With Joker’s colors. The colors now are more like a story about Batman. With “Batman Begins” colors, and “X-Men - the movie” uniforms.
…and the lighting effects are just crap.
The original is better.
7. Jeff | March 27th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Er, I’m not convinced…the original book might have been a bit garish (with good reason, considering that it was the Joker’s Big Moment), the colors were beautifully applied, vivid, and even cinematic.
The new version = dullsville, at least to this reader.
8. Martin | March 29th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
“Pimp” Gordon don’t look all that flash in the new version.
9. Richard Starkings | April 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
I can tell you that when I was working with Brian, ahem, TWENTY years ago, he often talked to me about how he visualized each page being coloured the way they look now is exactly as he described. Im so glad he has had this opportunity now to present his artwork the way he always intended.
10. Sean McCoy | April 2nd, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I think the new colors, as subtractive as they are, are the worst kind of artistic retconning. The book comes from a beautiful period of comics history and I think should stand the way it is. Alan Moore is an impeccable writer when it comes to obsessively controlling his artists and I don’t think “The Killing Joke” is any different. I think he get exactly the look he was going for, and I think to change it to meet today’s standards of post-Dark Knight Returns desaturation and disenfranchised heroes is an abuse.
11. Kristian donaldson | April 4th, 2008 at 1:27 am
i color my own linework, and being in that position i see how colors relationship to lines shapes what you see in regards to where your eye moves, settles, etc. the new colors are much more beneficial to the line art. there’s open spaces, depth, restraint, benefit to the storytelling and mood. lotta pluses, if maybe a bit too subdued for my particular tastes. i dig 80s colors for the same nostalgic reason as everyone else, in fact i incorporate alot of the look into my own work for some impact and effect here and there. but really, it’s a crude way of coloring, and if the artist has the opportunity to go back and do what he sees as a greater service to his work, which in his heart is a greater service to the reader, let’s celebrate his work for the good reasons, and let the subjective purism go. you now have two options=)
12. Edu | April 6th, 2008 at 8:52 am
I like both.
13. Felipe Sobreiro | April 12th, 2008 at 12:22 am
I like both too, but the first one is clearly cruder, I think the new one’s mood is very subtle and since it’s Bolland himself doing it, I really can’t see what the fuss is about…
14. Jason A. | May 8th, 2008 at 2:00 am
camilo said it perfectly. The new one blows.
15. Jubi | June 5th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
I didnīt like. The original colour is more dramatic, more shocking, add more insanity to the art, to the history… but maybe itīs just because I read the first one first and am a great fan…
16. jamie | June 30th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
it went from bad to….meh. would of much rather see bolland invest time into something new,color is not his strong point. Im a huge fan of his work otherwise……
17. Scot | July 31st, 2008 at 2:08 am
I like how the re-coloring was supposed to make the world more “realistic” and help accentuate the line work. Unfortunately Bolland subdued the colors while over rendering with whatever program he used. The cape and the helmet look terrible and the over rendered sky takes away focus from the lone mad man emerging from the water. Not only boring but an example of how computer based coloring can really ruin great line work. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Give me the original.
18. Jack Mama | August 14th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Yikes. Attack of the Whiny Commenters. How is removing the yellow oval equivalent to Greedo shooting first? Greedo shooting first damaged Han Solo’s character; the yellow oval is a minor stylistic choice at best. It’s not like the artwork was altered to make the Joker shoot Barbara in the kneecap instead of the spine.
I recently bought this hardcover edition, and it was worth it. (The $18 price sucks, but Amazon is selling it for just over $10.) And yes, the new coloring is an improvement, much like the recolored version of Batman: Year One. It looks cleaner but at the same time grittier. It just looks better.
19. Archile | August 14th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
It actually….looks good. I remember the first time I read TKJ, and I glanced at the coloring, I couldn’t help but think “What the hell is this?!”, but as I read it, it kinda grew on me, although I found it “out of place”…..it was waaay too yellowy for me.
The new coloring, however, suits my tastes much more. The colors look more natural, which helps inmerse the reader much more, atleast I think it does.
In the end, I like both takes, but if I had to choose, I’d go with Bolland’s take.
20. Joey L | August 15th, 2008 at 4:32 am
I think it’s great to reissue this excellent story. New coloring brings added value, at least to those of us who like to keep every version on their shelves. The old book DID NOT GO AWAY!
The Deluxe Edition may even bring in a couple of new Batman/Joker fans.
Now we have a Joker version and a Batman version of the book, and multiple choice past as well.
21. K▲LIGUL▲ | August 15th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Wow! Great work of restauration. Smile!:P
22. Sam | August 17th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
“How is removing the yellow oval equivalent to Greedo shooting first?”
I think the reasoning people aren’t liking the change is that it appears Bolland changed his line art to remove the oval.
This becomes revisionist editing akin to Lucas making Greedo shoot first or changing the conversation between Vader and the Emperor in Empire Strikes Back to reflect Episode III’s version of events, or putting Hayden in the final shot of Return of the Jedi.
In the comics, Batman was still wearing the yellow oval suit when it was originally published. He doesn’t now (that I am aware, I haven’t read Batman comics in a long, long time), and he didn’t have the oval in the flashbacks because of the time it was supposed to be set. So it seems more akin to the changing of the art to make it seem more relevant to today’s Batman instead of just recoloring and keeping the line art the same.
23. JSL | August 18th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Well, that’s just ridiculous. The artist says that is the way he wanted to color the book. It doesn’t matter what happened in the “era”. If I’m hearing things correctly, it seems the “era” steamrolled over the artist, and it’s good to see his original vision restored.
I’ll bet if someone forced Frank Miller to watercolor Sin City and he took the opportunity to reissue it b/w in the wake of the movie, you’d hear an equal number of whiners.
“Greedo shooting first.” Man, grow up. Lordy, no wonder people have such a negative image of the net community. I’m going to Border’s right f’n NOW to get this edition.
24. Jack Mama | August 18th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
“This becomes revisionist editing akin to Lucas making Greedo shoot first or changing the conversation between Vader and the Emperor in Empire Strikes Back to reflect Episode IIIs version of events, or putting Hayden in the final shot of Return of the Jedi.”
It’s not “akin” to those changes. If Bolland changed the artwork to make the Joker shoot Barbara only after she attacked him first, it would be fair to compare it to Greedo shooting first. But removing the yellow oval, which changes nothing in regards to story or character, isn’t even in the same galaxy as Greedo shooting first.
Greedo shooting first changed Han Solos character. It changed his motivation for killing Greedo. He originally shot Greedo in cold blood, and Lucas changed the scene to make him kill Greedo in self-defense. Removing the yellow oval changes a small part of Batman’s costume.
Also, it’s worth pointing out that the original version of The Killing Joke is still in print, unlike the original theatrical versions of Star Wars. So if you don’t like the new version, fine, but nobody’s rewriting the history books.
25. Kevin Murphy | August 24th, 2008 at 3:27 am
I read this book several times over in the original color (whether online or from the library). I recently bought the Deluxe Edition not knowing it was recolored and was pleasantly surprised. Im a big fan of the new colors.
26. Alan Strangis | August 25th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I’m with Jack Mama. The Greedo comparison doesn’t work at all.
Though I was a huge fan of the original, I personally like the subtler colours in the new edition. It really makes Bolland’s inks stand out much more clearly, and IMHO his line work certainly should be the focus in anything he draws.
BTW, Brian Bolland was interviewed at Fan Expo this year, and talked about the recolouring process, and a few other topics, here.
http://www.rgbfilter.com/?p=155
27. M. F. Albon | August 26th, 2008 at 6:02 am
I read the Deluxe version last week and hated it because of the recoloring. The color-coded flashbacks of the original version gave me the impression that the story was Joker-oriented — like how schizophrenics supposedly have heightened color-perception. I mean, does Van Gogh ring any bells? BMY1 by contrast was known for pseudo-monochroma.
Removing the yellow oval from Batman’s insignia was a rather cheap attempt to shoehorn TKJ into the current DC continuity. In all the post Zero-Hour retcons right up to now Batman has never had the yellow oval insignia.
28. Amanda | September 6th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
well, like the joker said, “I like it to be multiple choice.”
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