Comic books have been around for quite some time now and have been entertaining people since the 1930s. They’ve now moved onto the big screen as well, with countless movies and television shows filmed every year based on those comic books.
Comic Book Publishers
Hundreds of comic books are published every month. Common and most popular publishers include DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Image Comics, and Dark Horse Comics. Some of the best examples include Superman and Batman for DC comics, Spiderman for Marvel and Star Wars for Dark Horse to name a few.
Are Comic Books For Adults?
If you’re a fan of the TV sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, comic books can definitely be for adults. They have generally been considered to be a medium primarily for children and teenagers, with superheroes being termed as childish and silly.
However, this assumption could not be further away from the truth. Many of these comic book publishers publish adult-themed and gory comics that tackle real-life problems and moral dilemmas that everyone faces in their daily life.
Comic Book Recommendation for Adults
There are a plethora of different comic books you can read to get you hooked on to comics. One such comic book is “Batman: the killing joke”. Published in 1988 by DC comics, it is a one-shot graphic novel written by the well-acclaimed writer Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bolland. The Killing Joke is loved and adored by everyone for its dark and gory action as well as the terrifying portrayal of the clown prince of crime – the joker.
The story revolves around police commissioner Gordon and his daughter, Barbara. The joker, in an attempt to target Commissioner Gordon, shoots Barbara Gordon – paralyzing her from the waist down in the process – and kidnaps Gordon. He then strips Gordon naked, ties him up to a carnival ride, and forces him to watch naked pictures of his daughter while insinuating that he may have raped his daughter. All in an attempt to prove the point that even the most upstanding citizens can go mad with just one bad day.
The Batman finally finds the joker and Gordon, who at this point is caged, and attacks the joker. The story has an ambiguous ending, with writer Alan Moore leaving it up to the reader to decide what happens.
The story also provides a loose origin story for the joker in the form of flashbacks while maintaining that this may or may not be the actual origin of the joker. However, it is still regarded by fans to be the definitive origin story for the most-loved villain the DC universe.
If you’re looking to get into reading comics, then the killing joke is the perfect place to start. It is a gruesome and horrific tale that gives you an insight into the twisted mind of the joker. For someone who’s new to comic books, this is the first comic to get hooked on as an adult.