How to use this Page

DC Universe announced today they've accepted an "R" rating from the MPAA for the upcoming animated release Batman: The Killing Joke.

After Justice League: Gods and Monsters hits stores on July 28th, DC Animation has another attention-grabbing project in the works. It was announced on stage at the Gods & Monsters premiere, that the studio would next be tackling Alan Moore and Brian Bolland‘s The Killing Joke, the most infamous of Joker stories.

There’s been no word on casting, but if I had to predict, I could easily see this as the final pairing of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and the Joker respectively. Hamill has long wanted to voice his iconic role in an adaptation of this story, and even took to twitter a few years back in response to a fan on the topic:

I’d come back for THAT! Spread the word! Campaign for #TheKillingJoke!! RT: @Cha_Luz#DC lets see #TheKillingJoke Mark said hed voice Joker

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) October 24, 2011

Though, SPOILERS…………………………………..

He’s already come back, if you count his performance in Batman: Arkham Knight, which of course you should.

We’ll see how it shakes out, I’m not a fan of the Moore-Bolland story, though I appreciate the elements that the “One Bad Day/Multiple Choice” side of the story have brought to the Batman mythos. I’m just a little surprised, given the recent controversy surrounding the Rafael Albuquerque‘s Batgirl variant cover, and some of the thoughtful discussions around the content of The Killing Joke that it inspired, that DC would move forward with such an adaptation. I’m also not sure there’s enough there fill up 75 minutes of movie, but perhaps they’ll add in some b-plot.

But, as always, sales talk and the last few releases, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis and Batman vs. Robin, each sold a bit over 3 million units respectively. Given that the first part of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns moved over 5 million units, I imagine the studio is trying to recapture that same audience.

On that same note, DC also announced that following The Killing Joke, their next projects to follow would be Batman: Bad Blood and Justice League vs. Titans. Both are set to release in 2016, with the former focusing on Batwoman.

More Batwoman anywhere is a very good thing.

Well since the TV show was announced, they might as well announce the comic.

DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, home to creator-driven, standalone and high concept stories, will publish AMPED from acclaimed television creator Eric Kripke (SUPERNATURAL, REVOLUTION). 
 
In the Fall of 2015, AMPED will be released as a six-issue monthly comic book miniseries. The story will follow Josh Jaffe, a neurotic family man who buys an online ‘smart pill’ to increase his focus and jolt him out of his slump, but he gets much more than he bargained for. To his surprise, the pill gives him incredible strength and power. The story examines both the mighty highs and humiliating lows of being a real-life super hero.
 
“Eric has such a clever, irreverent cadence which makes him a natural writer for the Vertigo line,” stated Executive Editor Shelly Bond. “AMPED promises to be as addictive as its title substance.”
 
“Pretty much everything I’ve ever written has been insanely influenced by Vertigo, so it’s a dream come true to write my first comic there,” said creator and writer Eric Kripke. “AMPED is a project I’m foaming-at-the-mouth passionate about– and it’s also the most personal, warts-and-all story I’ve ever told.  So I’m having the time of my life writing the comic– and basing the TV series off the comic, too. I can’t wait for readers to read it– and then down the road, for watchers to watch it.” 
 
Created and written by Kripke, AMPED will feature interior art from John Higgins (HELLBLAZER, BEFORE: WATCHMEN) and cover art from Brian Bolland (BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, THE INVISIBLES). Look out for AMPED in stores and online Fall 2015 from Vertigo–the premiere destination for creator-owned projects and top talent.

Brian Bolland is a legend in comics, and would be just for his covers alone, but he’s also responsible for drawing classics like Batman: The Killing Joke, and Judge Dredd. He started his art career in his native United Kingdom illustrating his own fanzines while at art school, and then he moved on to contributing to underground publications like Friendz, Oz, and International Times. After he finished his course at The Central School of Art & Design in London in 1973 Bolland joined the talent agency Bardon Press Features, and was assigned various small comics jobs including a bi-weekly Nigerian comic called Powerman about an African superhero. Steady work continued from there, and he would eventually get to work on future comics hits 2000 AD, and Judge Dredd in the late 70′s.

He was recruited by Green Lantern artist Joe Staton who discovered him at a comics convention while visiting England, and thus the British Invasion of comics officially began! He started off doing covers for DC Comics, and then moved onto bigger projects like the 12 issue maxi-series Camelot 3000 with writer Len Wein. Later on he would be put more to use as a cover artist exclusively, rather than an interior artist, because his cover work is so detailed, and striking that I can only imagine how many thousands of comics he sold just based off his cover illustrations alone! Legendary covers for Grant Morrison’s Animal Man, The Invisibles, Wonder Woman, and The Flash solidified Brian Bolland as a legend in the industry. Throughout his carreer Bolland would also work on personal projects like the more sketchy styled Mr. Mamoulian, and the provocative The Actress and the Bishop.

In 2006 the book The Art of Brian Bolland was published, and it provides a very comprehensive overview of Bolland’s career including just about all of his classic covers, and examples of his photography work that he took while traveling the world over the years.

Brian Bolland has won numerous comics industry awards including over 5 Eisners, an Inkpot Award, and Favourite Artist in the British section of the Eagle Awards.

You can follow Brian Bolland on his blog here.

For more comics related art, you can follow me on my website comicstavern.com - Andy Yates