First trailer for animated Batman: The Killing Joke arrives

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

There is a lot of hope going into Warner Bros. Animation's release of an R-rated animation of the greatly beloved THE KILLING JOKE. This story, originally released as a graphic novel from Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, is often held up by comic fans as one of the gold standards in Batman history. With Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill returning to voice the Dark Knight and The Joker respectively, a lot of eggs filled with great expectations were being put into the basket for this adaptation… and from the looks of the film's first trailer, people might want to prepare to find disappointment inside when they crack THE KILLING JOKE open. 

Right out of the gate, the animation on THE KILLING JOKE looks terrible here. It's much cheaper-looking than previous animated DC efforts, and it gives off the vibe of a motion comic more than an animated feature. It looks like something that would have been on late-night MTV back in the day than what fans should expect from a full-length THE KILLING JOKE today.

I don't know how the whole of THE KILLING JOKE will turn out, but this is certainly not a strong first impression. Frankly, fans deserve better than this for such an important Batman story… but then again, that sounds familiar lately when it comes to movies involving Batman, doesn't it?