 Batman : The Killing Joke is a 1988 one @-@ shot graphic novel featuring the characters Batman and the Joker written by Alan Moore , illustrated by Brian Bolland , and published by DC Comics . Set in the fictional U.S. city of Gotham , Batman : The Killing Joke provides an origin story for the supervillain the Joker , loosely adapted from the 1951 story "The Man Behind the Red Hood " by Bill Finger and Bob Kane .
The Killing Joke is widely considered one of the most important Batman stories of all time. It has been called "the definitive Joker story" by comic book historian Ch