My Thoughts on Killing Joke's meaning

Hey guys. It's been a while, but I thought I would give my opinion on something. What does Batman: The Killing Joke mean? I recently read it and I think I have what I think the Killing Joke is really about.

First, I would like to say, the genius Scott from NerdSync had a very good view on people's opinions of Killing Joke's meaning. He basically says that no matter what the writer intended, everyone brings their own meaning to the art based off their experiences. The writer of Killing Joke said himself the story was boring and it was just a story with 2 licensed DC characters, but we can add meaning to it. This comic wasn't written for the author. It was written for us, the reader.

So, what do I think the Killing Joke means? Well, it kind of explains itself at one point. The whole message was only one bad day can change the tide of your fate forever. Joker and Batman both had one bad day that drove them to lunacy. Joker tells a joke, "See, there we're these two guys in a lunatic asylum... And one night, one night they decide they don't like living in an asylum anymore. They decide they're going to escape! So, like, they get up onto the roof and there, just across thus narrow gap, they see the rooftops of the town, stretching away in the moonlight. Now, the first guy, he jumps right across with no problem. But his friend, his friend daredn't make the leap, y'see... Y'see, he's afraid of falling. So then, the first guy has an idea... He says 'Hey! I have a flashlight with me! I'll shine it across the gap between the buildings, you can walk along the beam and join me!' b-but the second guy just shakes his head. He suh-says... He says 'wh-what do you think I am? Crazy? You'd turn off the light when I was half way across!'" This is clearly a reflection of Batman and Joker. They're both mad, but Batman found his way to salvation while Joker is caught behind. Batman tries to help Joker... but in ways that won't really work. Joker is stuck on the side of insanity. But one thing strings across the whole second half of the story, the idea that one bad day can drive even the sanest man on earth into a lunatic. This isn't the only interpretation of the theme. There must be thousands of others, but as NerdSync put it, everyone picks a theme from experiences they've lived. I personally think this is the theme because I myself have had bad days that have put me on the edge of giving in to my brain. One bad day is all it takes, yet I've jumped across the gap to sanity, or at least a twisted and 'satisfactory' version of sanity. This now leads to the Killing Joke's up-in-the-air ending. After Joker tells his joke he laughs for a second. Then Batman... Joins in? He laughs along, and the comic shows Batman putting his hands on Joker's collarbone. Some say this is one of two things. The script for the Killing Joke gives a writer an instruction that simply says Batman leans of Joker as they laugh, but if you look at the frame, it seems like Batman is putting his hand around Joker's neck and killing him. This is supported by Batman and Joker laughing, then the last frame pans down the ground beneath them, and the laughing cuts off. I personally think Batman did kill Joker, as that's another theme in this story. Batman and Joker really don't want to kill each other, but they don't have many other options. Batman knew either he killed the Joker or the Joker killed him. Batman, in those final frames, knew there were no other options. He killed Joker. He was out of alternatives.

One Bad Day is all it takes the drive the sanest man in the world to lunacy...