Original artwork, not a still
All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy.
— Batman: The Killing Joke • 1988
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the Joker's whole philosophy in one sentence, and the book then tests it twice: on Gordon, who proves it wrong, and on the Joker himself, whose tragic origin may be a lie, since he admits he remembers his past differently each time. Fans and critics also read it as the mirror of Batman's own one bad day, which he turned into purpose, and the line has been quoted and adapted in Joker stories ever since.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Batman: The Killing JokeShow the scene
In Batman: The Killing Joke (1988), written by Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bolland, the Joker escapes Arkham, shoots and paralyses Barbara Gordon, and kidnaps her father, Commissioner Gordon. He cages Gordon in the freak show of an abandoned amusement park and tries to break his mind. When Batman answers the Joker's invitation to the park, the Joker argues that the world is a black, awful joke and that it takes only one bad day to drive an ordinary man insane. Gordon keeps his sanity, and Batman offers the Joker help.
Sources (1)
- Wikipedia: Batman: The Killing JokePlot summaryReference checked
Context reviewed
