the original panel
Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s brutal depiction of the Joker in The Killing Joke has garnered controversy over the years, with it’s depiction of the character’s origins as well as his shooting and paralysis of Barbara Gordon.
Now it seems that the original panels may have been even more graphic than what made it to print. The below images are graphic and potentially NSFW so view with caution.
The photo was tweeted by Bill Hynes, a former employee of Gosh! Comics in London, and depicts a naked and bleeding Barbara Gordon amidst a montage of images shown to her father James Gordon.
Brian Bolland confirmed on his website that the image was authentic with the following statement:
“Here’s a page I drew for “Killing Joke”. I drew what was in the script. That’s my job. I was asked to tone it down a bit. I don’t know how the person who posted it got this image.”
Fans have always contended with the possibility that the Joker’s abuse of Barbara Gordon was sexual as well as physical. The original artwork would certainly add credence to that theory.
Source: CBR
