Batman: Going Sane

Amazing book

Comic fans tend to view Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke" as the definitive Joker story, but I beg to differ. "Going Sane" fell under the radar in 1994 because it was published in the anthology series "Legends of the Dark Knight," whereas "Killing Joke" got the prestige format treatment in '89.If TKJ attempts to flesh out the Batman/Joker conflict, "Going Sane" fleshes out the Joker. DeMatteis wisely refrains from telling us why the Joker is who he is. No sob childhood stories. Instead, DeMatteis shows us a man who can't be anything else, even when he tries. By the story's end, you might even feel sorry for him. Don't worry, though. You won't have to like him, because let's face it, the Joker is the epitome of the villain we love to hate.This is also a Batman story, incidentally, so don't think he gets eclipsed by the Joker. DeMatteis ties Batman's attempts to be something more than human to the Joker's struggle to be human. This is one of my favorite comic stories ever.

These mid 1990s tales are divided into two big stories with the first one being more emotionally interesting and the second being more of your typical action piece.The first one is titled "Going Sane" which focuses upon Joker "killing" Batman and concluding he no longer needs to stay Joker. He goes off to get plastic surgery and then he changes into a normal person and gets a life which includes marrying a very trusting woman who helps him with his mental problem. And yet at the same time Batman is recuperating under the care of a female doctor who keeps his secret for a mysterious reason. Batman considers giving up his life as a superhero at the same time as Joker tries to create a normal life. But when Batman returns Joker sees it in the news and loses it. This tale focuses very much on how the two of them "need each other" for the sake of their identity but arguably more so for the Joker (compare to the Joker in the insane asylum when Batman comes back in Frank Miller's "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns").The second is titled "Gotham Emergency" and is a standard situation in which Batman tries to stop the Joker from setting off a bunch of bombs as told through the perspective of a new doctor in ER. There's a lot more demonstrative action panels and Joker close ups of his craziness with better artwork angles than the first story.All said keep in mind this is artwork from the 90s so it will feel dated to some people.The first tale was written by J.M. DeMatteis with artwork by Steve Mitchell, Joe Staton, Willie Schubert and Digital Chameleon.The second tale was written by Eddie Campbell and Daren White with artwork by Bart Sears, Pat Brosseau and Mike Atiyeh.STORY/PLOTTING: B to B plus; ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus; JOKER/BATMAN FOCUSES: B to B plus (higher for the first tale); WHEN READ: end of August 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.

What would the Joker do if Batman no longer existed. Would he do the unimaginable, go straight, or as the title alludes, go sane. According to J. M. DeMatteis he would do exactly that. While assuming he had killed the Dark Knight, losing his muse, mojo, and mirth in one evening, he joins the ranks of the masses and finds love. Meanwhile Batman, having suffered near fatal injuries due to the incident, is under the care of a female doctor at her home outside Gotham and experiencing his own pangs of affection. At this point the message rings clear. Since the appearance of Batman created the Joker, could his possible disappearance uncreate him? An intriguing if not original premise, but other questions arise. If the Joker can forget Batman, can Batman forget him, and can they both find normalcy and leave their troubled alter egos behind. For Batman the answer is no. His obsession over the Joker, or any villain, is stronger than any love of a woman. His return to health and Gotham triggers the return of the same obsession within the Joker, ending his romance as well. They need each other and their kinky kinship above all else. As for the lovelorn ladies forsaken by these recidivist rascals, classify them as star crossed lovers, because anybody involved with these two never stood a chance. No one said love was easy.

Going Sane is a fun and clever look at what happens when the Joker wins...or at least he thinks so. DeMatteis does a great job of showcasing the Joker's mania. Staton's art was basic but worked for the book. This should be remembered more fondly.

I came across 2 pages of this about two years ago online, and spent over a year tracking down the 4 issues from 3 different online comic book stores. So of course, NOW it's in trade paperback. ;)Essentially, the Joker thinks he's killed Batman, and without Batman, there can be no Joker, so he (somehow, conveniently) forgets who he was, creates a whole new, fairly normal, yet haunted, identity for himself, and builds a life, complete with a job in an office and a girl.It really brings out the theme that without Batman, there can be no Joker, and the idea that (as discussed in Batman Begins, for example) perhaps Batman is just exacerbating the crime problem by existing, rather than helping it.The art is really the weakness of it, but the story is engaging and unique, and this really should be listed as one of the essential Joker stories, along with The Killing Joke and Devil's Advocate. And now that it's in TPB instead of scattered across different stores, maybe it will be.