The killing joke is a masterpiece written by arguably the greatest graphic novel writer of all time Alan Moore. It shows the chaotic dichotomy that is Batman and the Joker. They are both just as crazy as the other but in completely opposite ways. Batman is obsessed with order and proving that always doing the right thing works. Joker is obsessed with chaos and wants to point out the absurdity that is "decency".
The long Halloween is the closest thing to a Batman epic out there. It spans a whole year and shows the lengths some people are driven to when faced with seemingly impossible tasks. It shows the downfall of the traditional gangster villain and the introduction of the "super" villain. It is argued that Batman attracts these insane personalities to Gotham and some say he is the cause of this new generation of criminal. All in all it was an amazing thought provoking book.
And the Dark Knight was the Dark Knight of course. If you haven't seen it then please stop reading and go watch it now... go on I'll wait. Welcome Back! Wasn't that freaking amazing! You're welcome. This film basically takes just elements and the spirit of what the Batman cannon is all about. It does a beautiful job of showing the inner conflict of Batman, Gordon, and the citizens of Gotham. In the end there is no clear winner only the fact remains that the city needs a defender but it isn't clear on who it should be.
I feel the Dark Knight was a very loose adaptation of both the Killing Joke and the Long Halloween. It takes elements and themes from both stories and creates a whole new story. The main characters and the themes are there, but the story is completely original.
I guess the type of adaptation would be a cross between the analogy and the commentary. It uses the same characters, setting and tone of the novels but the story is completely different. It doesn't borrow much from the text at all, instead it uses it as reference to create a new story that fits the world of Batman perfectly.
This film was made by someone that gets it. Chris Nolan is an obvious Batman fan and gets it. He didn't try to turn Batman "Hollywood" like the rest of the films are guilty of. He didn't introduce a campy feel like the original TV show. He took the dark tone and feel of the comics and brought it to life. He made us believe that Batman could actually be real. He used real technology, real situations and real emotions in his film. He understands that Batman/Bruce Wayne is a flawed human being. He isn't sane. He is obsessed with ridding the city of the criminal element that took the lives of his parents because he still has not gotten over their deaths and he may never. Chris Nolan gets it and I am glad someone, somewhere trusted him with millions to makes these amazing films.
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