10 Amazing Comic Book Covers DC Wants You To Remember

7. Batman: The Killing Joke

Man Of Steel 1 Variant Cover
DC Comics

When it comes to graphic novels about Batman, there are many to choose from with incredible covers. Among the many amazing issues to choose from, Batman: The Killing Joke stands above the rest as one of the most influential of them all.

The story is far less about the Dark Knight than it is about the Joker. In many ways, this was a story about the Joker, which is why he is so prominently featured on the cover.

The concept of the book is that "one bad day" will drive even a normal man insane. To test the theory, the Joker shoots Barbara Gordon, also known as Batgirl, and paralyzes her. He then tortures her father, Jim Gordon, with the hopes of flipping him into the same sort of insanity that made the Joker the man he was.

The book's importance in Batman lore is untested, but the cover illustrated by Brian Bolland is iconic. The Joker is taking pics of Barbara moments after shooting her and he looks sick and insane doing it. This is one of those covers people have seen and know without ever having read the book, which speaks volumes to its importance to the medium.

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Jonathan is a graphic artist, illustrator, writer, and game designer. Jonathan retired from the U.S. Army in 2017 and enjoys researching and writing about history, science, theology, and many other subjects. He writes for ScreenRant, CBR, NerdBastards, Listverse, Ranker, WhatCulture, and many other sites online. You can check out his latest on Twitter: @TalkingBull or on his blog: jonathanhkantor.com