Unless you’ve been living in some cave filled with bats, you may have seen that DC Entertainment will be releasing a full-length animated version of Alan Moore’s epic book, Batman: The Killing Joke.

The original book, released in March of 1988, is one of the darker Batman tales out there.  Its subject matter was completely shocking in its heyday, and still makes readers uneasy today.  It’s also one of the books that has delved into the possible origin for The Joker, and to this day, Moore’s backstory for the Clown Prince of Crime remains about as close to canon as you can get.

Slated for release this summer, the highly-anticipated animated version of this amazing story features talent from some big names in animation & voice work.  The iconic voice cast from the fan favorite, ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ are all returning for this film: Kevin Conroy as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Tara Strong as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, Ray Wise as Commissioner Gordon, and of course, Mark Hamill as The Joker.  In addition to the stellar voice actors, Batman: The Killing Joke is being directed by Sam Liu, who has previously been instrumental in bringing many other DC heroes to life via animation.

Having been a huge fan of Alan Moore’s original book since my childhood, I am personally really looking forward to seeing how the story translates to animation.  Brian Bolland’s incredible art style in the book sent chills through me, and I am hoping for much the same reaction when I see the story in motion.  The Killing Joke featured some of (in my opinion) the most iconic & memorable images from any Batman story ever, and I am hoping that the animation team at DC Entertainment can do those unsettlingly beautiful panels justice.