Faust: "The Killing Joke" by Christa Faust and Gary Phillips

Faust: The Killing Joke by Christa Faust and Gary Phillips, 2018, 9781785658105.

Faust and Phillips team up again for a novelization based on a Batman comic set in 1988. Plenty of characters and brief storylines and arcs. I read this book in bits and pieces because of vacation travel and therefore was unable to keep track of all the characters.

Pretty damn good though. This is the kind of novel that, to me, seems simple because I just cruise along through it. I don't realize how skillful the authors are in pacing and smooth writing until I actively think on it.

Written in 3rd person and, interestingly, their is not a lot of POV by Batman and none by the Joker. The Batman parts I recall were action and trying to get Joker to talk when Batman visits Joker in Arkham Asylum. There is isn't much internal monologue about what he does and why.

The other characters do get some of that 1st person development. Mainly Commissioner Gordon, Batgirl, and a couple other characters I don't recall.

Anyhoo. I enjoyed the book but must admit not much has stuck with me. Maybe that is a part of having read the book in bits and pieces. Maybe it is a part of the fact that I don't much give a damn about Batman. I read the book because Faust and Phillips wrote it.

Wait. I do recall something. This has some origin of Harley Quinn - a character I know next to nothing about except she always wears hot pants and pale makeup. I also learned Batgirl is Commissioner Gordon's daughter.