WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman: Dying is Easy, now streaming on YouTube.
It’s no secret that Batman: The Killing Joke is one of the most revered graphic novels of all time, influencing many comics, cartoons, animated movies and video games that contain Batman and Joker. The 1988 one-shot from Alan Moore and Brian Bolland drilled deep into the dark recesses of the clown’s mind as he tried to drive Jim Gordon insane, all while the Bat searched for them. Now, while this book hasn’t been adapted into a live-action movie, Bat in the Sun’s fan film, Batman: Dying is Easy, is a psychological remix of the story.
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Things like Gotham, Titans, Batwoman and even Birds of Prey take note of what transpired in The Killing Joke, but Dying is Easy uses it as a catalyst for the Joker to break Batman’s mind. In Moore’s story, Joker escaped Arkham, assaulted Barb and kidnapped Jim. Then, at the amusement park, he showed the commissioner photos he took of his daughter during the attack, which infuriated the Dark Knight.
Joker did this to lure Batman in and upset him by reminding him all it takes is “one bad day,” goading the vigilante into breaking his one rule. In, Dying is Easy, though, the assault factors in again when Batman visits Arkham to meet with a dying Joker. The clown’s trying to get Bruce to kill him again, taunting the hero about how he murdered Robin before showing him pics of his “favorite redhead.” And the way he graphically describes it, especially the “lavender” smell of her hair, riles the Dark Knight up to the point he grabs Joker and tries to strangle him
Seeing one of the images come to life is where when Bruce’s psyche is dented, which says a lot, especially since he faked Joker’s terminal illness to get him to leak info about missing cops. However, this scene shatters him because he still feels guilty, eliciting exactly what Moore’s clown wanted.
Instead of Jim, it’s Batman getting mentally tortured, and the way he chokes Joker clearly nods Moore’s ending. In The Killing Joke, Batman held Joker by the collar, and as the rain fell, it seemed like the clown stopped laughing because Bruce strangled him to death in a conclusion that people still debate to this day.
Dying is Easy is clearly homaging this story, especially with Joker’s tirade being all about that “one bad day.” But thankfully, Bruce doesn’t fall into the same trap as his comic counterpart when he gets the intel he needs, letting the clown know the joke’s on him because he’s found ways to deal with his anguish.
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