Batman: The Killing Joke

It's the book Heath Ledger used to learn the true insanity of Gotham's darkest villain. Batman: The Killing Joke ($13) is considered to be the most well written and illustrated Batman comic ever. It's also the most controversial — where else will you find the Joker shooting Commissioner Gordon's daughter in the spine for fun? Written by Alan Moore with art from the masterful Brian Bolland, this comic spins an engrossing tale of how the maniacal clown came to be, and gets us so ready for The Dark Knight.