‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ Trailer Remade To Look Like Original Graphic Novel

As far as animation experiments go, Swedish animator Emil Gustafsson Ryderup undertook an ambitious one: remaking an entire film trailer.

Ryderup redrew the teaser for Batman: The Killing Joke to see if he could recreate the visual style of John Higgins’ vibrant, high-contrast pulp coloring in the original 1988 graphic novel. It’s an interesting experiment partly because the illustrator of the comic, Brian Bolland, disliked Higgins’ “garish” color job and re-colored the comic in a subdued palette for the 20th anniversary re-release of the comic. The new film, directed by Sam Liu and Bruce Timm, appears to stick with the muted approach preferred by Bolland.

Ryderup also created this video comparing his version to Warner Bros.’ official trailer, as well as showing the original comic panels that inspired his fan trailer:

Batman: The Killing Joke will receive a one-night only theatrical release on Monday, July 25, before being made available on digital/DVD/Blu-ray.