The Killing Joke in French: Every Edition Explained

A single story of about fifty pages, and yet four successive French publishers, three different titles and a question of color that divides readers. Before you buy, it helps to know exactly which object you are holding.

As always in this guide, only verified information (creators, issues, dates) is stated as fact; the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected pages or dialogue.

The original edition in brief

Batman: The Killing Joke came out from DC Comics in March 1988 as a prestige-format one-shot, with a squarebound spine and a thick cover, running about fifty pages. Alan Moore wrote it, Brian Bolland drew it, and John Higgins did the colors. The listings we consulted disagree on the exact page count, 48 pages for some and 52 for others, so we do not settle the question.

The decisive point for what follows is color. Brian Bolland has never hidden a preference for more muted tones than those of 1988, and recolored the book himself for the American Deluxe edition of 2008. In that version, the flashbacks switch to black and white. In 2018, an American Absolute edition then brought both colorings together in a single book.

There is no issue number to check: the story is a standalone volume, with no series and no individual issues. That is good news for the US/French comparison, since there is nothing to break down. For everything about the American object, its printings and its markings, our guides to the first printing and to the editions that matter do the job. Here, we stick to the French-language side.

The French editions, in order of publication

1989: "Souriez !", Comics USA

The first French translation dates from 1989 and is titled "Souriez !" (literally "Smile!"). It was published in Grenoble by Comics USA, in the "Super héros USA" collection, with distribution handled by Glénat. The library record describes a hardcover color album of 52 pages in a large format, 30 centimeters tall, translated by Janine Bharucha.

This is the edition for those who love publishing history. The French title is not a literal translation of the English: it opens with a command to smile. The rest of the book is recognizable by its collection and the distribution credit, two details to check on the title page before any purchase.

2000: "Rire et mourir", Delcourt

Eleven years later, Delcourt took the story back under a new title, "Rire et mourir" (literally "Laugh and Die"), in its Contrebande collection. The record mentions a hardcover color album of 47 pages and again names Janine Bharucha as translator. The French text therefore seems to start from existing work rather than a complete retranslation, which we cannot assert beyond the mention of the name.

This edition is recognized by its title, which then disappears from the shelves: when later publishers return to the original title, "Rire et mourir" becomes a name specific to that period, useful when searching the secondhand market.

2009: the Panini deluxe edition

In 2009, Panini Comics published the album under its American title, Batman: The Killing Joke, as a "deluxe edition" in the DC Icons collection. The translation is by Jérôme Wicky. The library record describes a hardbound volume of 29 centimeters, illustrated in black and white and in color; a bookseller gives a release date of August 26, 2009 and a hardcover format.

The listings differ on the page count: one gives 61 unnumbered pages, the other 150. This gap probably comes from whether or not extra pages are included, but no source says so, and we do not settle it. Another point left open: we found no source saying which coloring this edition uses. The credits printed in the copy itself are worth more than an announcement.

2014: the Urban Comics album

In 2014, Urban Comics published "Killing Joke", without the "Batman:" prefix in the cover title as the record transcribes it. The library describes a hardbound volume of 58 pages, 30 centimeters tall, printed in Italy. It files the book in the DC Essentiels collection, while a bookseller listing mentions the DC Deluxe collection with a different ISBN and a different page count. The sources therefore disagree on the collection, the pagination and the identifier, and you should not rely on a single listing.

The translator is not named in the records we cross-checked. As with Panini, the coloring used is not documented in these records: the check has to be made on the book itself.

Urban's limited editions

Urban Comics has also offered a numbered, limited-print edition that brings together both colorings, the 1988 one and the 2008 one, along with Alan Moore's script. The announced dates differ from one source to another: a bookseller listing places it in December 2022, while a press article describes a limited print run of 288 pages announced for a September 27 without giving the year. These may be two separate printings; we cannot prove it.

This book is the only one on the list that gives you both readings of the story in French, and that is its whole reason for existing.

US / French correspondence

Since Killing Joke is a single volume, the correspondence is not made issue by issue: every French edition contains the complete story. The table below keeps only what the records confirm.

The Comics USA and Delcourt albums have not been compared page by page: we only state that they carry the same story, not that they offer the same layout.

Which edition to choose for your profile

You want to read the story

The 2014 Urban album is the natural choice: a publisher still in business, a comfortable format, a title that is easy to search. Just check availability, since reprints from a living publisher are easier to find than those of a vanished catalog. If color matters to you, open the book before paying or ask the seller for the color credits.

You collect the first French edition

Aim for "Souriez !" from Comics USA. It is the only edition dating from the story's arrival in France, and Janine Bharucha's translation is part of the object. Check the binding, any dust jacket and the condition of the spine. The records indicate a 30-centimeter album: look for shelf wear and crushed corners rather than color stains. For an older copy, compare completed sales and ignore listings that go unanswered.

You like albums and their collecting paths

The Comics USA then Delcourt pairing tells the story of two eras of American comics in France: that of a Grenoble publisher of American superheroes, then that of a Parisian comics publisher that files the title in its Contrebande collection. If you already have "Rire et mourir" on your shelf, you own a bridge between the two, to be placed between the other two in a chronological arrangement.

You want both colorings

Only Urban's limited edition seems to meet this need in French. Check the publisher's listing before buying it, since the release date and page count vary by source. If color does not interest you, this book is superfluous.

Pitfalls and points to watch

Three titles for the same book

"Souriez !", "Rire et mourir" and "Killing Joke" all refer to the same story. A search limited to just one of these titles deprives you of part of the results; search all three, as well as the names of the two creators. In private classified ads, "Batman Killing Joke" with no publisher is too vague for a purchase: ask for a photo of the title page.

The color is not always stated

None of the records we cross-checked for the Panini and Urban editions specify the coloring. Yet the difference is visible as soon as you open the book: colored or monochrome flashbacks. If this matters to you, do not rely on a seller's description and look at the pages of the story that come before the end.

Records that contradict each other

We met three kinds of gaps: the page count (61 or 150 pages for the Panini edition, 58 or 72 for the Urban edition), the collection (DC Essentiels or DC Deluxe), and the book's identifier. This is not unusual for listings written from different sources, but it means you must check your own copy before declaring it as such in an inventory.

Do not confuse the US and French editions

The 1988 American copy and a French album are not comparable: they share neither printing, nor value, nor market. To estimate a French edition correctly, start from sales of that very edition. Our guide to the value of Killing Joke covers the American object; it does not apply as is to the French one.

Reprints hide the oldest one

When a publisher reprints, the title page keeps the same presentation. To tell two printings apart, you have to read the legal notice and the legal deposit line, not the cover. It is the same logic as for the other albums in a French publisher's catalog: see our guide to the editions of The Dark Knight Returns, where the distinction between printings arises in a similar way.

What these editions are worth as collectibles

The market value of a French album does not follow that of the American original. A 1988 book sold internationally has a worldwide market; a 1989 Comics USA album has almost only French-speaking buyers, which makes sales rarer and price gaps wider. We give no figures: the relationships matter more than the numbers.

Three relationships guide you. The first sets out-of-print editions against available ones: an edition still on the shelves naturally caps the secondhand price, whereas an album no longer reprinted has no such cap. The second sets condition against scarcity: at equal scarcity, a copy with no reading marks on the spine sits clearly above one that has been opened flat. The third sets title against content: the same story under "Souriez !" and under "Killing Joke" does not attract the same buyers, and therefore not the same prices.

To establish an honest value, collect several completed sales of the same edition in the same condition, discard isolated sales and lots, then keep the median. The full method is in our step-by-step guide to estimating a French-edition comic. Never compare a hardbound album to a newsstand monthly: they are two different markets.

Frequently asked questions