Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: Alan Moore, Argent Comics, Avant Garde Edition, brian bolland, Croatia, Pigment Collective, The Killing Joke

SCOOP: The Most Insane Version Of Batman: The Killing Joke Ever Made

SCOOP: The most insane version of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's Batman: The Killing Joke ever printed, limited to only 47 copies

Argent Comics is a new fine art imprint about to publish a 47-issue limited-edition version of the classic comic Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, with a new introduction by Bolland, who has signed every copy. It also appears to be using the classic colour files from John Higgins rather than the recent recolour version from Bolland. And the graphic novel looks like a very large camera in a large camera bag, just like the kind The Joker uses in the comic book.

Pigment Collective, the publisher of Argent Comics, is based in Zagreb, Croatia, and states that it is focused solely on giving fine art treatment to iconic comic book stories. And as part of that, have secured an official English language licence through Mediatoon, DC's foreign rights agency, to produce what they believe is the most ambitious physical edition of a comic book ever made: a fine art publishing edition of Batman: The Killing Joke.

It is the first release in their Avant-Garde Edition line, with more to come. Each edition will be limited to 47 copies worldwide, with an additional 5 copies designated as non-sale for archival purposes. The chosen number is the atomic number of silver (argent), and the Avant-Garde editions will be created on silvery Hahnemühle metallic paper. Which means the whole comic is giclée-printed on that custom metallic paper for the greatest detail and the widest colour range. Once the printing is done, the book block is assembled using a page-fusing technique, which they claim as patent pending.

Each copy is bound between aluminium covers with a removable magnetic lens, detailed with goatskin leather, looking like the camera the Joker uses throughout The Killing Joke, and housed in a handmade leather camera case lined with purple plush. The entire assembly and binding process is also done entirely by hand. You can look at how it operates right here. Even the little metal clasps have the words HA embossed on them.

They will also publish a second variant, the Noir Edition, which instead will be printed letterpress on 100% cotton Hahnemühle paper. I understand that there will be an official announcement tomorrow, but you know, Bleeding Cool likes to get in early when we can… the price, and how you can actually get your name on the list for a copy? They say that each volume will be offered through a private acquisition and allocation process and that registration and pricing will be announced simultaneously. More from Argent Comics when we hear it.

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