# Is "The Killing Joke" by Alan Moore & Brian Bolland a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Killing Joke by Alan Moore & Brian Bolland (DC Comics, 1988) is identified by: Prestige-format squarebound one-shot, 1988, with the original John Higgins coloring and a the printed price wording removed cover price of the era. True first is the 1988 first-printing prestige-format one-shot.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Prestige-format squarebound one-shot, 1988, with the original John Higgins coloring and a the printed price wording removed cover price of the era
- The true first printing carries the original color palette; the title logo on the first printing is often described as embossed lime/neon green
- No later-printing numbering is present on the first
- Correct publisher/imprint: DC Comics

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alan Moore & Brian Bolland |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Prestige-format squarebound one-shot, 1988, with the original John Higgins coloring and a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Prestige-format squarebound one-shot, 1988, with the original John Higgins coloring and a the printed price wording removed cover price of the era. The true first printing carries the original color palette; the title logo on the first printing is often described as embossed lime/neon green. No later-printing numbering is present on the first.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1988 first-printing prestige-format one-shot. The 2008 Deluxe Edition carries new Bolland recoloring and is a first-thus, not the original.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are explicitly numbered on the copyright/indicia page; the Deluxe recolored editions are distinct later issues.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Killing Joke* by Alan Moore & Brian Bolland a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-killing-joke
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.