As we all know, it only takes one bad day to turn an otherwise sane man into a stark raving lunatic. Kotobukiya wants to remind us of this simple truth with their upcoming ArtFX Joker statue, featuring the character as he appeared in Batman: The Killing Joke.

For those of you who haven't read what may very well be the greatest Batman comic/graphic novel ever, the story reveals one possible origin for the Joker (bear in mind that the Joker's history is multiple choice) where the chemist-by-day comedian-by-night loses everything in the course of a single day. This motivates the Joker to prove that he's so different from the rest of us through the rationalization that insanity is the only sane choice in an insane world and the only thing separating the sane from the insane is one bad day (come to think of it, Batman had a bad day once...). To demonstrate this fact, the Joker chooses Commissioner Gordon and attempts to traumatize him into madness (notably shooting and crippling Gordon's daughter, Barbara, in the process).

Kotobukia has wisely opted to depict the character based on the graphic novel's cover art rather than the tacky tourist outfit he wears when he attacks Gordon at his apartment. While the prototype looks far from complete (judging from the sketch), it looks like it's turning out pretty good so far and I can't wait to see the final painted piece. That said, I can't help but think adapting the panel where the Joker is emerging from the river with a sculpted laughing backdrop might be infinitely more awesome.