A rare Batman comic book, weighing 4.4 kg, featuring a removable lens and designed like a camera, is on display at the Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference (SACC) with a price tag of 60,000 dirhams. This edition is titled Batman: The Killing Joke Avant-Garde Edition.
Only 47 copies of this handmade collector's edition have been produced worldwide. The exhibit is shown at the Argent Comics booth during the event, which runs until Sunday at Aljada. The comic is inspired by the camera featured on the iconic cover of Batman: The Killing Joke, which was first published in 1988.
The book is constructed from aluminum sheets covered in goatskin and includes a removable lens and viewfinder. It is housed in a special calfskin case lined with suede. The edition was developed by the Croatian publishing imprint Argent Comics under the direction of Creative Director Marko Matijašević.
According to the publisher, this is the world's first comic printed using giclée printing. The pages are printed on specially made Hahnemühle metal paper using a patented process.
Vibor Kreča, a Croatian representative of Argent Comics at SACC, noted that creating the book requires meticulous manual labor. He explained that it must be printed on both sides and then manually bound together.
The limited run of 47 copies is also an intentional decision. Kreča stated that this number corresponds to the atomic number of silver, linking the edition to the Argent brand, whose name is associated with this metal.
The edition includes two versions of the original artwork from the acclaimed Batman story written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland. Readers can view John Higgins' original coloring, as well as Bolland's recoloring from 2008. Kreča mentioned that Bolland was initially dissatisfied with the earlier colored version of the book and later returned to it, calling it the 'director's cut.'
The collector's edition also contains Bolland's transparent negative, his signature, a new introduction from the artist, and additional material. At the booth, visitors can also view a black-and-white version of The Killing Joke in a Noir style. This version, inspired by Joker's prison cell, features aluminum doors, a two-tone goatskin binding, and lithographically printed cotton paper. Kreča emphasized the tactility of this paper, saying: 'It is cotton paper that is printed using lithography, so you can feel everything. It is very tactile.'
The fourth edition of SACC, organized by the Sharjah Book Authority, features over 150 events and more than 75 speakers from over 30 countries. The conference program covers workshops, panel discussions, film screenings, live performances, and exhibitions dedicated to animation and comics.