Soon after beginning the viral marketing campaign attached to The Dark Knight, the upcoming sequel to Batman Begins, Warner Bros has released an official photograph of Heath Ledger’s Joker by way of ibelieveinharveydenttoo.com.

That is incredible. Of course, I wonder what parents’ groups will think of such a grotesque and fundamentally violent character in what they still believe is a francise of “children’s movies.”

And I’m sure that the internet is tearing at the seams with fans complaining about how this is “not the real Joker” (as if there is real Joker at all) and already claiming to boycott the film. For me, the grisly, no-holds-barred approach to the Joker is perfect and will fit neatly into the new Batman film continuity.

But, I am afraid I will start thinking I’m watching Ichi the Killer at times.