Another resource for those of you planning to tackle Option #1, The Ethics of Superheroes. One of the biggest ideas to consider in these comics is how far can a superhero toe the line between heroism and villainy? Can a superhero kill, even in the case of a dangerous psychopath like The Joker? These arguments really come to the fore in Moore/Bolland's infamous comic, The Killing Joke, which is all about the ethics of the superhero genre. However much it might cross the line in other regards, most people believe that it maintains the classic Batman who refuses to kill The Joker even after he commits the most horrific acts.
And yet, an article that I found via Wikipedia's entry on The Killing Joke in the bibliography might put an interesting spin on this interpretation. Entitled, "On Interpreting The Killing Joke's Ending (and Authorial Intent) it suggest that Batman does kill the Joker, and offers a very compelling reading of the images to prove it. You can read the article here, and it might challenge your conception of the superhero genre: On Interpreting The Killing Joke’s Ending (and Authorial Intent) | Sequart Organization (archive.org)
There are many great articles in the biblography of this Wikipedia page, and in general, the links in Wikipedia are a great way to do research--especially for comics, since sometimes articles on specific works/authors can be tricky to find. Good luck!
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