Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4!The Joker is mad as hell at DC Comics, and he's not going to take it anymore. The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 reveals the Clown Prince of Crime's latest beef, and it's with his own publisher!
Though the DC Universe is home to a number of fantastical beings and heroes, DC Comics exists in-universe as a publisher that puts out similar, yet different stories of its heroes. In fact, comic book aficionado Barry Allen was inspired to become his world's Flash after spending his childhood reading about the Golden Age hero, Jay Garrick. DC Comics titles are found all across the multiverse, sometimes showcasing the adventures of heroes in other worlds. Other teams like Justice League International have put out comics that cover their heroic endeavors as a promotional vehicle. Clearly, some characters take no issue with being featured so prominently in the funny books.
Except, that is, for the Joker, who is hopping mad that his name and image is possibly being used without his consent. In The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 by Matthew Rosenberg, Carmine Di Giandomenico, and sco Francavilla, the Joker is holed up in a hospital and the Red Hood is after him. After forcing a doctor to give him impromptu brain surgery, the Joker hides out in the children’s wing. Despite the nightmare scenario one would think this would cause, the clown actually entertains the patients. However, the Joker catches sight of a comic book one of the children possesses and sees that he's been made a character in it. He vehemently objects to the book's storyline which involves him, his own funeral, and Power Girl, though the comic Joker's reading actually displays a Superman story.
Is The Joker's Next Target DC Comics?
While the comic doesn’t actually show what Joker thinks it does, the backup stories featured in the series do portray what he’s referring to, such as his own funeral and him dating Power Girl. This seems to suggest that the Joker could be hallucinating the Silver Age-esque stories featured in The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing as a result of damage to his brain. While that certainly clears up some things, this could spell danger for Prime Earth’s DC Comics.
If there’s one thing Joker’s made blatantly clear in the past, it’s that he doesn’t abide by people taking his name or image. He’s killed imposters and theme park actors modeled after him. Even if DC Comics didn’t actually publish a story in-universe that makes the Joker look foolish, all it would take is the villain thinking they did to put the publisher in his crosshairs. Fans curious to see what may become of this new rivalry can start by picking up a copy of The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4, on sale now.
