WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for "Clown Hunt," a story from Batman: The Joker War Zone #1 by James Tynion IV, James Stokoe and Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
Recently, the Joker orchestrated a full-scale attack on Gotham City, paying criminals and arming them with Batman's own weapons and vehicles to transform the city into a literal war zone. What's more, the Joker planned all of this so well that he even managed to take out Batman before his attack even began. Indeed, Punchline poisoned the Dark Knight with a dose of her own Laughing Gas, taking him out of the fight while the city fell into anarchy.
But while Batman hasn't been around to protect his city, another mysterious hero named Clownhunter stepped up to fight back. He's not exactly a superhero -- if anything, he's more of a brutal executioner. But desperate times call for desperate measures and in Batman: The Joker War Zone #1, Clownhunter shows that he's now become Gotham City's favorite new vigilante.
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Ever since the start of the Joker War, the young man known only as Clownhunter stepped in to do his part in the siege. He put together a costume for himself and, armed with a Batarang affixed to a baseball bat, he started to leave a bloody trail of dead clowns behind him. The vigilante is holed up in Gotham City's Narrows neighborhood, and he's declared open season on any Joker enforcer who dares to venture there.
Already, we've seen Clownhunter kill multiple clowns, either by beating them to death, blowing them up or burning them alive. He's even left their bodies on the outskirts of the neighborhood to act as a warning to all of the Joker's followers.
Now, in the short story "Clown Hunt," the Joker sends a special squad of clowns eager to prove themselves in the Narrows to take care of Clownhunter once and for all.
As soon as the crew gets there, Clownhunter starts picking them off one by one. The whole situation becomes even more worrisome for the clowns because, as they start running from the vigilante, they notice that all of the people in the Narrows are looking out of their windows in anticipation. They know what's about to happen, and they are ready to enjoy it.
The people of Gotham have been the subject of attacks both big and small for a very long time. Clownhunter embodies the Gotham City citizen who simply can't take it anymore and who decided to do something about it. In him, the people see one of their own, someone who is willing to clean up the streets permanently. Clownhunter is a different breed than Batman, but right now, the people seem to appreciate his very own brand of justice.
When the leader of the clown gang is the only one left standing, the people start chanting Clownhunter's name, encouraging him to finish the job. And when he does, they cheer him on, showing that he is now a hero of the people in these dark and twisted times.
While Batman was mostly missing in action during the start of the Joker War, Clownhunter filled the void and fought for the people. Now, the citizens are on his side. When Batman finally turns his attention to Clownhunter, he may see him as a villain he needs to stop. But if he does so, perhaps he will lose Gotham in the process.