The Joker officially declares himself a superhero in Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #4.
The unexpected remark comes as Batman and the Joker -- an equally unexpected pairing -- enter the Gotham Bullet, a speedy luxury locomotive headed for destruction. The pair, forced to ally together and do the bidding of a cryptic figure transmitting orders via mobile phone, have to choose between saving the passengers on board the train or watch as it hurtles full-speed into Martha Wayne Memorial Station.
Batman naturally devises a plan to save all parties and tells the train's passengers to listen to his orders. Joker chimes in, reacting with glee as the onlookers demand to know why they should take orders from him. "Well, for one, I'm a superhero now, so it's the law!" he exclaims. And two, if you don't...you're all gonna die."
At the end of the issue, Joker proves less than superheroic as he tosses a few passengers off the train. His antics save the majority, however, and a powerless Batman is forced to contend with the fact that his greatest enemy ultimately prevented more lives from being lost.
The Reason Behind Batman & Joker's Team-Up
Batman & The Joker - The Deadly Duo, written and illustrated by Image Comics and Top Cow Productions CEO Marc Silvestri, sees Batman and Joker forced into a bizarre alliance as monstrous doppelgangers resembling the killer clown descend upon Gotham City.
Thus far, the doppelgangers appear to be mutated beings created via a synthetic predator cell that seeks hosts and dramatically changes their physiology. This cell was created in a lab by Simtek, a corporation owned by Donald Simms, a rich Gotham businessman who despises both Batman and the Joker for their involvement in a deadly incident that killed his daughter. While the identity of the villain ordering Batman and Joker around remains a mystery, all signs point toward Simms.
Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #4 is written and illustrated by Silvestri, colored by Arif Prianto and lettered by Troy Peteri. The issue features variant covers by Liam Sharp, David Mack and Sanford Greene. Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #4 is on sale now from DC.
Source: DC