Warning: SPOILERS for The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4After intense backlash from right-wing media, comic book creator Matthew Rosenberg addresses his “pregnant Joker” story in a recent entry to his Substack newsletter. Rosenberg, the writer for DC Comics’ The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing, defends his “joke” story and provides resources for transgender rights organizations.
Matthew Rosenberg posted to his regularly-updated newsletter on January 15th. Along with promotional updates, Rosenberg took time to address the media backlash to the back-up story, by Rosenberg, Francesco Francavilla, and Tom Napolitano, in The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4. As Rosenberg says in his own words:
“We wanted to pay tribute to the fun old stuff of DC’s history where Batman becomes 2 Dimensional, or Superman turns himself into a lion, or a tree, or an ant, or Jimmy Olsen marries a gorilla,
or Lois Lane turns herself Black. Well, not that one. We wanted to pay tribute to the rest though, but through a fever dream lens of the Joker’s own mind. So they’re a little more violent, a little darker, but still mostly fun, consequence-free jokes. […] This [pregnant Joker story] isn’t an allegory, a metaphor, or social commentary. It’s a joke. I will say, so this doesn’t come off as some sort of backpedalling, I believe Trans[gender] rights are Human rights. I have fundraised and donated multiple times to orgs like TRANS LIFELINE, THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANS EQUALITY, and THE TREVOR PROJECT that do incredible work to promote trans rights and protect trans lives. […] With that said, it has nothing to do with this story. This is a story about magical food poisoning.“
According to Rosenberg, The Joker’s Back-Up Stories Are “Silly Gag Strips”
The story in question is just as un-serious as Rosenberg insists he intended it to be. The writer summarizes it himself: “In this issue the Joker swallows some mud, gets a curse put on him by Zatanna, and then wakes up with a distended belly. One of his henchman, who says stupid stuff every issue, comments that he might be pregnant. Joker, being unhinged, makes his henchman find a supervillain named Doctor Phosphorous to give him a pelvic exam. […] He looks at the Joker’s crotch and says ‘I don’t even know where a baby would come out of.’ At this point the Joker vomits up the mud he swallowed and our good doctor says ‘Guess you weren’t pregnant after all.’” The mud turns out to be some small piece of the shapeshifting villain Clayface, who then shifts into a smaller version of the Joker.
The story ends there, like any other “silly gag strip” might. Even so, the right-wing media backlash isn’t completely unexpected, and similar “controversies” arose after DC announced multiple queer legacy characters, including Superman Jon Kent. As Rosenberg points out in his newsletter, while queer- and transphobic backlash is never warranted, it’s particularly misplaced for this so-called “pregnant” Joker back-up story.
This story was always intended to be both a joke and a nod to the goofy Silver Age stories of DC’s past. For more of that wacky energy, readers can check out The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4, available now from DC Comics.
