THE JOKER: THE LAST LAUGH #4

COVER TAGLINE: I Love This Country TITLE: Part Four: Everyone Knows This is Nowhere STORY ARC: The Last Laugh RELEASE DATE: October, 2001 COVER DATE: December, 2001 WRITER: Chuck Dixon, Scott Beatty PENCILER(s): Andy Kuhn INKER(s): Andy Kuhn COLORS: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon LETTERS: Willie Schubert EDITOR(s): Matt Idelson COVER: Scott McDaniel, Klaus Janson PRICE: $2.95 CHARACTERS: The Joker; Batman; Harley Quinn, Militia, Lady Blackhawk, Black Canary II, Dina Bell, Shilo Norman, Kirk Langstrom, General Crisp, Lex Luthor, Kirk Langstrom, Rancor, Stormfront, Mister 104, Dr Light I; Bolt, Floro, Cerberus, Matter Master II, Terra-Man, Hellgrammite, Barrage, Captain Nazi, White Dragon, Warjack, Kilg're, Frag, Copperhead, Phobia, King Shark, Mister Mind , Sivana, Apeface, Meathead, Deadshot, Deadline, Merlyn, Ocean Master, Joe Gardner, Killer Croc, Scarface, Ventriloquist, Multi-Man, Dr. Clyde Cover Art None INTERIOR ART: PLOT: "The fate of the Slab, Shilo Norman, and the rest of the staff is revealed. Far from dead, they're in a very special kind of hell -- and their only allies are a bunch of villains. It's a field trip with Mr. Mind! Back on Earth, President Luthor's decided that he's had enough clowning around, and sends out the armed forces to take care of the Joker and his allies...permanently."

ISSUE SUMMARY: Dina Bell and Shilo Norman are trapped inside a singularity along with the Slabside penitentiary and some of its inmates. Meanwhile, with the help of Stormfront and Mr 104, the Joker goes about brewing up crazy rain, which will spread the Joker influence far and wide. As Earth's heroes contain the maddened villains, they discover that the Joker serum is killing them, and they must find an effective antidote, and a means of delivering it, fast. Harley Quinn is reluctantly working with Kirk Langstrom on this. The military forces of the United States are also doing their best to bring in the meta-human criminals, ably assisted (though Luthor will not want to admit this) by various costumed adventurers. As the Joker prepares for an assault on the President, Black Canary discovers from the doctor that diagnosed the Joker that the villain is not suffering from a tumour at all. The doctor had wrongly thought that the possibility of death would calm the Joker down. Inside the Slab, Shilo and Dina hook up with an unlikely ally in the form of Mister Mind and set out to find Black Mass to reverse the singularity. However, when they are once more pursued by the maneaters, Dina accidentally shoots Black Mass in the forehead. And the Joker's forces find their way to Arkham Asylum, where the criminals are already mad enough...

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