- You know, this reminds me of a killer joke...
- — Jokester
Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Crime Society #1 is an issue of the series Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 2007.
Synopsis for "The Jokester's Last Laugh"
The Challengers from Beyond and their new ally, Earth-3's Jokester, fights the Crime Society. During the skirmish, the Jokester's reveals his origins.
The Jokester was a comedian named Jackie, who was considered to be the worst stand-up comic. At the Last Laugh, his friend Mikey wants to know why he is in the comedy business. Jackie explains that his whole life he has been picked on, beaten and despised from bullies and his abusive father until he met love-life Evelyn "Eve" Dent. The two instantly fell in love, in which Eve accepts Jackie's own comedy and recommended him to take his act on stage. Since then, Eve suddenly disappeared. After hearing his story, Mikey thinks through in suggesting Jackie in finding a shtick that makes him more distinctive than any of the other comedians. Suddenly, the Owlman burst in to make due with Mikey for missing his "protection payment." A panicked Mikey tells Owlman he has the money, but is mercilessly assaulted while being watch by Jackie who finally finds his shtick: Owlman.
In a couple short years, Jackie became an instant celebrity in focusing his jokes on Owlman. Ridiculing the thuggish vigilante that aspires the people of Gotham who are constantly threaten by the said vigilante. However, this earns a deadly retribution from the Owlman. While Jackie was returning to his limousine with his manager Harley Quinn, she is grab and killed by the Owlman. He brutally beats Jackie before severely cutting his face up. This left him disfigured with an unusually wide grin and apparent loss of sanity. Thus, Jackie became the Jokester and dedicating his life to ruining and humiliating Owlman and his sidekick Talon. After a long career of fighting and resisting Owlman, Jokester was saved by the Riddler Family. Consisting of The Riddler, Three-Face, and Riddler's Daughter. Just then, Jokester realize that Three-Face, a schizophrenic, is Evelyn Dent. This also leaves Riddler's Daughter to be Jokester's biological daughter, Duela Dent. Jokester is rejoiced to be with his new family and joins them, becoming a reckoning force against criminals and the Crime Society.
But one day, Duela Dent reveals to her family that she has become romantically infatuated with Talon. This causes considerable outrage from the Riddler Family, in which Jokester angrily disowns his daughter. Duela sadly leave her home with Talon as the Jokester wish that he didn't really mean his words to be true to Duela. The Crime Society, Ultraman and Superwoman, finds the family's home from following Talon and Duela, and slaughters the Riddler and Three-Face. Jokester flees the carnage.
In the present, Jokester admits that he wishes he would die too in the cruel world he lives in. But decided to fight to the end, and wishing he would be reunited with his daughter again. As Jokester and the Challengers are cornered by the Crime Society, Bob the Monitor teleports in after having discover that Ray Palmer is not present on Earth-3. The Challengers leave to another Earth along with Jokester, who wants to come with them as there is nothing for him back on Earth-3. As the Society, especially Owlman, vent their rage for letting their enemies escape, a still alive Three-Face (who now sports a robotic left arm after losing her original arm to Superwoman) sadly looks on.
Appearing in "The Jokester's Last Laugh"
Featured Characters:
- Jokester (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Challengers from Beyond
- Riddler Family
- The Riddler (Single appearance; dies)
- Three-Face (First appearance)
- Duela Dent
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Jack Ryder (Mentioned only)
- Ted Kord (Mentioned only)
- Harley Quinn (Single appearance; dies)
- Mikey
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Jokester is seen with a Palmer print, which he wasn't aware of.
- The events in this one-shot issue precede Countdown #30.
- This issue is reprinted in the Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer collection.
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer series
- Images from Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Crime Society Vol 1 1
Links and References
The events from this issue or series involve a Multiversal Crossover between Post-Infinite Crisis worlds and characters. This template will categorize articles that include it into Post-Crisis Multiverse Crossover.
See also Pre-Crisis Multiverse Crossovers.