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A Countdown Extra "The Batman Who Laughs!" BY "FREE" STEVE CHUNG Previously in Countdown #30, Green Lantern wondered if he and the others would ever meet a "Happy Fun-Time" Batman. Little did he know, there was a time when the Caped Crusader and the Clown Prince of Crime traded places, with Batman becoming a criminal, and the Joker standing for law and order.
The Boy Wonder isn't too happy when his mentor decides to have a fun time as "The Joker Batman!"
When the Dynamic Duo are out on their regular patrol of Gotham City, they spot the Joker's car parked outside a certain building. As the duo split up, the Clown Prince of Crime and his gang search for a fortune in Radium. The Caped Crusader soon spots the Crime Clown, and chases him through a doorway. Within the restricted area, the two men do not realize that they are now in the experimental laboratory of Doctor Tom Rayburn.
Caught in the flashing light, both figures fall to the floor, and are still. The Boy Wonder learns from the scientist that they have been exposed to deadly Epsilon rays. Where others have died, these two still live. When he recovers, the Caped Crusader punches his young partner, and almost sets Rayburn's beard on fire. Since the scientist could not stand the heat, Batman uses a Bat-a-Rang to smash the ray machine. Amused by such deliberate destruction, he starts to laugh. The laughter of the Clown Prince of Crime himself.
Before Robin can react, the Joker asks him if he's okay. While the Clown suggests that they head to police headquarters, Doctor Rayburn informs the Boy Wonder that a personality exchange has taken place. The Caped Crusader's personality now resides within the Joker, while Batman's body contains the personality of the Crime Prince of Crime. At the office of Commissioner Gordon, Robin reports that only another exposure to Epsilon rays will restore things to normal. While the scientist repairs his apparatus, and the Boy Wonder gathers the necessary isotopes, both lawmen hope to keep what's happened a secret.
That evening finds the Batman handing out free cigars in an underworld bar. The thugs aren't amused when they discover that they've been given exploding cigars. Thinking that the Joker must have disguised himself in a Bat-costume, they rush him, and are forced to cry in their spilled beer. With the Caped Crusader out of his right mind, the time is ripe for the underworld to become friends with Batman. They are surprised when the costumed hero informs them that for one million dollars, he will remove his mask, and reveal the face beneath. The following morning finds the Gotham Gazette headlining the caped lawman's bizarre offer.
In another part of Gotham, crooks are stealing a company's payroll, and the Joker has spotted a way up. Scrambling to the top of a bus, the Clown Prince uses a sign like a rope ladder, and performs a stunt which only the Batman could pull off. Once inside the office, the Joker refuses a bribe, and punches out the startled thugs. As the police take the gang, the citizens of Gotham City don't know what to make of the Clown who's now on the right side of the law.
In another part of the country, the Boy Wonder is busy gathering the necessary isotopes, and overhears the reports about the Crimefighting Clown. When he starts to remember nights when the Bat-Signal would summon the other identities of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. Suddenly, the thought of being the Joker's sidekick compels Robin's search for the Epsilon isotopes. At a social event for Gotham Bluebloods, the pool gatherers are in for an unpleasant surprise. Thanks to the chemicals in his utility belt, Batman succeeds in freezing the swimmers in place, and relieving them of their valuables in the cabana. At an exhibition of the new Janeway Pen, the Cowled Criminal is about to strike again.
The giant pen proves mightier than a sword, as Batman clears a path to the company payroll. Commissioner Gordon is well aware that the underworld has almost succeeded in raising the money necessary for the Caped Criminal to unmask. It is up to the police to prevent this from happening. When an officer suggests that the Bat-Signal be used to summon the Joker, Gordon is confused for a moment, and recalls that the Clown now has Batman's personality. At stately Wayne Manor, Alfred watches in disbelief as the Clown Prince pays a call. Now in the Bat-Cave, the Joker reads from the file about Tiny Harper being the ringleader behind the criminals raising the million dollars. As the Joker heads off in answer to the Bat-Signal, a faithful butler wonders if the entire world has turned upside-down?
Commissioner Gordon and his men are surprised when they see the Clown Prince arriving in the Batplane, and announcing that he's on the case. The following day finds the Joker outside of a bowling alley, which is a known hangout of Tiny Harper. An hour passes, with the Clown's patience paying off. He soon spots the Joker Batman on the roof of the bowling alley. Their chase spans several rooftops, and ends on the roof of the Acme Magnifying Lens Company. Although he's reached a dead end, the Caped Criminal is still determined to have the last laugh. He will get a million dollars from the underworld when he unmasks in front of the giant magnifying glass, and all of Gotham City will see it happen. The Joker could never reach his foe in time. A thrown rock would fail to shatter the thick glass.
As his cowled foe continues to taunt him, the Joker spots a workman's lunch box, and gets an idea. Before the Joker Batman can unmask, a milk bottle breaks against the magnifying glass, and renders it completely opaque. The dazed Batman stumbles and falls from the platform. Before he can recover, a pair of handcuffs prevent him from any further unmasking. That evening in the experimental laboratory of Doctor Rayburn, Epsilon rays shine once again upon two figures. When he recovers, the Caped Crusader has no memory of his time as the Joker Batman. At stately Wayne Manor, Dick Grayson is happy that his mentor is back to his usual self.
The Caped Crusader became "Batman -- Clown Of Crime!" in Batman #85 (August, 1954) by David Vern, Sheldon Moldoff, and Charles Paris.
When the story was reprinted in Batman #182 (July - August, 1966), it was re titled "The Joker Batman!"
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