So yeah, this happened.
DC Comics has come up with all sorts or weird and wonderful (and not so wonderful) scenarios for The Joker over the years, but we reckon this latest development for the iconic villain in the pages of Matthew Rosenberg and Francesco Francavilla's Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 has to be the most bizarre yet.
The Clown Prince of Crime becomes pregnant, and gives birth to a miniature version of himself.
How did this happen? The explanation actually does make a certain amount of sense (at least in the context of this story), as magic-wielder Zatanna is involved. After having his plan to steal Gotham's water supply foiled, Joker decides to flirt with Zatanna in the hopes of starting a family in a more traditional sense. Disgusted, the hero casts the backward spell, "On eno esle lliw reve evah ruoy ybab!," which translates to: "No one else will ever have your baby!"
Unfortunately, the spell has unforeseen consequences, as Mr. J wakes up the next morning with a bun in the oven, before promptly vomiting up a blob of sentient goo that transforms into a miniature version of himself.
While some have seen the funny side of this ridiculous plotline, others are a lot less pleased (certain sites are outraged). To be fair, attention-grabbing headlines were always the main goal here, so it just remains to be seen how things will progress.
For now, check out some preview images at the link below, and let us know what you make of Joker giving birth to himself in the comments section.