Galaxy Jest

"**Galaxy Jest**" is the eighth episode of Justice League Action.

## Summary

The Joker hides a gigantic laughing gas bomb in Gotham City but is then beamed up to an alien spaceship, and the Justice League have to get him back to halt the explosion.

## Story

The Joker, in his distinctively decorated van, drives through the streets of night time Gotham City, pursued by Batman in the Batmobile. After some reckless driving, the villain abandons his vehicle to escape on foot as Batman leaps through the air to apprehend him. However, at this same moment, Joker is unexpectedly caught in a beam of light from the sky that drags him upward into a distant object which then disappears into space. Batman contacts Superman and Wonder Woman in the Watchtower to tell them of this and explains that the villain has planted a bomb in Gotham City containing 50,000 tons of "super laughing gas" that is due to go off at midnight and only Joker knows where it is hidden. Superman uses the Justice League's instruments to locate the villain and leaves Earth accompanied by Wonder Woman in a bronze-colored rocket ship, while Batman stays behind to search for the bomb and calls on the Flash for assistance.

In a large spaceship, moving away from Earth, Joker thanks his captor for his rescue, but the latter introduces himself as Emperor Mongul and drags him away to be thrown into a large arena in front of a baying crowd of warriors. The alien tyrant tells Joker that he must make his men laugh or suffer the consequences, but a series of jokes from the villain leave the warriors unmoved. Dissatisfied, Mongul confronts Joker, who in desperation offers an electrocuting handshake using his buzzer. The sight of their ruler in agony finally brings uproarious laughter from his boorish men, but humiliated Mongul decides to take the comedian away and throw him into space. As the airlock opens, Superman appears from outside and knocks the tyrant back, rescuing Joker. However, Mongul recovers and engages in a long fist fight with Superman that ends with the superhero being knocked out and carried off to the arena, while Joker is left free to escape. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman, having disabled the alien ship's defenses, lands her craft in the docking bay where she is confronted by a large group of warriors whom she beats into unconsciousness before going off to find Superman.

In the arena, Mongul prepares to despatch his captive in front of his men. However, Superman quickly uses his x-ray vision to locate the ship's engine room and, dodging Mongul's lunges, knocks his opponent with one blow through the length of the ship, thus disabling it, while the crowd of warriors flees in panic. Elsewhere, Joker locates Wonder Woman's spacecraft and enters, but the heroine appears and lassoes him before he can take off. Leaving in it with her captive, she links up with Superman and they head for Earth.

There, in Gotham, Flash, running at super speed, is not able to locate Joker's bomb, but Batman tells him to keep looking. After more futile searching, Batman suddenly realises that Joker had left a hint in something he said and now knows the bomb is in the Clocktower. Going there with only a minute left, Batman is not able to stop the detonation and only just escapes as the gas expands outward. Stationed on an opposite roof, Flash whirls his arms to contain the spreading cloud, and Superman arrives to inhale it all before flying out into space. Travelling to Mongul's spaceship, he blows the gas into it and returns. Inside, Mongul declares his hatred for Superman, but he and his men cannot stop laughing long enough to do anything about it.

Later, in Gotham, the superheroes are reunited as the Joker is thrown into a police wagon. He is the only one who is not laughing.

## Notes

* The title of this episode is a reference to the comedy movie Galaxy Quest (1999).
* Joker being a terrible stand-up comedian is most likely a reference to his origin in Batman: The Killing Joke where he was a failed comedian.
* In two scenes we can see Commissioner Gordon in the background with his distingishing walrus moustache.