In the middle of running from Batman, the Joker is abducted by aliens!
Wonder Woman thinks it fitting, but the problem is Joker has set a bomb with 50 megatons of his laughing gas to go off at midnight in Gotham, but only he knows its location. Batman enlists the help of the Flash to search the city while Superman and Wonder Woman set out to rescue the Joker.
Joker's abductor turns out to be Mongul, who wants his warriors entertained... Or else. The Joker tells every joke he can think of, for hours on end, only to be met with stony silence. It's only when he uses his deadly electric joy buzzer handshake trick on Mongul himself that the warriors finally begin laughing.
Superman and Wonder Woman arrive just in time to save the Joker from being ejected into space. Superman tells Mongul he isn't there to fight, but Mongul isn't having any of that. Wonder Woman ties up the clown and sets off for earth. Superman manages to get free.
By the time they make it back to Earth, Batman has deduced where the bomb is, but they have no time to disarm it. When it goes off, the Flash manipulates air currents so the gas doesn't go anywhere. Superman swoops down and inhales it all, then flies off planet to expel it.
Once the Joker is safely off to Arkham and Superman returns, Wonder Woman asks where he expelled the gas.
- Superman: I gave it to someone who really needed a good laugh.
Aboard Mongul's warship, the gas has permeated everywhere. All the warriors, and Mongul himself are laughing helplessly.
This episode contains examples of:
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: Mongol makes one to the Joker after abducting him:Mongol: Make warriors laugh... or suffer!
Joker: When you say "suffer", you mean "of embarrassment", right...? - Bullying a Dragon: Joker using his joy buzzer on Mongul.
- Can't Believe I Said That: After Superman saves him from being tossed into space, the Joker cheers the Man of Steel in his battle with Mongol:Joker: Go, Superman! pause Yuck!
- Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: The Joker's stand-up routine bombs horribly; however, he does get laughs from Mongol's minions by zapping Mongol with his electric joy buzzer.
- Exact Words: "The gut buster blows at midnight!" Batman realizes that is also the location of the bomb: The clock tower.
- Failure Montage: The Joker tells one lame joke after another and gets no laughs whatsoever, until Mongol's patience is finally exhausted.
- Refuse to Rescue the Disliked: When the Joker is abducted, Wonder Woman is inclined to let him end up as "an alien science experiment". However, even setting aside moral questions, he's the only one who knows where he hid the gas bomb.
- Thrown Out the Airlock: Mongol, unamused by the joy-buzzer trick, tries to do this to the Joker.
