Birds of Prey #121

The Joker takes center stage on Stéphane Roux's cover for this October 2008 entry in DC's Birds of Prey, his wide, ghastly grin filling the frame as he looms over a dark-haired figure from behind — one hand holding a gag-gun with a "BANG!" flag, the other clutching a very real pistol, with the quip "…this gag kills 'em every time!" hanging in the air. It's a genuinely unsettling image, the contrast between clownish prop and deadly weapon doing a lot of quiet work. Tony Bedard scripts what the cover promises — bad guys, front and center — with interior art by Michael O'Hare and inks by John Floyd.