Japanese manga : Joker raising a Baby Batman

Have you heard about One Operation Joker? If you're a manga fan active on Japanese Twitter, you might know all about it. It's a Japanese manga about DC's Joker serialized in the weekly manga anthology magazine Morning that had a moment in the Japanese social media spotlight when it went viral not too long ago. It's written by Satoshi Miyakawa and illustrated by Keisuke Gotoh, and has even been officially approved by DC Comics in the U.S.!

In Japanese, the term "wanope" (one operation) refers to a single parent taking on all child-rearing responsibilities. Operation Joker, which currently has two manga volumes out, is a story about the DC villain and superhero, the Joker and Batman. Through an accident, Batman is transformed into a baby, and in a strange turn of events, the Joker decides to raise Baby Bruce into a hero of justice all by himself.

If you're a Batman fan or know anything about the Joker, you're probably thinking, "What the heck?" but that's the actual story of the manga. Against the backdrop of a super high-crime Gotham City, the Joker struggles with everyday parenting issues like accidentally buying the wrong diaper size, trying to figure out how to put a sleeping baby down without waking it up, and flipping out when they get hurt at daycare.

That the Joker, Batman's most notorious enemy, would succumb to the everyday troubles of parenthood is ridiculous. Still, that gap between the Joker we're familiar with and Dad Joker is what makes this manga so funny. In fact, it was thanks to the manga's realistic and fresh depiction of parenting that this manga went viral on social media. It probably also got a lot of attention because the first chapter is available to read for free online in Japanese.

Volume 1 depicts the Joker's struggles with being a parent; as he stumbles about trying to learn how to take care of a baby, he also jokes around and doesn't take it too seriously. By Volume 2, however, he's gotten the hang of being a single dad, and that's where we really get to see his fatherly side (yes, even the Joker has a fatherly side!).

And as the Joker becomes more parent-like, so too does Baby Bruce grow. In Volume 1, Baby Bruce plays more of a supporting role, a character used to draw out the conflicts for the Joker. But as the story progresses, Baby Batman transforms from being just a side character into a Super Justice Baby.

In the second volume Baby Bruce has grown from an infant to a toddler. He's walking and going to daycare, and though he can't speak yet, he's developed his own method of communication, like how he puffs out his cheeks when he's happy. The bond he develops with the Joker as he grows up is also extremely touching.

In conclusion, One Operation Joker is a comedy manga that anyone can enjoy, even if you have no interest in or knowledge of Batman or the Joker.

Sadly, it looks like it doesn't have an English-language translation yet, you might have to wait a bit before it comes out.