Monster of the Day #710

Here’s a DC villain who, in the New 52 (Hey, kids, comics!) is of course an insanely gross mass-murderer. Meanwhile, Marvel–presumably learning the lesson from their amazingly successful movies–is making waves with *gasp* comics that are actually clever and fun, like Hawkeye, Daredevil and Wolverine and the X-Men, the first X-Men book I’ve read in like a quarter of a century.

Oddly, the same guy is sometimes drawn as a Hammerhead Shark Man, like yesterday’s guy.

  • Flangepart

    Insanely gross mass murderer…so, The Joker with out the laugh lines. How typical.

  • Ken_Begg

    I think there was a recent storyline where the Joker had cut off his own face because it was so EXXXXXXXTREEEEEEEEME!!

  • bgbear_rogerh

    look, it is a full moon

  • Cullen Waters

    No, no, no. You got it all wrong. That guy just fell into Sharkman’s (or whatever) mouth. He’s actually running over to see if the girl can’t perform a Heimlich maneuver.

  • Cullen Waters

    Actually as I heard it someone cut his face off out of revenge; he just stapled it back on. Totally different. Not at all super gross. Or nasty.

    Seriously, I’ll happily slip in some of the gorier horror stories imaginable. I saw just the cover for one of those Joker stories and I said “Pass.”

  • Rock Baker

    When I first got into comic book cartooning, I dreamed of drawing the DC characters because those were the ones I grew up with on television. Now, I’m happy they wouldn’t even let me in the figurative door! I’d much rather draw fun strips like Femforce, Dinosaur Girl, Sadie 6 Shot and Betsy the Bookwriter. I’d rather leave my readers with a nice clean feeling. I’m here to entertain, not offend!

  • Eric Hinkle

    It’s become almost a joke in some corners of comics fandom that every new villain has to somehow do something horrible to the Joker just to show how TOTALLY EBIL they are. I can still remember when it seemed like every other DC villain was a cannibal. Even Metropolis mobster Bruno ‘Ugly’ Mannheim started snacking on human flesh. And oh yeah, he worshiped Darkseid too.

  • Petoht

    Marvel wasn’t immune to this sort of thing either. If they’ve moved on, good for them, though. Of course, I’m not sure how well a giant shark would fit in with society. He’d probably just eat whatever was nearby, much like he would in the sea, so I guess it makes sense?

    Honestly, this villain just needs to be punched.

  • Scopi314

    To be fair, I think you’re putting the cart before the horse here. The pictured version of King Shark is pre-New 52, and the character has always been a gory serial killer, even when written by Gail Simone who, according to the internet, is exactly the kind clever and fun writer DC needs more of. The hammerhead version is the New 52 version, I don’t think he’s been drawn as the white shark version in the last year.

  • Ken_Begg

    I stand corrected! I will say, every glimpse I get of a New 52 book, however, make it look like this is completely the norm over there now.