Silent Butt Deadly Is So Controversial -

The latest Harley Quinn comic has been causing a stink, and I mean that metaphorically and literally because I am quite the expert wordsmith. The upcoming April Fool’s issue, Harley Quinn Fartacular: Silent Butt Deadly, is a scratch and sniff comic where Harley farts a lot. That kinda seems like it’s the only plot point.

It has rapidly become controversial just a few days after its reveal. In a way, it’s asking for trouble. While many characters have had gag comics for April Fool’s Day, and Harley lends herself to any number of joke gimmicks, it’s rare that we hear about them so far in advance. Everyone on the internet thinks the worst about each other (and is often proven right), so the overriding theory is that someone – or several someones – in the creation and approval process likes farts just a little too much.

Comic Books Need A Hook These Days

That in and of itself makes it hard to discuss. If you say the concept seems interesting and suits Harley’s slapstick, gross-out humour, you risk being labelled yet another someone who likes farts too much. But go too far in your criticism, as many (quite performatively) already have, and it seems like thou doth protest too much.

While it is early to be promoting an April Fool’s comic, the strategy may already be paying off. Comics, especially upcoming ones, rarely go viral. Though movies, TV shows, and video games based on superheroes are aplenty, comic book sales are declining. Sales of new issues were down 73 percent in 2023 from 2022’s figures, and more than half of all comic book stores reported lower gross sales last year than in 2023.

And if you want to boost gross sales, a fart comic would certainly help. Now that’s a joke for ya.

I don’t think Silent Butt Deadly will be the saviour of comics, nor will it be the pinnacle of the art form. It will probably be a silly little throwaway story with some extremely obvious toilet humour. It’s a Harley Quinn April Fool’s issue – we should keep some perspective. But increased interest in this is increased interest in comic books overall. It could get more foot traffic and raise sales of other issues by proxy. Every little helps

This Humour Suits Harley Quinn

Beans alternate cover art for Harley Quinn Silent Butt Deadly

My first entry into comic books wasn’t through superheroes though. My grandparents had old annuals for The Beano, going all the way back to the ‘70s. I dug them out of a cupboard when I was around eight years old, and devoured them. From then on, every year until I left home, I got the latest Beano annual. I was a weekly subscriber to The Beano for almost a decade. I still have disdain for The Dandy, entirely because they feel like ‘the other team’.

Silent Butt Deadly feels less like a superhero concept and more like the sort of thing you’d see in The Beano. So while many comic aficionados find it ill-fitting for the medium, with a wider lens it feels right at home. The scratch and sniff gimmick is also the kind of clever idea that print media needs (you can’t sniff a digital file) and the fact most scratch and sniff stuff kinda stinks obviously works in a fart comic’s favour. It’s not even the first time a Harley comic has been scratch and sniff.

Again, the comic doesn’t help itself. While links can be drawn between Silent Butt Deadly and his history of more comedic British comics, the promotional blurb brings it back to accusations of being too much of a fart enjoyer for… less mirthful reasons. ‘If you are grossed out by farts, then this comic isn’t for you (and that’s perfectly okay!…though I am judging you!)’ it reads, which does sound more like a disclaimer for kink than a comic book. Though the rest is a pun-filled paragraph more suited to the subject matter, the qualifier that it’s fine if you’re not into it but that makes you a vanilla square does it no favours.

I don’t buy many comics these days. Like a lot of online hypocrites, I’m part of the problem I’m rallying against. I realise it’s weird that Silent Butt Deadly might be the one to get me back into physical issues, but the ties to the comics I grew up on, the tactile nature of its gimmick, and the possibility that it could become one of the most notoriously maligned issues in recent history makes for a very tempting offer.