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Fart jokes aren't just a passing thing.

When word came that a DC Comics special called Harley Quinn Fartactular: Silent Butt Deadly #1 was being released in time for April Fool's Day 2025, some fans reacted with turgid cheeks and lofty opinions about it. In a quickly-initiated Reddit thread, one comment from a fan got support when this was called "a fetish book", while others compounded that by using it as an opening for some homophobic people to denigrate the romantic relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

I must say: in this case, if they smelled it, then they dealt it.

Fart jokes have a looooooooong history in comics, in pop culture, and even before there was a thing called pop culture. If you think fart jokes aren't in the realm of Harley Quinn stories, then I recommend you read up (and watch up) Harleen's stories of the past. 

The earliest recorded fart joke that I can find is from 1900 BC from ancient Sumerian, which translates to: 'Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap.' For those saying a comedy comic is a "fetish book," I guess we've all been watching fetish films and TV shows with South Park, Blazing Saddles, Rain Man, and Idiocracy. 

Maybe for these people, finding reasons to complain about Harley Quinn is their fetish. But I'm not shaming. Maybe they just don't get some jokes? 

Harley Quinn Fartactular: Silent Butt Deadly #1 goes on sale March 26. 

Harley Quinn: How Dr. Harleen Quinzel went from background character to become a pillar of the modern DC Universe.