One of DC Rebirth's most tantalizing plotlines has been the mystery surrounding Joker's supposed three identities. Fans have been hotly anticipating answers to exactly what that means ever since Batman learned about it at the beginning of DC Rebirth. The mystery of Joker's multiple identities proved so compelling that it may have just helped a new book shatter sales records. According to DC Comics, Batman: Three Jokers just sold 300,000 issues.
The idea of there being three Jokers started in the aftermath of the Justice League storyline Darkseid War. At the end of that story, Batman sat on the Mobius Chair, a piece of technology from the New Gods which grants omniscience to whoever sits in it. Batman's big question for the chair was one that fans have been asking for eight decades, what is the Joker's name? Though readers didn't hear the chair's answer to that question, they were shown Batman's reaction when he responds, "That's not possible." It would later be revealed in Batman's solo book that the chair told him that there were actually three Jokers. These revelations came in the middle of 2016 and fans have been eagerly anticipating answers ever since. It was only recently that DC promised those answers with the publication of Batman: Three Jokers, from writer Geoff Johns and artist Jason Fabok.
Fans have been waiting for more information about the three Jokers for so long that it may have just made Batman: Three Jokers a bestseller. In an interview with THR, DC Comics publisher Jim Lee stated "we got our numbers for Three Jokers and the first issue sold over 300,000 copies. And that’s an $8 book. That’s a gigantic number for having new distribution." And that's not just marketing talk either. 300,000 issues sold isn't just a success in the world of superhero comics, it's almost unheard of.
In the modern day, a single issue selling 100,000 issues is considered a major success. Landmark issues of books with widely known characters will usually only net around 150,000 issues sold. Wonder Woman's 750th issue almost sold 170,000 copies back in January. Even DC Rebirth itself only sold around 235,000 copies when it was first published in May of 2016. To say that 300,000 issues is a huge win is an understatement.
These sales figures are good news for DC Comics, as the company has entered a period of uncertainty as a result of Covid-19. Due to the pandemic, the comic industry as a whole has seen a decline in sales. In addition to that is problems with new distribution, which were alluded to by Lee. All of this has added up to major shake ups for both Marvel and DC. Marvel recently cut many tie-ins to their Empyre event while DC just experienced a mass firings of their editorial staff.
Despite all these factors working against it, Batman: Three Jokers has proven to be a massive success even before its release. Look for series' first issue on August 25th.