The two are working, basically, to re-elect Donald Trump. The president isn’t directly named in the comic, but he doesn’t need to be; his likeness is used on multiple pages; dialogue from the president is heard at one point and is distinctly Trumpian (“It’s going to be beautiful! You’re gonna love it! You’re gonna love every inch of it! I’m talking streets so safe you can let your kids go play and not even think about 'em!”); and the Joker’s jacket, made of the U.S. flag, has the words “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” scrawled on the back. Subtle, it’s not.

For those wondering why the two are working together for this purpose, Darkseid has recruited the Joker as an “agent of chaos” to promote Trump’s election, with the ultimate goal of destroying humanity’s faith in itself and thereby being easier to conquer. The usual, in other words.

While Trump goes officially unnamed, it’s clearly him, drawing a breathtaking differentiation between DC and primary competitors Marvel, which rejected an editorial by Maus creator Art Spiegelman and replaced captions in its special 80th anniversary release out of concern for being too political.

Marvel’s CEO is Trump friend and donor Ike Perlmutter. In fact, Marvel gained a further Trump connection when the East Coast division moved offices in New York this week, taking up residence in a building part-owned by the Trump Organization.

If 2020 proves to be as ideologically divided as it appears it will be, partisans will find it easy to choose a comic book publisher based on their beliefs headed into the next election.

Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child is available digitally and in comic book stores now.