joking
Explanation
This comic features Batman and Robin (or characters resembling them) discussing why they spend so much money on combat equipment, costumes, and stunts instead of funding efficient global health interventions. Robin points out that the money spent fighting crime in elaborate ways could save far more lives if directed toward evidence-based charitable causes.
Batman dismisses this reasoning, and they proceed to fight the Joker in an elaborate, silly confrontation ("HEE HEE HO HO!"). The final panel shows a newspaper headline: "JOKER REDUCES FUNDING FOR MALARIA NETS AND PRENATAL CARE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA," with a subheading noting Batman was seen throwing batarangs in the vicinity of the UN.
The joke is a pointed satire of the effective altruism movement's critique of superhero logic. Superheroes spend enormous resources on dramatic, violent confrontations with individual villains when those same resources could save far more lives through mundane but effective interventions like malaria nets. The newspaper headline is the punchline: by framing the Joker's villainy not as bank robbery or chaos but as cutting global health funding, the comic suggests that real-world policy decisions cause far more harm than any comic-book villain, and that Batman's violent response is absurdly mismatched to the actual problem. It also pokes fun at how superhero narratives avoid engaging with systemic issues in favor of punching colorful bad guys.