When it comes to Batman takes them to another level. Batman: Li'l Gotham #12 involves the titular hero fighting the henchmen of the Condiment King. While doing so, he references a meme from 2001 - just one more addition to his ever-growing repertoire.
The Dark Knight has frequently been the subject of memes and has referenced quite a few. He isn't frequently considered to be a humorous character due to his serious nature, the grittiness of Gotham, and the dark themes that tend to pop up in stories he's involved in. However, even Batman has a humorous side and though he's the least expected to partake in meme culture, he does it better than anyone else in DC's universe.
Batman: Li'l Gotham #12 (2014) has the creative team of Dustin Nguyen, Derek Fridolfs, and Saida Temofonte. The issue contains the story "Sandwich Day", in which Condiment King kidnaps Robin's pet turkey, Jerry, leading the villain to face the wrath of the Boy Wonder and his father. During the fight, Condiment King enlists the help of his Food Fighters: Miss Sandy Witch, the Grumbler, and the Potato Chaps. These goofy goons are no match for DC's meme king, as he announces that "It's peanut butter jelly time", and swings Miss Sandy Witch into her fellow henchmen.
Fans of Family Guy and meme-enthusiasts will recognize this turn-of-the-century reference. It throws back to the 2001 song Peanut Butter Jelly Time by the Buckwheat Boyz, which was used in a video with a dancing banana. The Dancing Banana would quickly become an emoticon and an early meme icon in pop culture. Recent Batman adventures, including Batman: Wayne Family Adventures: Ep. 4 on WebToon, Future State: Catwoman #2, and Batman/Catwoman #8, have all employed memes in their stories. These range from the Spider-Man pointing meme to the Bat-Slap meme - one of DC's favorite to use. What do all of these have in common? They involve Batman and his Gotham constituents. Becoming a meme was not enough for the Dark Knight. Now, he replicates them and seemingly encourages the memes' proliferation. While some of these references may be bordering on irksome - the Bat-Slap in particular - there is no question that Batman is taking the reins on meme culture.
Batman and memes are an unlikely pairing, yet the two have come together seemingly effortlessly. The increased frequency of meme appearances in DC's own royal family of memes.
