Whysoserious.com/ComicCon

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During the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con, altered $1 bills were distributed throughout the convention. These bills changed George Washington's picture to include red lipstick and blacked-out eyes (in a manner similar to the Harvey Dent photo on Ibelieveinharveydenttoo.com), as well as replacing "ONE DOLLAR" with "WHY SO SERIOUS?". Using WHY SO SERIOUS as a .com address led to a Joker henchman recruitiment page.

Jokerdollar.jpg


Initially, Whysoserious.com showed a vandalized Uncle Sam "I Want You" poster (see below) with a countdown timer in the upper right, counting to 10:00AM PDT, and coordinates leading to a location in San Diego.

Tired of your miserable, dead-end job? Ready for a change of
pace? Our elite organization is expanding! We're looking for
fresh faces to represent us in an important upcoming negotiation.
You must be 18 or older to apply.
Enjoy a career in a lucrative, ultra high-profile field. Our
associates make their own hours, enjoy great benefits and, in
some cases, work from home.
Do you have what it takes? Qualified recruits must have:
An open mind.
Strong moral compass.
The ability to improvise.
Recruits are encouraged to ask a friend with access to the internet
to help them from home. If you don't have any friends,
consider hiring one.
Tryouts begin when the clock hits zero at 32-42'29.13"N
117-9'40.91"W.

Bring your sense of humor, but don't worry -- we'll
supply the smile.

Instructions.jpg


Report

After the scavenger hunt ended, Whysoserious.com updated. The site featured the teaser trailer for The Dark Knight and a police file summarizing the events, captioned "Here's what you missed..."

Policereportfinal.jpg
Gotham Police Department - Update: "Joker" Eliminated - All Forces Stand Down
Do Not Disseminate - Police Department Use Only

Offense:

Reported Code Violations 7-27-07
415, 594, 602, 136.1, 528, 422, 207, 203, 220

Location:

4th and Island, 2nd and J, Harbor Blvd, Convention Center, 6th and J, MLK Promenade, Children's Walk

Details:

Thursday
Officers were intially called to the downtown area after recieving multiple reports of defaced currency.

Detectives recieved reports that the money was somehow linked to a website.

This site appeared to be looking for "recruits" - a ruse that the site's author used to manipulate hundreds of gullible individuals into creating mayhem in the city streets.

Friday morning, 10:00 am
Recruits assembled at 10 am Friday morning. Most of them appeared to be in contact with co-conspirators online. Those online alerted the crew on the street to "Look up," where they were suprised to see a phone number written in the sky.

Friday morning, 10-11:30
From this point, the downtown area spiraled into chaos as a mob of depraved citizens, disguised with gruesome clown make-up that seemed to remove all their inhbitions, proceeded to:
  • Form a dangerous roaming mob that terrorized ordinary citizens
  • Foul public water fountains
  • Terrorize a Girl Guide and steal her cookies
  • And commit various other dangerous and illegal acts.

In all of these activities, those on the ground were apparently aided and abetted by their online accomplices - an unholy alliance of technophiles and thugs.
Online Evidence

Aftermath
In an ironic twist, the mob ended up betraying their instigator, believed to be the notorious criminal known as "the Joker." A black vehicle which officers believe may be connected to certain underworld figures pulled up in front of the mob, who allowed a pair of armed men to drag away "the Joker." Witnesses report hearing agonized screams from the vehicle as it sped away.

Officers later discovered the body of the dead clown a few blocks from the site of the abduction.


Conclusion
Why was "the Joker" attempting to recruit an army? Who wanted him dead? How did his scheme go so teribly wrong? We may never know the answers: but at least the city has been cleansed of a dangerous psychopath, and decent people can sleep safely once more, secure in the knowledge that we have seen the last of "the Joker."

Almost one year later, a nearly identical version of the report was added to the Why So Serious checklist. The only difference is that where the original lists code violations, the new report has a summary of the event:

GPD was led on a merry chase through the streets of Gotham as hundreds of citizens in bizzare make-up worked with online counterparts to perform tasks and solve puzzles.

Aftermath

Soon after the final update, Whysoserious.com was shut down entirely and redirected to Rent-a-clown.com.