History BreakingTheFourthWall / TheDCU

** Superboy-Prime does this constantly. In fact, he is from the ''real world'' itself. In ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'', he even buys ''Issue #4'' of the comic you are reading, in an effort to figure out the ending and avert his own demise. When he realises that ''Issue #5'' is not out yet, he even tries to murder the writers at DC Comics.
** ComicBook/LoisLane once did it [[http://www.superdickery.com/lois-dumps-superman/ literally.]]
** Superman would do it from time to time during the Silver and Bronze ages by winking at the readers, especially after succeeding to protect his secret identity (an example would be the [[spoiler:final panel]] in the ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow'' saga).

* ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'': A ShowWithinAShow example is cited in the "Treasure Island Treasury of Comics" excerpt. In ''Tales of the Black Freighter'' #7, a rhyming monologue by Blackbeard concludes with the pirate looking directly at the reader, and taunting them that their world may be no nobler than his.

** ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'': The Psycho-Pirate hasn't seen the fourth wall since the crisis, and ''knows'' when attention is focused on him. He even calls the readers "perverts" for watching him. When the remnants of the Infinite Earths start being revived through him, he tries to get the revived characters to break the fourth wall down completely and '''kill everyone who is reading the comic''', so they won't have to be controlled by writers anymore.
*** And it gets worse: when he has faded away almost completely (apparently a side effect of conjuring up all these characters) he remarks that the readers - that's ''us'' - "aren't real either."
*** Actually it makes sense, because the people who read their books are still in-universe. Earth Prime, anyone? The only character that can break '''our''' wall is Superboy-Prime.
*** Not the ''only'' character. Alexander Luthor, when trying to combine worlds and create the "perfect" Earth, almost manages to get his hands on Earth Prime before being interrupted. He looks directly at the reader and reaches his hands out toward you.

* [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Guy Gardner]] sometimes broke the Fourth Wall by making ironic comments to the reader.
* ''ComicBook/AnimalMan'' from Creator/{{DC|Comics}}[=/=]Creator/{{Vertigo|Comics}} found out near the end of his Creator/GrantMorrison run in a rare ''completely serious'' fourth wall breach that he was a comic book character. He didn't take it well.
** The Psycho-Pirate has it even worse; he hasn't seen the fourth wall since ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', and ''knows'' when attention is focused on him. He even calls the readers "perverts" for watching him. When the remnants of the Infinite Earths start being revived through him, he tries to get the revived characters to break the fourth wall down completely and '''kill everyone who is reading the comic''', so they won't have to be controlled by writers anymore.
*** And it gets worse: when he has faded away almost completely (apparently a side effect of conjuring up all these characters) he remarks that the readers - that's ''us'' - "aren't real either."
*** Actually it makes sense, because the people who read their books are still in-universe. Earth Prime, anyone? The only character that can break '''our''' wall is Superboy-Prime.
*** Not the ''only'' character. Alexander Luthor, when trying to combine worlds and create the "perfect" Earth, almost manages to get his hands on Earth Prime before being interrupted. He looks directly at the reader and reaches his hands out toward you.
* In an early example [[spoiler: Batman #1, to be precise]], Franchise/{{Batman}} sics Robin on some disarmed crooks, and then turns to the kids reading the comic book, saying that criminals are cowards without their weapons and if Robin could take them down, anyone could stand up to them.
* ComicBook/TheJoker breaks the fourth wall occasionally. For example, he has referenced an out-of-continuity Franchise/{{Batman}} / Franchise/SpiderMan, addressed the artist of the story, and sometimes seems perfectly aware of his status as a comic book villain. He also displays a certain amount of MediumAwareness, by handling his own speech bubbles, or, in the [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries animated series]], talking to the camera. This is likely part of the idea his insanity has allowed him to become aware of things other people don't realize.
** He even ''turns the page for the reader'' in ''ComicBook/EmperorJoker'', where he breaks not just the fourth wall, but the other three as well.
** In the miniseries ''ComicBook/JokersAsylum'', Joker plays a modern take on the Cryptkeeper. At one point, in Two-Face's issue, he turns to the reader and tells him to find a coin, with such intensity that it probably sent a few comic book fans scrambling for their wallets.
*** It wasn't just that point. The implication in several of the stories in ''Joker's Asylum'' is that he is indeed talking and narrating the stories directly to the audience. Cue lots of looking directly at the Fourth Wall.
** In another story, Joker is being psychoanalyzed by a prominent pop psychologist (in-universe, anyway). At one point, the psychologist asks who Joker is talking to while in isolation. The Joker says he's entertaining the audience ("the Bat's not the only one with fans, you know!"), and the psychologist replies that he is entertaining nobody because they aren't real. Joker then counters with a question of his own: what if it's he and the psychologist who aren't real? At the end we see Joker back in his cell at Arkham, narrating about how he really is crazy and how the audience isn't real, before turning to the reader and asking, "Are you?"
* ComicBook/AmbushBug does this frequently, and has also interacted with his own writer and editors. He can also actually see the speech bubbles that come out of character's mouths, and once asked ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} why the text in hers is backwards.

* ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', another serious moment out of Creator/DCComics. Alexander Luthor, a separate entity from the classic ComicBook/LexLuthor, is looking for a preferred reality out of uncountable thousands that lie spread before him. He finds it...ours. He turns straight towards the reader, gazing up and out of the comic page and...GRABS FOR THE READER. Alexander's plans are stopped.
* Franchise/{{Superman}}

* Averted by ExecutiveMeddling in an issue of ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica''. Time traveler Per Degaton has been harassing the [=JSA=], apparently just to mess with them. At the end, standing alone, he remarks that he enjoys watching the heroes suffer. The last page, which was cut by the editors, had him turning to the reader and saying "Just like you."
* In a Tales of the Unexpected backup, ''Doctor 13'' leads a group of washed-up DC characters who are about to be deleted from continuity. A group of DC comics writers appear in the form of the "Architects" who are rewriting the universe. They challenge the characters to prove they are interesting enough to be included in the new universe, and only have an interest in including "the hot girl" (13's daughter Traci). In the last panel, Doctor 13 realizes he exists in a comic book and begs the reader not to turn the page, as finishing the book implies the end of their existence.
* The origin of Captain Marvel Junior featured some Fourth Wall breaking. In the title Master Comics, the villain Captain Nazi beat up veteran Fawcett hero Bulletman, leaving a note to [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] warning him to "Stay in 'Whiz Comics'," and not get in his way. In the following month's "Whiz Comics", Freddie Freeman's father rescued a drowning Captain Nazi [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished who immediately killed him and crippled Freddie.]] Captain Marvel then rescued Freddie, brought him to the Rock of Eternity and, with the wizard Shazam's help, gave Freddie powers identical to his own. He then told then newly-minted Captain Marvel Jr, "I'm sending you back to 'Master Comics' to take on Captain Nazi."
* From ''[[ComicBook/TheMultiversity Thunderworld #1]]'':
-->'''Shazam''': Hmm, it's you again. I was just practicing my omniscient narrator voice. Come closer, please.
* A ShowWithinAShow example is cited in the "Treasure Island Treasury of Comics" excerpt from ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}''. In ''Tales of the Black Freighter'' #7, a rhyming monologue by Blackbeard concludes with the pirate looking directly at the reader, and taunting them that their world may be no nobler than his.
* In the opening of ''ComicBook/EternityGirl'', protagonist Caroline interrupts the narration trying to recount her history to address the reader directly, deriding the narration's attempts to make sense of her convoluted backstory by pointing out that she's not a real person, she's just an intellectual property that the publisher doesn't really want but that they also don't want to lose.

[[AC: Creator/VertigoComics]]
* John Constantine does this from time to time in ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}''. The "Son of Man" arc has John Constantine speaking to the reader where narration boxes or thought bubbles would more typically be used.
* ''Jack of Fables'', a spinoff of ''Comicbook/{{Fables}}'', does this in every single issue to some extent -- originally, it tended to just be throwaway gags, such as Jack giving fancifully ludicrous descriptions of what (allegedly, but in reality never) would happen in the next issue, in the little box at the bottom of the last page. However, pick up the "Turning Pages" collection (aka volume 5), and you'll run across a new character, a Literal called "Eliza Wall"... a temporary narrator who addresses the audience directly, deconstructs Jack's crazy fake teaser texts, acknowledges that certain things will happen in say, "seven pages" (acknowledging the medium itself), talks about the story in actual story terms (both blatantly and slyly: "that's why no one really likes [fellow Literal character] Deux Ex Machina"), and even warns the reader that she'll have to step in shortly in order to prevent an unpleasant outcome... on top of having three (identical) brothers who are shown circling her at a picnic and failing to understand "who she's talking to" as she looks over her shoulder at the reader. In short, she's not just a fourth-wall breaker, but is, perhaps true to form, ''the personification of the very '''act''' of breaking the fourth wall''. Talk about your PostModernism...
* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' ends with a funeral. The actual funeral is not pictured, because you've already seen it: it took place in the Dreaming and ''everyone'' was there, including you.

** In the miniseries ''Joker's Asylum'', Joker plays a modern take on the Cryptkeeper. At one point, in Two-Face's issue, he turns to the reader and tells him to find a coin, with such intensity that it probably sent a few comic book fans scrambling for their wallets.

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' ends with a funeral. The actual funeral is not pictured, because you've already seen it: it took place in the Dreaming and ''everyone'' was there, including you.

** Mr Mxyzptlk is also able to do this, one time even telling the Joker straight up that no one remembers that the Joker had 5th dimension reality warping powers because a) Mxy didn't want anyone to remember and b) they hadn't collected those issues into a trade paperback yet.

* The TrappedInTVLand episode of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' has this in spades, with Cyborg referencing the particular episode and season they're in, and Robin giving quizzical glances out the TV screen and then later running up and grabbing the camera, yelling at the audience "Do not watch this program! It will liquify your brain!" (The InUniverse explanation for this action is that Control Freak has tampered with the broadcast.)

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' version of the Joker is not the most well received version of the character, however he, like his comic iteration knows he is in an entertainment media. Episode 14, features not one, but two instances of fourth wall shattering. In the first he actually [[LampshadeHanging Lampshades]] his very appearance by letting the viewer know he is aware of just how surprised they are at his appearance, he then does a ScreenTap to make sure everyone is paying attention when the Injustice League gives their demands.

[[AC: Creator/DCVertigo]]

!!Vertigo

!!Franchise/TheDCU

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' ends with a funeral. The actual funeral is not pictured, because you've already seen it: it took place in the Dreaming and ''everyone'' was there, including you.

* In the opening of ''ComicBook/EternityGirl'', protagonist Caroline interrupts the narration trying to recount her history to address the reader directly, deriding the narration's attempts to make sense of her convoluted backstory by pointing out that she's not a real person, she's just an intellectual property that the publisher doesn't really want but that they also don't want to lose.