In a world filled with menace, dare to paint on a grin.

The world is full of images of scary clowns: packs of grinning figures with knives plaguing towns; pom-pom clad serial killers; loners who like children in the wrong way.

But clowns can be a force for good: it takes a kind heart to put other people's joy first; keeping children entertained is honest work; what better disguise than one that makes the villains laugh?

What if, rather than being childhood-spoiling serial killers, clowns were the victims or heroes of the story?

When all the children at a party are poisoned, an entertainer's profession and past both make him a prime suspect.

An anti-corporate prankster discovers his guru might be just as callous as the capitalist world-view he claims to reject.

A clown attempts to redeem the image of his profession by saving a group of teenagers from a serial killer.

And twelve more stories of clowns facing humanity's baser natures.