The series is set in a fictional world where Japan is the 51st state of the United States, and an artificial island in Tokyo Bay known as Neon Island is the only place in American territory where gambling and prostitution are legal.

Neon Island is home to many members of numerous mafia organizations.

Written by Rintaro Koike and illustrated by Masayuki Taguchi, Black Joke was serialized in Akita Shoten's seinen manga magazine Young Champion from February 12, 2008,[1] to March 8, 2011.

[2] The series was later transferred to Young Champion Retsu, where it ran from May 17, 2011,[3] to November 15, 2022.

[4] Akita Shoten collected its chapters in eleven tankōbon volumes, released from September 19, 2008,[5] to January 20, 2023.