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Batman Vol 3 144

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"The Joker: Year One, Part Three": In the future, Bruce is forced to flee from his family and Catwoman, who have been infected by the Joker. He knows the answers lie within the GCPD, and that the key to solving the situation is hidden in the past, connected to the history of the Red Hood Gang.

I know I'm surrounded by monsters.
— Jim Gordon

Batman (Volume 3) #144 is an issue of the series Batman (Volume 3) with a cover date of April, 2024. It was published on February 20, 2024.

Synopsis for "The Joker: Year One, Part Three"

In the future, Bruce is forced to flee from his family and Catwoman, who have been infected by the Joker. He knows the answers lie within the GCPD, and that the key to solving the situation is hidden in the past, connected to the history of the Red Hood Gang.

In the past, Bruce and Jim Gordon are attempting to lure the Red Hood Gang to a charity gala for the Gotham Opera, but so far, they haven’t taken the bait. Instead, with the help of Manny, a corrupt cop within the gang, they launch a direct assault on the GCPD. Gordon is stationed there to keep watch, and he finds himself caught in the attack, along with Mr. Grimaldi, a clown who had come to testify about an issue... The situation quickly escalates.

McLeod, who was supposed to have left before the attack, stays behind. He reaches for his gun, but a note from Batman reveals that the Dark Knight knows everything (though it's unclear if the note is really from Batman). In the ensuing chaos, Gordon kills a cop in self-defense, while more officers are gunned down by the gang. Grimaldi drops to the floor, laughing as he releases his balloons.

As the chaos unfolds, Gordon tries to arrest McLeod, but the balloons explode, dropping weapons from the armory above. Grimaldi is revealed to be the Joker, who grabs a grenade and throws it at the gang members.

In the future, Batman reviews the past, and all signs point to McLeod, the leader of the Red Hood Gang and the Commissioner for just a few months. Suddenly, Jason Todd, now Jokerized, attacks Batman, but Batman manages to neutralize him. Batman searches for documents on Matthew McLeod, the second Red Hood, and finds a Joker pocket device containing a laugh box. The box emits an ultrasonic frequency that attracts a bat. The Joker taunts Batman, claiming he spared his life because he loves him, while Batman allowed him to live despite hating him.

In the past, the Joker slaughters the remaining members of the Red Hood Gang as Gordon confronts McLeod. Gordon has also turned the cameras back on, exposing the Commissioner’s duplicity. Part of the gang escapes with the stolen loot from the GCPD, including a large amount of drugs, but gas begins to leak, paralyzing the fleeing members. Gordon beats McLeod in front of the surviving officers.

Meanwhile, Manny, who had been fleeing with the gang, wakes up in a hall of mirrors, where the Joker exacts his twisted vengeance. The Joker injected Manny with an antidote to his toxin purely for his amusement. The other members of the gang are already dead. The Joker knows McLeod is the real mastermind, but he plans to experiment on him later when McLeod gets out of prison.

In the future, Batman realizes that the bat was an antidote. The virus had been transmitted through the Joker’s laughter, but the ultrasonic frequencies could cure people. Batman flies across the city with the bats, healing everyone. He understands that the Joker had been toying with him, presenting both the problem and the solution, using McLeod, now out of prison, as patient zero. The Joker had once again escaped.

Batman reflects on how many times, over all these years, the Joker could have won once and for all...

In the past, the Joker returns to the bar where he was beaten up some time ago. The lights go out, and he takes his revenge.

Appearing in "The Joker: Year One, Part Three"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Alfred Pennyworth (Flashback only)
  • Officer Joe (Single appearance) (Dies in flashback)
  • Officer Sanchez (Single appearance) (Flashback only)

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Batman/Bruce Wayne (Unknown Future)
  • Bat-Family (Unknown Future) (Jokerized) (Cured)
    • Batman (Damian Wayne)
    • Batgirl (Cassandra Cain)
    • Commissioner Barbara Gordon
    • Nightwing (Dick Grayson)
    • Robin (Tim Drake)
  • Carl (Flunky's bandit) (Dies in flashback)
    • Carl's friends (All die in flashback)
  • Officer Chadwick (Single appearance) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
  • Henry Claridge (Flashback only) (Cameo)
  • Mrs. Claridge (First appearance; unnamed) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
  • Janie (Flunky's waitress) (Single appearance) (Dies in flashback) (Cameo)
  • The Joker (Unknown Future)
  • Red Hood Twenty-Two (Brian Biggling) (Appears only as a corpse)
  • Selina Kyle (Unknown Future) (Cured) (Cameo)
  • Wayne Family
  • Det. Arnold Flass (Mentioned only)
  • Det. Blair (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
  • Comm. Gillian B. Loeb (Mentioned only)
  • Kane Family (Mentioned only)
  • The Riddler (Mentioned only)

Locations:

Items:

Concepts:

Notes



See Also


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