The latest issue of The Joker reveals that even though the Clown Prince has fled Gotham City, nefarious and sinister forces are still pursuing him.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Joker #2, by James Tynion IV, Guillem March, Arif Prianto and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
As one of the most notorious, lethal supervillains in the DC Universe, the Joker has garnered quite the murderous reputation and heaps of victims in the wake of his infamous actions. And fresh off of the explosive crossover event “Joker War” and a brazen attack on Arkham Asylum carried out by his signature Joker toxin, the Clown Prince of Crime has definitely made some powerful enemies as his latest homicidal antics appear to have gone a step too far, not just with the authorities or the Bat-Family, but with several rival supervillains thirsty for bloody revenge.
The gas attack on Arkham Asylum left hundreds dead and, among the most prominent victims, was the supervillain Bane. For his botched attempt to take over Gotham City and dismantle Batman’s life, a frustrated Joker broke into Bane’s cell to threaten him before he was defeated and forced to flee the country at the end of “Joker War.” Since Bane’s death, the Santa Prisca neighborhood of Gotham has set up memorials and vigils in his honor while the villain’s Caribbean island nation has unveiled a young woman visibly imbued by the superhuman strength Bane was capable of through the Venom serum, with the woman claiming the mantle of Bane and swearing vengeance on the Joker.
This new Bane isn’t the only villain that has set their sights on paying back the Joker in full. A family at a remote mansion in Hooper County, Texas reveal that one of their own named Billy was locked in Arkham for life for some grisly, undisclosed incident. This also made Billy a victim of the Arkham attack, with the family swearing to find the Joker and eat him, in a likely nod to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And in addition to grudges made in the Caribbean and the Lone Star State, Joker has made enemies from Gotham’s oldest, most shadowy circle.
A mysterious young woman named Clark offered retired Police Commissioner Jim Gordon $25 million to track down the Joker and terminate him with extreme prejudice. As Gordon contemplated the lucrative offer and his own longstanding vendetta against the clown, Clarke revealed that she was actually a member of the Court of Owls, the secret society that manipulated the course of Gotham for generations. After enduring the Joker’s own mayhem, including the villain breaking into their crypts to take control of one of their assassins, the Court felt the supervillain’s insolence should no longer be tolerated and has tasked Gordon, without his knowledge of who his true benefactors actually are, to deal with him permanently.
For years, the Joker’s biggest concern was dealing with Batman, constantly clashing with the Dark Knight with all the other heroes, villains and authorities largely relegated to being supporting players in their feud. After recent events, the Joker has finally angered the wrong people and more than one supervillain legacy is gunning for him as he continues to live his life out on the run.
The Joker is now one of the most wanted people in the DCU and, in attacking one of the most infamous supervillain incarceration facilities in the world, this particular set of victims is connected to some sinister figures now gunning for the clown’s death. And without his usual support network in Belize, the Joker may be more vulnerable than ever.
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