After years of suffering at the hands of Gotham's most notorious criminal, it seems that former Police Commissioner Jim Gordon has had enough and finally may be ready to kill the Clown Prince of Crime, at least according to a preview of The Joker #9.
The preview for the issue written by James Tynion IV and illustrated by Stefano Raffaele, shows Gordon traveling to Majorca, Spain -- the supposed hideaway of the Joker. Accompanying him is Vengeance, a clone of Bane who formed a shaky alliance with Gordon in Issue #8 and agreed to kill the Joker for him. As the unlikely duo drive along the island, Gordon ponders the pain that the Joker has caused in his life, referencing multiple events in Batman continuity, including the crippling of Barbara Gordon in Batman: The Killing Joke and the Joker's murder of his last wife, Sarah Essen, in Batman: No Man's Land. As he relates these tragedies, Gordon ruminates on how he possibly should be communicating with Batman at that moment, but part of him deeply wants to lead Vengeance to Joker and finally see an end to the evil foe.
As Gordon and Vengeance embark on their dark mission, Barbara Gordon and Julia Pennyworth also unearth a shocking connection between the Joker and Santa Prisca, the dictatorial island nation behind the creation of not only the drug Venom, but also Bane and Vengeance. It appears that government officials in Santa Prisca have been set on using Venom to combat Batman for years, and one of their contacts may have financed the Joker during the events of Batman: A Death in the Family. During that iconic storyline which resulted in the death of the second Robin, Jason Todd, the Joker purchased a cruise-missile and nearly committed mass genocide on an international scale.
The Joker has thus far painted the Joker as quite the worldly traveler during the off seasons when he disappears from Gotham for lengthy periods of time. The series began when Gordon was tasked by a mysterious patron connected with Gotham's Court of Owls to track the clown across Europe and kill him.
Over the course of his investigation, Gordon discovered that the Joker regularly stays at lavish off-the-grid safehouses intended for supervillains. Gordon has also come into contact with other presences seeking to kill the clown, including not only Vengeance but also the Sampsons, a family of cannibals reminiscent of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre who harbor a private vendetta against the Joker.
The preview and solicitation for the new issue can be found below.
THE JOKER #9
- Written by JAMES TYNION IV and SAM JOHNS
- Art by STEFANO RAFFAELE and SWEENEY BOO
- Cover by GUILLEM MARCH
- Variant covers by MICO SUAYAN
- 1:25 ratio cover by JAMES STOKOE
- $5.99 US | 40 PGS (All covers card stock)
- ON SALE 11/9/21
- The terrifying Sampson family is ready to exact their revenge on the Clown Prince of Crime for the murder of one of their own during A-Day! Will Gordon risk his life to save…The Joker? The shocking series continues with the most horrifying issue yet!
- Backup: Punchline and Harper Row go head-to-head for the life and safety of Kelly Ness! If Harper loses, the radicalization of young people in Gotham City will know no limits!
Written by Tynion with art by Stefano Raffaele, The Joker #9 will also feature the ongoing backup story Punchline by Tynion, writer Sam Johns and artist Sweeney Boo. The issue goes on sale Nov. 9 from DC Comics.
Source: DC Comics