WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Joker #4, by James Tynion IV, Guillem March, Arif Prianto and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
After a lifetime dedicated to serving in law enforcement, retirement has not been especially kind for former Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon. As the crossover event "Joker War" threatened to rip Gotham City down to its foundations and its after-effects continue to reverberate throughout the DC Universe, Gordon lost his son James, Jr. to the chaos engulfing the city during the Joker's fiery attack. And as a restless Gordon tried settling into retirement after the Clown Prince of Crime fled from Gotham following his defeat, he found himself on a mission to track down the Joker and kill the notorious supervillain.
After the Joker turns the tables on his would-be assassin, however, and explains exactly what he has store for the retired lawman in The Joker #4.
After Gordon tracked down the Joker to his remote hideaway in Belize, the Clown Prince of Crime made Gordon an offer he literally couldn't refuse: Help him investigate who is truly responsible for the devastating attack on Arkham Asylum, framing the Joker for the resulting deaths of hundreds and the complete restructuring of Gotham's criminal rehabilitation system. Beyond just uniting against a common, enigmatic foe, the Joker has his own insidious motive for teaming up with Gordon on this unlikely pairing: To finish what he started years ago by breaking Gordon's sanity and using him to prove that anyone can descend into madness.
The Gordon family has been tragically linked to the Joker for quite some time, which has resulted in the supervillain terrorizing Gordon and those close to him. Attacking Jim Gordon's daughter Barbara, the Joker shot and paralyzed her with the intent on driving him over the edge to prove that even the most noble individuals were capable of losing their minds after enduring an especially bad day. Gordon emerged shaken but sane, a stance that he maintained even after the Joker murdered Gordon's wife Sarah during the crossover event "No Man's Land." Reunited with Gordon, without Batman present to rescue him this time, the Joker is intent to definitively drive him insane by showcasing firsthand how exactly Gordon's lifetime of service has been completely worthless.
The Joker's plans for Gordon may largely be borne from his recent frustrations, starting with his epic defeat during "Joker War." Joker had murderous plans for Bane after feeling the supervillain botched his chance at breaking down the Dark Knight and seizing control of Gotham for himself. In the wake of the Arkham attack that saw Bane as one of the asylum's most notable casualties, the Joker vents to Gordon that his own schemes for Bane, Gotham and Batman had been completely upended by the poison gas attack that he was blamed for, and he subsequently swore revenge on the true culprit for ruining his planned fun.
What started out as an assassination contract and chance to finally seize his revenge on the Joker has turned into Jim Gordon's own personal nightmare. Face to face with the villain who his cost his family so much, Gordon is horrified that the Clown Prince of Crime similarly has a vested interest in meeting with the retired police commissioner again, this time out of Gotham and without its usual support system to keep him safe. Now at the supervillain's mercy, Gordon is forced to go along on the ride of his life, but he may not come out with his sanity intact this time.