Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok #2
Batman: Three Jokers continues with its second issue, providing fans with even more questions and twists than the first. As Batman continues to uncover more clues and questions behind the mystery that is Three Jokers, his search leads him to the jail cell of the one criminal in Gotham City Batman truly fears, and it's not a Joker of any kind. Who is this criminal, and what is his connection to the remaining Jokers loose in Gotham City?
In Batman's investigation, he searches the body of a new victim, the retired Judge Walls, who was largely responsible for Arkham Asylum's revolving door that made is so easy for criminals to escape, as the Judge regularly accepted all kinds of bribes. What Batman doesn't tell Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD is that Walls wasn't just mauled by his own dogs after being exposed to the same chemicals the guards at Ace Chemicals were. He was also bludgeoned with his own humanitarian award, and the fingerprints lead Batman to a very important criminal, arguably the most important in the entire history of the Batman mythos.
Batman and Batgirl head to Blackgate Prison, and Batman goes inside to question none other than Joe Chill, the man who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne when Bruce Wayne was just a child. Somehow, Chill's fingerprints were on the award used to kill Walls, and Batman needs to know why. As he approaches Chill's cell, Batman announces his presence but doesn't quite get it right on the first try, his voice lacking its usual tone used to frighten criminals.
The reason for Batman's need to reassert himself as the Dark Knight is because Joe Chill still scares him, reverting Batman back to when he was just the scared child who was helpless as his parents were shot and killed right in front of him. He had to remind himself that he's not that scared kid anymore. He's Batman and the one in control of the situation (supposedly). Thankfully, Chill was not in his cell to see Batman's misstep. Instead, Chill has long been residing in Blackgate's medical wing, dying of stage 4 cancer. With no way for him to have been present in Walls' home, Batman deduces that someone snuck in to somehow replicate Chill's fingerprints, as a means to lead Batman to Blackgate itself.
Batgirl then asks the question every reader was thinking at this point in the issue: other than Batman himself, what's the connection between Joe Chill and the Joker(s)? While Batman doesn't yet know the answer, it's likely that he will soon enough. After Batman and Batgirl leave to rescue Jason Todd, Joe Chill gets broken out of Blackgate by the Joker known as the Comedian, who starts recording, demanding Chill's confession for why he really killed Thomas and Martha Wayne. Was there a deeper reason behind the Wayne's murder? Will Batman be able to handle it? This issue of Three Jokers has shown the level of influence Chill already has on the Dark Knight. How will Batman react if it's revealed that Joker was somehow involved? Hopefully, fans will learn the truth alongside Batman as Batman: Three Jokers continues.