The Joker is going to war against Batman - and his war chest is bigger than anyone expected. The "Joker War" event is hitting DC Comics shelves starting with Batman #95, in which the Clown Prince of Crime declares a final, city-wide battle for Gotham. The popular villain has attacked the city of Gotham many times in his 80-year career, but this time it's at a scale never-before-seen, with more resources than ever before. As September's upcoming Joker War Zone #1 special shows, the Joker is funding his private army with Bruce Wayne's own fortune!
The latest Batman storyline, written by James Tynion IV with art by Guillem March, centers around a new villain called the Designer. Years ago, the Designer roped Batman's greatest villains into a sort of consultancy session to help them concoct their greatest plans ever. Now, the plans that the rogue's gallery made are coming to fruition, with or without them... including Catwoman's, who plotted to steal the Wayne family billions. The result: Batman and a reformed Catwoman have been pitted against the members of Gotham's underworld who are still willing to execute the Designer's plans.
DC has announced a one-shot tying into the Joker War event, titled Joker War Zone, that features stories set in Gotham from current Batman scribe James Tynion IV, The American Way author John Ridley, and The Flash's Joshua Williamson, along with current Batman artist Guillem March, Batman: Eternal's David Lafuente, and Godzilla: The Half-Century War creator James Stokoe. The announcement reveals: "Gotham City is a battleground as The Joker takes over the Wayne fortune and wages a street war against the Dark Knight and his allies!"
After the buildup that involved several factions vying for Wayne's billions, the vast inheritance falling into the Joker's hands is an unexpected twist... but the plot's beginnings are already in the pages of the newest Batman comics. Batman: Secret Files #3, the latest issue of the anthology of Batman stories, shows the Joker hiring Deathstroke for a "big play" that he expects to net him all of Bruce Wayne's money. He even offers to pay Deathstroke with the share marked for Dick Grayson. As revealed in earlier Batman issues, the clown knows Batman's secret identity and is finally using it against him by stealing the billionaire's resources out from under him. Since this seems to take place before the events of Batman #86, which marks the beginning of Tynion's run, it suggests that the Joker had a hand in orchestrating everything that has taken place so far - a fitting subterfuge, given that the Designer is responsible for the mass-murdering Joker as we know him.
Bruce Wayne has invested millions into Gotham's infrastructure, justice system, and social programs. What happens when all that money goes to tearing the city down instead? Find out when DC Comics releases Joker War Zone #1 on digital providers and in local comics shops on September 29th, 2020.