Joker’s New Series Proves He’s Gordon’s Nemesis Just As Much As Batman’s
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Joker #1 from James Tynion IV and Guillem March
In DC Comics' brand new Joker series, readers are reminded that the Clown Prince of Crime is just as much Jim Gordon's nemesis as he is Batman's. The trauma that Joker has inflicted upon Gordon over the years is incalculable, and there's been more than one occasion where Gordon has been taken to his very edge, but he's always turned back. However, now that Gordon is no longer Gotham City's police commissioner, new avenues have opened up for him to finally take the Joker down once and for all.
After the events of the devastating Joker War and a recent attack on Arkham Asylum that Joker allegedly carried out, Gotham's most infamous villain has now become the most wanted criminal in the world. While Gotham's leadership and new mayor are scrambling to assemble a coordinated response, Gordon refuses to help, disapproving of the mayor's stance against Batman. Instead, the former police commissioner tries to sleep as best he can... but he can't. In a flashback to Gordon's last night in Chicago before coming to Gotham, a veteran officer asked him if he'd gotten his boogeyman, the criminal a cop never gets out of their head and haunts their nightmares. Now, as Gordon reflects on those words, and it's clear that his boogeyman is the Joker.
The story from from writer James Tynion IV and artist Guillem March sees Gordon dwelling on all the evils Joker has committed, not just against Gotham as whole, but also to himself on a personal level. Not only did Joker try to drive Gordon insane by paralyzing his daughter and torturing him for an entire night in The Killing Joke, but he also had a hand in the recent death of Jim's troubled son James, who died in the midst of Joker War. Combined with the countless nights he's worked with Batman to stop Joker's evil, it's no wonder Gordon can't seem to settle into the idea of a peaceful retirement.
How can Gordon move on - or even sleep - when the Joker's still out there laughing? But an opportunity comes for Gordon near the end of the issue. It seems as though the Joker got on the wrong side of a powerful and mysterious family and they'd like to see him removed once and for all. They offer millions of dollars to Gordon to hunt down and kill the Joker, while also providing the former GCPD chief the means to finally have peace at the end of his career.
While it's certainly a big ask for a man who's been a cop for his entire life to shirk the law, Gordon's history with the Joker seems to be dark enough that he may be prepared to accept the deal in the coming issues, attempting to end Joker's evil for good. It's a massive status quo shift for Jim Gordon, though it's one that proves how determined he is to bringing Joker to justice, even if it's with more lethal methods than Batman's.
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