Batman's 'Mind Bomb' Finale Setups 'Dark Prisons' Story Arc With Joker Reveal

DC's Batman comic book series has been on a serious tear under the direction of writer Chip Zdarsky – and things only get wilder in the finale the three-part "Mind Bomb" story arc that wraps up in Batman #141! 

(SPOILERS) Bruce Wayne found himself getting ambushed from the inside, as his dogmatic secondary persona, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, finally made his move, seizing control of Bruce's physical body during a mad-dash to apprehend the Joker. In the climactic moments of that struggle, Zur incapacitated Bruce's mind long enough to pull the violent back-breaker move on Joker, leaving the psychotic villain in a broken state, with fate unknown.

Batman #141 mostly focuses on the bad-to-worse situation Bruce finds himself in, as Zur completes his master plan of transferring his consciousness into the anti-Batman android Failsafe he built. The Failsafe version of Zur goes head-to-head with Bruce Wayne/Batman, in an epic chase and fight sequence across the wintery countryside outside of Gotham City. Ultimately, despite Bruce's best strategy, battle tactics, and gadgetry, Zur in a Failsafe body proves to be an unbeatable combination, and Batman is beaten to a bloody, unconscious, pulp.

Batman & Joker: Cellmates

When Bruce awakens at the end of the issue, he realizes that he's been out of commission for at least a few weeks. He also finds himself locked in a jail cell with none other than Joker as his cellmate – with Joker strapped into a body brace to help him recover from his spinal injury. 

The dialogue between Bruce and Joker hints at where the story is headed next, as Batman's archrival teases the reveal of how he and the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh are connected, in a story being teased as "The Joker: Year One!" 

What Is Joker: Year One About? 

"The Joker Year One" begins in Batman #142 by Chip Zdarsky, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi, Andrea Sorrentino, Alejandro Sánchez and Dave Stewart. In part one, the tragic "death" of the leader of the Red Hood Gang in a vat of chemicals has become the subject of myth...but what is the heartbreaking and gruesome tale of the monster who walked away from that violent birth? From the first pages of "The Joker Year One" onward, eager readers will be questioning everything they know about The Joker!

Next, in Batman #143, the terrifying tale of "The Joker Year One" continues as a mysterious figure from Batman's past has come into Joker's orbit, changing the Clown Prince of Crime forever! And what secrets does the re-formed Red Hood Gang have for Batman's future? Batman #143, written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi, Andrea Sorrentino, Alejandro Sánchez and Dave Stewart, will publish on February 13, 2024.

Batman #144 features the climactic, chilling conclusion to "The Joker Year One," delivering massive repercussions for the future! The Red Hood Gang is on a rampage and the only man who can stop them…is The Joker! And can Batman stop a devastating new virus in a future where The Joker looms over everything? Batman #144, written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi, Andrea Sorrentino, Alejandro Sánchez and Dave Stewart, will publish on February 20, 2024.

Told in three parts, "The Joker Year One" will ship weekly in February 2024. 

What's Next For Batman? 

While the main Batman comic series will deviate into this Joker: Year One arc, we will eventually have to return to the present challenge of Batman being imprisoned with Joker: 

And, after "The Joker Year One" concludes, the previously announced "Dark Prisons" story will run through Batman #145–#148, where Batman will face a terrifying figure from his past in order to survive Zur's onslaught. And if Batman survives, a new enemy is waiting in the wings: Amanda Waller and the U.S. military!

Batman comics are on sale at DC. 

Synopsis info via DC