DC fan-favorite writer Tom King and artist Mitch Gerads have published a terrifying new chapter in Batman lore. As part of the new anthology series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the duo have been releasing the new story, Batman: The Winning Card, retelling the story of the first encounter between The Dark Knight Detective and his nemesis, The Joker. Weaving in elements of 1940’s Batman #1, including the death of Henry Claridge and mobster Brute Nelson, the latest issue brings the first encounter between the characters toward the inevitable fisticuffs, and things get very, very violent. Spoilers follow!
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Picking up from the first part of the story, Batman: The Winning Card Part 2 begins with The Joker slaughtering a slew of Gotham City police officers, all while an incapacitated Jim Gordon is forced to watch. He recounts the details of this to Batman, confirming that he needs his help to bring down The Joker, because he knows his ally with the pointed cowl is also “broken.” Batman hatches a plan to set a trap for The Joker, calling Brute Nelson and planting the seed in his mind that if he can challenge The Joker to kill him and he fails then people will think he’s great and The Joker stinks, the exact kind of silly plan that a dim-witted mobster would steal for his own. Which he does.
As word spreads through the streets that Brute Nelson isn’t afraid of The Joker, and midnight begins to chime on the clock, it seems like Brute may get his wish and become “the baddest of the bad.” Naturally The Joker, ever the comedian, was just waiting for his cue, busting into the room and attacking Brute with a knife. Batman is quick to follow of course and their fight is a six page battle that includes:
- Joker leaping from a third story building.
- Stabbing a man in the neck to steal his car
- Batman using his grappling hook to catch the moving car
- Batman getting hit by the car
- Joker kicking Batman in the face at least three times
- Batman being thrown off a bridge by The Joker.
In short, the first fight between Batman and The Joker is gruesome, and the DC hero doesn’t win it, not even close.
DC previously confirmed that Batman: The Winning Card would be a four-part story from King and Gerads, but the next chapter may not be in the next issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Since the series will seemingly continue indefinitely, featuring stories of varying lengths so that new stories are starting every issue as others are ending. As of know it seems Batman: The Brave and the Bold in August will be our next chapter in The Winning Card. Batman will need all that time to recover.
