The Joker Now Owns an Iconic DC Location

With the new Joker War storyline in Batman, the Clown Prince of Crime has found himself the richest man in Gotham. After manipulating Batman and Catwoman, The Joker found himself over 100 billion dollars richer and he's wasting no time in spending that money. In the latest issue of the series, Batman #95, Joker took his money and went about town looking for things to buy, and one of them is a major Gotham landmark, The Monarch Theatre; this is the location where the Wayne family were watching The Mark of Zorro before heading into Crime Alley and ultimately meeting their end.

One of the major scenes of the issue sees Joker walking through the theater with the owner, talking about "the good old days" of its time and even the history of the Waynes. Though a specific number isn't mentioned, the owner says he'd be crazy to turn down The Joker's offer, even alluding to the fact that he had turned down offers from Bruce Wayne in the past. The sequence ends with The Joker holding up the film reels for The Mark of Zorro, and an audience of Joker-fied victims smiling in the audience while the projector flickers.

The idea of Joker buying everything relevant to Batman and using his wealth and gadgets against him was one of the main cruxes that writer James Tynion IV wanted to use throughout this storyline.

"I wanted to do a story that really flipped the dynamic, and the core, high-concept conceit is I wanted Batman's fortune to be ripped away from him and given to the Joker," Tynion said (via SYFY Wire). "I wanted Joker to have all of the Batmobiles, Bat-planes, Bat-gadgets, and Batman to have none of them. And that's the dynamic I wanted for a story."

Joker and his use of Batman's arsenal can be seen once again in the next issue, batman #96. The cover and full solicit of which can be found below.

BATMAN #96 ("The Joker War, Part Two)

Written by James Tynion IV
Art by Jorge Jimenez
Cover by Guillem March
Card stock variant cover by Francesco Mattina
1:25 Clownhunter card stock variant cover by Jorge Jimenez

On Sale Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Reeling from the effects of the worst Joker toxin attack ever, Batman is on the run through Gotham City, pursued by the dark shadows and voices that haunt is past and present! As The Joker's plan materializes, the only person who can save him from the brink of true madness is… Harley Quinn?

Plus, who is the mysterious figure known as Clownhunter?"

$3.99 US/32 Pages

Card stock variant cover $4.99 US