The Joker is widely regarded as Batman’s greatest nemesis. He’s consistently proven himself capable of outwitting the Dark Knight, and he always seems to cheat death and return to plague Gotham City again and again. Is he just lucky, or is there a secret to Joker’s particular brand of madness?That’s a question currently being answered in the pages of DC’s flagship Batman series. “The Joker: Year One” flashes back to the Clown Prince of Crime’s earliest days to explore how he became the terrifying force of nature he is today. And already, this tale has added some major new wrinkles to that origin story. What secret has Joker been hiding all these years? Read on to find out, but beware of spoilers ahead for Batman #142!The Three Jokers ReturnThe bulk of The Joker: Year One takes place immediately after the flashback storyline in 1986’s Batman: The Killing Joke. We see the newly reborn Joker emerging from the vat of chemicals and coming to terms with his new physical and mental disfigurement. The story even offers a rare glimpse into Joker’s mind, with his fractured narration guiding the story along.Interestingly, The Joker: Year One works to tie together multiple Joker storylines, rather than just building on the foundation of The Killing Joke. It also serves as a follow-up to 2013’s Batman: Zero Year, which offered a drastically different take on Joker’s pre-transformation days and his time as the leader of the Red Hood Gang. Throughout this first chapter, Joker encounters some of his old Red Hood minions and learns that a new Black Hood Gang has risen up to fill the void in the criminal underworld. DC isn’t done with the mystery of the Three Jokers. Art by Jason Fabok. (Image Credit: DC)And in perhaps the biggest surprise, The Joker: Year One even ties back to 2020’s Batman: Three Jokers. That series dealt with the revelation that Gotham City is actually home to three different versions of Joker – The Criminal (Golden Age Joker), The Clown (Silver Age Joker) and The Comedian (The Killing Joke’s Joker). No sooner does The Comedian emerge from the waters outside Ace Chemical than he’s attacked by The Criminal and The Clown. It’s unclear why the other Jokers leave their new counterpart alive, or if this scene is even meant to be taken literally. As ever, there’s a certain degree of ambiguity surrounding Joker’s origin, and we can never know how much to trust the Clown Prince of Crime’s word.Joker’s Secret MentorOne thing that becomes in clear in Batman #142 is that, while Joker has physically transformed into the ivory-skinned, green-haired villain we know, mentally he’s still in the process of evolving. This Joker lacks the boundless confidence and the truly bloodthirsty mentality Bat-fans have come to expect.Joker still needs a little help becoming the man he’s meant to be. And that’s where Dr. Daniel Captio comes in. Captio approaches Joker at the end of issue #142, offering to teach him to harness the full potential of his mind and never feel the pangs of fear again.Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli. (Image Credit: DC)Captio is a figure that should be familiar to anyone who read writer Chip Zdarsky’s previous Bat-project, Batman: The Knight. The Knight offers an updated take on Bruce Wayne’s evolution from aimless teenage billionaire to full-fledged vigilante, focusing on many of the teachers who helped him gain the skills needed to become Batman. Captio himself is a mentalist and the self-proclaimed smartest man in the world. He can control his own bodily functions with a thought, blocking out pain and even directing the flow of hormones to his brain. It seems Batman and Joker are even more alike than fans have guessed. Joker didn’t simply transform into a master super-criminal after one bad day and a fall into a pit of acid. He had a teacher who unlocked his true potential. For all that Joker claims to be a freewheeling agent of chaos, it actually takes a lot of practice and preparation to be Batman’s arch-nemesis.Batman and Joker’s Dark FutureDespite being called The Joker: Year One, this new storyline actually takes place at several different points in time. In the present, Joker himself is relaying the tale of his early days to Batman, with both men currently imprisoned at the hands of Batman’s rogue android Failsafe. But this issue also features a flash-forward to Batman and Joker’s darkest (and possibly final) confrontation.In this future setting, Joker has recently escaped Arkham Asylum after being locked away in a mind-trap of Batman’s own design. The only clues left behind are a discarded red pill capsule (evoking the image of the Red Hood’s helmet) and a note promising, “I’ll see you soon.” Batman is left to make sense of these clues, reflecting that there must be some secret Joker never told him during their confinement together.Art by Andrea Sorrentino. (Image Credit: DC)It quickly becomes apparent just how bad the situation in Gotham has become since Joker’s escape. Batman’s nemesis has released a virus that spreads through laughter, and now everyone in the city has been transformed into a Joker. What do you think of these new Joker revelations? Does it make sense for Joker to have trained under Batman’s mentor? Cast your vote in our poll and let us know what you think in the comments below.
In other comic book news, Ultimate Black Panther #1 revealed a major X-Men connection, and we break down all the biggest new comics of February 2024.Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
