The Joker by James Tynion IV Compendium #[nn]

In a dimly lit Gotham diner, an unnamed patron shares unsettling news with a mysterious stranger: Punchline, once a notorious accomplice of the Joker, is now in custody—claiming she was manipulated, not driven by choice. As the conversation unfolds, the line between victim and villain blurs, leaving the stranger—and the reader—wondering what truth lies beneath the performance.

In Belize, with Batman’s cautious approval, James Gordon embarks on a mission to track down the Joker—though he keeps secret the staggering 25 million dollars Cressida Clarke has offered to ensure the villain’s death. While the Joker readies a devastating plan, other forces stir: a vengeful daughter of Bane, the shadowy Court of Owls, and others with scores to settle, each drawn into a web of retribution that could unravel everything.

Haunted by his past encounters with the Joker, James Gordon travels to Belize to uncover the criminal’s latest trail—unaware that others are already there, each with their own reasons to hunt him. Among them are Cressida Clarke and her aide, Oracle, Spoiler, Batgirl, and even the daughter of Bane, all drawn into a web of secrets that stretches far beyond the Joker’s usual chaos.

In a tense clash of chaos and vengeance, James Gordon finds himself caught between the Joker’s escalating madness and a relentless assault from Vengeance, daughter of Bane, and the enigmatic Sampson Family. As the city teeters, Oracle, Spoiler, and Batgirl race to uncover the truth behind the mysterious Cressida Clarke, while the Joker’s game takes a darker, more personal turn.

In the chilling early days of the Joker’s incarceration, Captain James Gordon confronts a mind unlike any he’s faced—brutal, theatrical, and unnervingly intelligent. As the Joker’s presence begins to unravel the fragile stability of Gotham’s justice system, Jim’s growing fixation strains his marriage to Barbara and tests his resolve, even as the line between hunter and hunted blurs.

Gordon’s pursuit of the Joker leads him to Paris, where shadows from the past stir. As he follows the trail, Oracle alerts him to a growing threat in Santa Prisca—Bane’s daughter is drawn into a web of secrets, and the mysterious Sampson Family may hold the key.

In the wake of a series of murders echoing the Joker’s signature, James Gordon faces interrogation by Interpol agent Isabella Hallows, who suspects his involvement. Meanwhile, Oracle reaches out to an old ally in Santa Prisca to uncover the truth, as Barbara Gordon, Stephanie Brown, and Cassandra Cain find themselves ambushed by a Talon while monitoring Cressida Clarke—leaving their next move uncertain.

In "Chapter Fifteen: The Monster Maker," James Gordon and Vengeance track the Joker to Majorca, where the past and present collide. With Dr. Friedrich Baum—creator of Vengeance and the only one who can disable her—now standing in the shadows, the hunt takes a dangerous turn. As old wounds resurface and a new enemy emerges with a personal vendetta, the line between justice and vengeance blurs.

In the wake of Gotham’s crime families dismantled, Commissioner James Gordon launches a crackdown on corrupt officers—just as the Joker, sensing a power vacuum, begins orchestrating a new wave of chaos. With the city’s most notorious villains drawn into his twisted scheme, the line between law and madness blurs as Batman, Batgirl, and the rest of Gotham’s defenders face a threat that’s less about crime and more about control.

In the wake of the Joker’s violent assault, Jim Gordon struggles to rebuild his life while his son James Jr. begins to show unsettling fascination with the criminal mastermind. When Jim’s ex-wife Barbara arrives, desperate to hand over custody of their son, the emotional toll of the past and the fragile present collide. With Batman watching from the shadows and Gotham’s chaos ever-present, the weight of family, duty, and the line between protector and prey grows heavier than ever.

In "null," the Joker is in the hands of the Sampson family—Vicky and Buddy, driven by grief over their brother Billy’s death—as they prepare to execute him in Texas. While Gordon recovers from his injuries, Barbara and Julia work a secret plan to track the Joker, but Jim, ignoring Barbara’s warnings, sets out on his own to find him.

In "Chapter Eighteen: Turbulence," chaos erupts mid-flight when Vengeance hijacks a plane bound for Dallas, setting off a high-stakes chain of events. With Cressida Clarke turning the tide against Barbara Gordon and capturing her and Julia Pennyworth, Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock race to Texas, not only to rescue them but to confront a secret that could unravel everything—Jim Gordon’s long-held knowledge about the true mastermind behind the A-Day gas attack.

In "Chapter Nineteen: Strange Appetites," the Sampson family—Sawyer, Buddy, and Vicki—prepare for a chilling dinner party with a most unusual guest: the Joker. Their plans take a violent turn when Vengeance arrives, not to join the feast, but to claim the Joker for herself, turning the family’s dark ritual into a deadly showdown.

In "Chapter Twenty: The Banes of Our Existence," James Tynion IV weaves a tense, character-driven narrative as Jim Gordon faces scrutiny over the chaotic aftermath at the Sampson Family compound. With The Joker, Bane, Vengeance, and Cressida Clarke entangled in a web of violence and secrets, Gordon grapples with his own complicity—caught between duty, memory, and the unsettling truth of what truly happened.

In a tense, flashback-driven narrative from the James Tynion IV Compendium, Jim Gordon recounts to Batman the harrowing chain of events leading up to the showdown at the Sampson Family compound—where Vengeance, Bane, and The Joker converge with Gordon, Cressida Clarke, and the Sampsons in a storm of violence and secrets. With the past bleeding into the present, the true fate of The Joker is revealed in a moment that will echo through Gotham’s shadows.