Synopsis
| - When an entire family is murdered with the Joker's modus operandi, Batman vows that his old foe has gone to far and that he'll make him pay for the crime that he's committed. However, upon his search for the Joke, Batman realizes that something was wrong about the dead bodies -- none of them had the signature Joker-grin of his usual murder victims. Batman runs back to the morgue where the bodies were taken and finds that they suddenly do have grins. Going after the only person left alone with them, Batman is knocked out from behind and the person responsible has gotten away.
Batman continues to search for the Joker, however it's not until he gets a lead from an underworld crime boss that Batman finds the Joker at the Sultan health spa trying to kill a crook named Slade. When Batman intervenes the Joker is shocked, and Slade ends up shooting Batman and escaping. In the hospital for his wounds, Batman realizes that Slade must be trying to frame the Joker, and decides to ask the Joker for help.
However, in return for his aid in trying to track down Slade, the Joker demands no police involvement, however this proves to be a difficult promise to make as Commissioner Gordon sends out police anyway because he cannot fully trust the Joker. After a few failed attempts, the Joker's clue leads Batman to Lock 39, an abandoned river lock system. There Batman goes for his next clue, and learns that he's been duped. Slade and the Joker have been working together in a complicated plot to try and kill Batman.
With their plot explained, the Joker opens the locks in the hope of drowning Batman. However, the caped crusader manages to get free, and easily knocks out Slade. The Joker, admitting that his plan is foiled tries to escape by stealing the Batmobile, however he didn't count on it needing a secret passcode to activate the car, and the Joker is easily captured by Batman.
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