DC Finest: Batman: The Killing Joke and Other Stories #[nn]

In "Son of the Demon," Batman joins forces with Ra's al Ghul to stop a terrorist hijacking a weather-controlling satellite, a mission that takes a personal turn when he and Talia are married in the heat of the operation. Though Talia later tells Batman she miscarried amid the chaos, the truth lingers beneath the surface—her silence holds a secret that could reshape their future.

In "Millennium," Batman is forced to confront a shocking betrayal when Commissioner Gordon attacks him—only to realize the man he knows has been replaced by a Manhunter. As Batman evades capture, Robin defies orders by seizing the Scarecrow, setting off a chain of events that leads both heroes to Arkham Asylum, where Gordon’s true plan unfolds: to free the Floronic Man, one of ten humans chosen for the mysterious Millennium event.

In a grim twist of fate, Batman stumbles upon a deadly ambush during a weapons bust—only to witness a man’s horrifying death at the hands of swarming rats. Now tracking the elusive Ratcatcher, the Dark Knight delves into a web of urban decay and forgotten corners of Gotham, where the city’s secrets run as deep as its sewers.

In "Rat Trap," Batman ventures into the flooded sewers of Gotham to confront Ratcatcher, who has trapped a group of his former victims in a twisted web of revenge. With the city’s underbelly alive with danger and the stench of betrayal in the air, the Dark Knight must outwit a foe whose rage is as relentless as the rats that swarm in the dark.

In the shadowed hours after midnight, Gotham stirs with secrets—D.J. Dark spins tales on the radio as a hobo is found dead, Batman shadows a cocaine smuggler through the city’s underbelly, and police close in on Deke Mitchel, a prison escapee hunting someone named Kadaver. When Mitchel flees into a field of hazardous waste, a sudden lightning strike ignites the site in a violent explosion, leaving his fate unknown.

In "Night People, Part Two: The Corrosive Man," Mitchel, newly transformed by an explosion into a being who burns through anything he touches, becomes a walking hazard after a tragic accident claims lives. Batman moves in to stop him, but Mitchel vanishes, consumed by rage and determined to hold Kadaver accountable for his transformation. As Mitchel hunts his tormentor, Kadaver dispatches his aide Webley to eliminate a homeless man named Dalton Walls.

In "Night People, Part Three: The Burning Pit," Batman closes in on Webley after the murder of Dalton Walls, only to uncover a twisted chain of deceit: Walls was a reclusive millionaire posing as a hobo, and his nephew Hobart stood to inherit his fortune. As Kadaver—hired to kill Walls—turns on Hobart, demanding millions in payment, Batman’s pursuit leads to a volatile confrontation. But when the Corrosive Man arrives seeking vengeance on Kadaver, the line between justice and chaos begins to burn.

In *The Killing Joke*, Batman confronts a chilling twist when the Joker’s cell in Arkham Asylum is empty—replaced by a convincing double. As the Dark Knight races to stop the real Joker, he finds Commissioner Gordon’s home turned into a nightmare, with Barbara shot and her father held captive. The Joker leads Jim to a twisted carnival of psychological torment, testing the limits of his mind and resolve. When Batman finally arrives, the confrontation is as brutal as it is surreal, culminating in a final, unsettling joke that leaves even the Caped Crusader questioning what it means to be sane.