Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker Page #3

What kid doesn't?

But in time we came

to love him as our own.

Say hello, J.J.

Robin!

Robin!

Tim, it's Barbara.

Can you hear me?

Robin!

Stop!

Hands off,

Brat-girl!

Sweetie,

get Mommy's bazooka.

How could you help

Joker do it, Harley?

Okay, so he roughed the kid up

a little, but I'll make it right.

Yeah, you're mother

of the stinking year.

Ha! You'll see.

We'll be one big,

happy family.

Good boy!

What's the matter,

Batman?

No witty comeback?

No threat?

Then I'll provide the narration.

OUR FAMILY MEMORIES

I'll begin with how I peeled

back the layers of the boy's mind.

Though, he bravely tried

to fight it at first.

You would have been proud

to see him so strong!

But all too soon...

...the serums and the shocks

took their toll.

...the dear lad began

to share such secrets with me.

Secrets that are

mine alone to know...

...Bruce.

It's true, Batsy.

I know everything.

And like the kid who peeks

at his Christmas presents...

...I must admit,

it's sadly anticlimactic.

Behind all the Sturm

and batarangs...

...you're just a little boy in a

playsuit, crying for Mommy and Daddy.

It'd be funny,

if it weren't so pathetic.

Oh, what the heck!

I'll laugh anyway.

If you don't like the movie,

I've got slides.

I'll break you in two.

Oh, Batman.

If you had the guts for that kind

of fun, you'd have done it years ago.

I, on the other hand...

You've lost,

Batman.

Robin is mine.

The last sound you hear

will be our laughter.

Here you go,

sonny-boy.

Make daddy proud.

Deliver the punch line.

Tim.

Do it!

That's not funny.

That's not...

It's okay, Tim.

It's okay.

We buried the Joker

deep beneath Arkham.

The only other person who knew what happened that

night was my father, the first commissioner Gordon.

He promissed to keep

our secret.

With his last act of cruelty...

...the Joker had tainted us all

with compromise and deception.

I suppose he had

the last laugh after all.

I'm assuming his girlfriend

bought it too.

We never found her body, but I doubt

she'd be starting trouble now.

And Tim?

We had a trusted friend,

Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

It took her a year, but she was able

to help Tim back to sanity.

Still, things were never

really the same.

Bruce forbade Tim

to be Robin again.

He blamed himself for what happened and swore

he'd never endanger another young partner.

Tim left us soon after that,

determined to make it on his own.

Did they patch it up?

Tim tried once or twice, but you

know Bruce. I check up on Tim now and then.

He's a top-level communications

engineer, married, couple kids.

Not too bad,

all things concerned.

He deserved a happy ending.

But he still has the most likely

connection to that night.

It looks okay on this side.

I'm going up to the dish.

You might as well show yourself.

I heard you a mile away.

I'm no Boy Wonder anymore,

but that old training never goes away.

Even at my age.

Tim Drake.

You heard about Bruce?

Barbara told me.

That was too bad.

You're not too broken up.

I had nothing to do with it,

despite what you might be thinking.

When the Joker reappeared,

I was just as surprised as anyone.

Barb told you the gory details?

More or less.

Look,

it's been almost 40 years.

It wasn't easy, but I managed to put

it to bed and go on with my life.

You'll have to do it yourself one day.

We all did.

We gave our best, but in the end that

wasn't good enough for the old man.

Regrets,

Mr. Drake?

When I was younger, part of me thought

I would go on and on and someday....

Capes, costumes, playing hero.

It was kids' stuff.

Bruce probably did me a favor.

In the end I was so sick of it, I never

wanted to see that stupid Robin suit again.

Some things never change.

Were all of you

bitter when you left?

Comes with the territory,

McGinnis.

Look up Nightwing, someday.

He has he got stories!

Drake's clean. I've got

one more lead to check out.

Someone with a definite grudge

against Bruce Wayne.

Caviar, soft music and

charming company.

Amy, my dear,

I can't think of any better way

to celebrate my ascension to

CEO of Wayne Enterprises.

-Me neither.

-Me neither.

You?

Where's Amy?

Missed the boat,

I'm afraid.

Turn the yacht around!

Detox, boss man.

We're here to talk business.

We'll be quick.

Woof gets seasick easy.

Our business is concluded.

You've got the equipment

you wanted.

I gave you the security codes

so you could ransack the lab...

...while those bunglers tried

to kill Wayne.

Word is Wayne's terminal anyhow.

That means you get

to stay top dog.

And everyone's happy.

So why are you here?

The big guy who originally put us

in contact just decided you're a loose end.

And loose ends

should be tied up.

Let me go!

Got him.

Then amscray pronto,

kiddies.

Things are going

to start popping.

Let's go!

No one's leaving

until I get answers.

No, you idiot!

Not now!

They're getting away!

Yeah, and I think they've

got a good reason!

-What's happening?

-Hang on!

We saw the explosion.

You can ask Mr. Pryce

about that.

Me?

I had nothing to do with it.

That right?

I gave you the security codes

so you could ransack the lab...

...while those bunglers tried

to kill Wayne.

I want my lawyer.

I think the commissioner would like

to hear this too. Night.

I'm spent.

Every lead I had has gone face-down,

and the Joker's still out there.

What have you got?

I don't know,

pup.

If I was the Batman I was supposed

to be, I'd have cracked this...

...would have punched the right data

into the computer...

...or remembered that one clue

everyone else overlooked.

It's rarely that simple.

-How are you feeling?

-Lousy.

Gordon told me what happened

to Tim Drake.

That's why I didn't want you

going up against the Joker...

...impostor or not.

Nothing against your old partners,

but I'm a completely different Batman.

I was never a Robin,

I never--

Wait.

Joker smashed up the cases...

...but why was this the only costume

he went out of his way to destroy?

Robin did shoot him.

A ghost out for revenge?

I don't buy it. I talked to Drake.

He's got less love

for that costume than the Joker.

I think somehow

he's behind this.

That's crazy.

So was Drake,

once.

Look, here's the readout of everything

we know the Jokerz have stolen.

Now let's combine those into something that

would be used by a communications expert.

Someone of Tim Drake's caliber.

Satellite jamming system.

Whoever uses this can access

satellite defense systems...

...and fire them at will.

Someone already has.

I suspected Jordan Pryce

might be the Joker...

...but the Jokerz were on your

company yacht trying to slag Pryce.

I got him off before

it was blasted to splinters.

I think your little Robin's

turned into a bitter old crow.

He's gotta be the brains

behind this new Joker.

It's harsh,

but who else is there?

Suit up.

Take the car and check it out.

I'll monitor you from here.

What happened to

leaving it to the cops?

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