A banker, missing for months, finally turns up dead - wearing the unique costume of the Caped Crusader. Three other prominent Gotham City citizens are also missing, and the only clue to their abductor's plot is a calling card - a joker with a bullet hole through it. It's only the beginning of the ultimate prankster's devastating new scheme to destroy the real Batman, even if he's got to spill the blood of everyone in Gotham City to do it. If the Joker succeeds, it will be his greatest gag of all time. But only one very twisted and very dangerous man will be laughing...

A savage fight with the supervillain Bane has left Batman virtually crippled and Gotham City defenseless. As Bruce Wayne begins the long process of recovery, he realizes he must choose a successor in his role as the Dark Knight. But is his apprentice ready? Is Gotham City ready? And what will happen when Wayne returns to reclaim Gotham City and his role as the true Batman?

All hope abandon, ye who enter here. Gotham a dark, twisted reflection of urban America. Overcrowded, overbuilt, and overshadowed by a continuous air of menace, this gothic nightmare is a breeding ground for the depraved, the indifferent, and the criminally insane. It's also the object of one man's obsession. Forever scarred as a child from witnessing the brutal murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne has dedicated his life to protecting this city from its many predators, taking a form to inspire hope in the innocent...and fear in the guilty. He is the masked vigilante known as the Batman. With Police Commissioner James Gordon, these two men have always fought to preserve law and order, side-by-side, struggling against a pervasive and relentless criminal element, working together to hold the line. Until now. Leveled by a massive earthquake that has left thousands dead and millions more wounded, Gotham City has been completely cut off from outside aid, transformed into a lawless battleground—a No Man's Land—where the survivors are turning against one another, and where the city's protectors are torn by a crisis that may consume them all. Gotham now teeters at the edge of the abyss...and Batman is missing. Critically acclaimed author Greg Rucka brings his talents to DC Comics' most complex and darkly compelling cast of characters. Powerfully written, this epic saga reintroduces and redefines the Batman mythos for the millennium.

An original novel pitting Batman against the Court of Owls, a secret society of wealthy families that's controlled Gotham for centuries using murder and money. Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the timeRuling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and limeThey watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bedSpeak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send the Talon for your head.—a nursery rhymeThe Court of Owls is a criminal secret society that has existed in Gotham City since the 1600s, led by some of the city's wealthiest and most influential families. They employ deadly trained assassins known as Talons, taken as children from circuses such as the one where Dick Grayson's parents were killed. These children are trained to become the assassins known as Talons. Bruce Wayne came to the Court's attention when he announced plans to reinvigorate Gotham, threatening their control. They sentenced him to death, bringing themselves to the attention of Batman. Though they suffer defeats, the Court continues to fight to retake control of the city's underworld - a fight that has gone on for centuries.Copyright © 2017 DC Comics. BATMAN, THE COURT OF OWLS, and all related characters and elements © & TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Adapting what may be the most popular of graphic novels, by the edgy Hard Case Crime author, adding layers and exploring the nature of morality. A tragic, unnamed engineer-turned-criminal is immersed in chemicals that disfigure him bizarrely, driving him mad and thus giving birth to the Joker. While the insane criminal is imprisoned, Batman and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) patrol Gotham City together, taking down perps such as the crime boss Maxie Zeus. Simultaneously Detective Harvey Bullock works with Commissioner James Gordon to take down a drug factory. Back in Arkham Asylum, Joker learns of a new technology he wants to acquire and escapes, setting out on a mission designed to break the Commissioner, forcing him to abandon his ideals as a police officer. In a violent home invasion he shoots and cripples Barbara, then takes Gordon hostage. Batman races to rescue Gordon, ultimately confronting his arch-foe in an amusement park fun house. This edgy adaptation by Hard Case Crime novelist Christa Faust expands upon the cast and adds intricate layers to the events of the graphic novel, further examining the nature of morality. Copyright © 2017 DC Comics. BATMAN, THE JOKER, THE KILLING JOKE and all related characters and elements © & TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.