The Dark Knight takes 'The Joker War' to the Joker in Batman #97 preview

(Image credit: DC)

When the Clown Prince of Crime gets his hands on Bruce Wayne's money, bad things will happen - as evident in this preview of August 18's Batman #97. As the core of the sprawling 'The Joker War' event, James Tynion IV and Jorge Jimenez's Batman arc finds the Joker stocking up in his war against the Dark Knight.

Check our this unlettered first look at the issue:

(Image credit: DC)

The Joker’s army is growing hour by hour, with weapons beyond anything the Clown Prince of Crime has ever used before," reads DC's solicitation for the issue. "Batman must hold his mind together so he can strike the final blow and take back his city – but how can he heal the rifts he’s created in his life to get the help he needs?"

But Batman's not alone, as his allies now include his sometimes girlfriend Catwoman, who is assembling an army of her own.

"So Catwoman definitely plays a very central role and plays a key role at the climax of 'The Joker War' story," Tynion told Newsarama previously. "But also, her actions in 'Joker War' are going to help set the stage for, honestly, the next few years of Batman stories."

But then again, Joker's got his new ally Punchline - which DC has been hyping heavily as their next big character.

Batman #97 is the third chapter of the title's 'The Joker War' storyline, but one of 27 issues DC has relating to this event - which concludes in the milestone Batman #100.

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)