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Did you ever think that it was possible for a possible for a possible Batman and Joker team up? No? You are right. In Batman issue 1 of the New 52 from 2011, the comic lies to you as many comics have in the past. It shows what seems to be Batman and Joker side by side, fighting in Arkham Asylum. Of course seeing the dark night along side his evil counterpart is ridiculous, but I guess writer Rob Snyder thought he was being clever pulling this stunt.
As I implied earlier, it was a trick. Batman and Joker never actually teamed up, but rather it was Dick Grayson (Nightwing and formerly Robin) fighting along side Bruce Wayne. This forces us to believe that Bruce left Dick in an insane asylum for days disguised as the Joker. But I guess it does not sound any more ridiculous than trying to believe that the Joker would jump over the dark knight’s back and kick an inmate in the face.
As mentioned, this all takes place in issue 1 from 2011. The funny thing, though, is that I did not read it until 2016 in a Special Edition reprint. Through a sly marketing campaign to promote the Batman vs Superman movie that bombed, Walmart sold this issue bundled with two other comics. I noticed this immediately because all of the advertisements were for the movie or similar promotional products.
This issue was part of the New 52, a reboot of the DC Universe and all of its major characters. Terrible idea? I am right there with you. Regardless, we are all forced to deal with the situation as older and better material under the same titles get buried in obscurity. It is interesting to see Bruce Wayne working with not only Dick Grayson again, but also Damien his son.
