Published by DC Comics.
“Death of the Family”
Main story written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Greg Capullo.
Joker’s back to have playtime with his so-called Dark-Knighted buddy. The police are targets, first their necks are snapped then getting poisoned, in the Joker’s first phase in attacking Gotham. Somehow, Gordon survives but I think Joker’s pathological attachment to Batman may have something to do with it.
Nightwing, Batgirl, and Red Robin want to help, but Batman shuts them out making it between he and the Joker. Batman should have all the help he can get since, as far as we know, it’s only two people at most terrorizing Gotham.
Later, Batman goes to A.C.E. Chemical to find someone dressed as the Red Hood Gang leader seen in Batman #0. The red-topped person’s actually Harley Quinn using a speaker to transmit Joker’s voice. Batman is struck by a large hammer into a vat which is shut and a strange green liquid poring in. Meanwhile, the Joker meets Alfred. Joker’s face is shown, but it isn’t as scary as I thought it would be.
Harley seems reluctant to carry out Joker’s plan. In the back-up story, “Tease,” written by Snyder & James Tynion IV, Harley and Joker argue, but the sullen sycophant is persuaded to put on the Red Hood leader tux. Artist Jock applies an odd pixel-like filter around his drawings similar to the black-and-white art in “Snapshot,” the graphic novel anthologized in Judge Dredd Megazine. It gives a surreal look, but the terrible twosome already provide enough creepiness.
Preview Batman #13 at Comic Book Resources.