Chapter Summaries

Chen Mo and Batman entered Black Mask’s cold room and fought Killer Croc and Scarecrow. After Killer Croc destroyed Chen Mo’s Silk Launcher, Chen Mo revealed his organic webbing and landed a full-strength punch that sent Croc crashing into a refrigerated cabinet.

• Chen Mo and Batman forced their way beneath the rolling shutter and entered the cold room, where Black Mask announced them to the villains.
• Batman attacked Scarecrow while Chen Mo fought Killer Croc, dodging Croc’s charge and using the overhead rails to evade him.
• Killer Croc tore down the rail and crushed Chen Mo’s Silk Launcher, prompting Chen Mo to reveal that he could still shoot organic webbing from his wrist.
• Chen Mo webbed Killer Croc’s face, then punched him hard enough to drive him into a refrigerated cabinet and burst its refrigerant pipe.

Chen Mo and Batman defeated Killer Croc and Scarecrow in the cold storage room, then followed Black Mask’s broadcast to the surveillance room. There they discovered the real Black Mask tied up and the apparent host revealed as the Joker, who warned that the main course had not yet been served.

• Chen Mo steered Killer Croc into standing water, where Batman electrified and froze the water while Chen Mo bound him in webs.
• Batman overcame Scarecrow’s fear toxin, punched him, disabled his gas equipment, and restrained him.
• Black Mask applauded over the loudspeaker and announced that the fight had been a show, so Batman traced the broadcast to the surveillance room.
• Batman and Chen Mo avoided a shotgun trap and entered the surveillance room, where they found the real Black Mask tied beside a heating pipe.
• The person posing as Black Mask removed his mask and revealed himself as the Joker, who laughed after saying the main course had not yet been served.

Joker revealed that he had hijacked Black Mask’s operation and added a dangerous trap to the Wayne Group food crates before escaping into Gotham’s drains. Batman and Spider-Man returned to the warehouse to confront the crates, while Joker wondered which of them would become his favorite.

• Joker revealed himself in the surveillance room, taunted Batman and Spider-Man, and escaped through a hidden passage after forcing them to stop Black Mask’s bomb.
• Batman and Chen Mo defused the bomb, but Joker escaped through the underground drainage system after the passage was sealed and destroyed.
• Chen Mo and Batman discovered that the blue crates were rigged with blinking red devices, and Black Mask confirmed that Joker had tampered with his goods.
• Batman took Black Mask outside, where Chen Mo webbed him to a streetlight and left a note identifying him and his crimes.
• Joker walked through the drains wearing a purple shirt, played with the voice changer, and wondered which of Batman and Spider-Man would become his favorite.

Chen Mo, Batman, and Gordon rescued children trapped in booby-trapped relief food boxes at Black Mask’s warehouse. They discovered Joker had exposed Black Mask’s operation to stage a spectacle, leaving the next move uncertain.

• Chen Mo and Batman found children bound inside the food boxes, where pressure-triggered bombs would explode if the children were removed.
• Chen Mo used spider silk to support the boxes while Batman disabled the bombs, and Gordon’s officers and medics helped evacuate the children.
• Batman identified the bombs as Black Mask’s, and Chen Mo realized Joker had exposed the hidden operation as part of a show rather than added his own traps.
• Chen Mo threw the defused bombs through the warehouse skylight, where they exploded above the city as Gordon’s officers watched.
• Chen Mo rescued the last child, who held his finger and called him Spider-Man, and the team finished evacuating all hostages without casualties.

Chen Mo and Batman helped police rescue the children and arrest Black Mask, Scarecrow, and Killer Croc, while Joker escaped and threatened them with a coming surprise. At Blackgate, Penguin used his existing influence to humiliate Black Mask and establish his power over him.

• Gordon matched the ledger against container records as police identified rescued children and prepared to trace their families.
• Police sent Scarecrow to Arkham and Black Mask and Killer Croc to Blackgate after removing them from the warehouse.
• Black Mask warned Chen Mo that Joker had targeted him and Batman and was preparing a surprise gift.
• Batman promised to pay for Chen Mo's broken web-shooter and warned him not to act alone because Joker would return.
• At Blackgate, inmates mocked Black Mask, and Penguin confronted him, asserting his control over the prison and welcoming him inside.

After Batman suggested that Chen Mo needed a safe house and support, an explosion at the warehouse interrupted their conversation and sent them back to rescue trapped people. Once everyone was evacuated, Chen Mo sat exhausted by the roadside, reflecting on the chance to join Batman's family that the chaos had cut short.

• Batman told Chen Mo he needed a safe house, medical care, equipment, training, and a stable living environment.
• An explosion tore through the warehouse, and Batman and Chen Mo rushed back when Gordon reported people were still trapped inside.
• Chen Mo and Batman rescued the remaining officers and medical workers from the burning, collapsing warehouse.
• The warehouse's floor gave way beneath Chen Mo, but Batman caught his arm and hauled him to safety.
• After the fire was brought under control, Chen Mo sat outside the warehouse, exhausted and regretting that the explosion had interrupted Batman's apparent offer.

After a sleepless night, Chen Mo arrived at school and discovered that gangs and Wayne Enterprises were recruiting students for part-time jobs. When Barbara described a student reporting position, he rushed downstairs to apply, confident he could meet its high requirements.

• Chen Mo arrived at school exhausted and found the classroom empty, then spotted students lining up for job placements on the sports field.
• Barbara explained that Penguin had reorganized Gotham’s gangs and that their businesses were offering students community jobs as part of his bail conditions.
• Barbara told Chen Mo that applicants had to meet academic, attendance, and disciplinary standards, and that Wayne Enterprises also offered safer jobs and internships.
• Chen Mo became excited about a student reporting position and rushed downstairs to apply despite Barbara’s warning that its requirements were high.

Chen Mo failed to get a Wayne Enterprises reporting assistant job because he lacked photography equipment, so he emailed the company to pitch himself and request a camera. Barbara then told him about a new food oversight system, leaving Chen Mo cautiously relieved that students could get meals in a Gotham where gangs, Wayne Enterprises, and the police were keeping one another in check.

• Chen Mo interviewed for a reporting and editing assistant position, but the interviewer rejected him because he had no photography experience or camera.
• Chen Mo returned to class and told Barbara about the rejection, then emailed multiple Wayne Enterprises inboxes offering vigilante coverage in exchange for a job and camera funding.
• Barbara told Chen Mo that Wayne Enterprises and Penguin's side had opened food oversight inboxes with rewards for verified reports of food fraud and abuse.
• Chen Mo remembered the children found in food crates and reflected that, despite Gotham's problems, some students could now count on getting a meal.

Bruce Wayne connected Chen Mo to Spider-Man and the underground Gotham Phantom comics, then reviewed Chen Mo’s request for a student reporter job and camera. Bruce approved a trial position and began preparing upgraded gear, while leaving the question of guardianship unresolved.

• Bruce compared Chen Mo’s drawings with Spider-Man’s chibi signature and the Gotham Phantom comics, concluding they were likely by the same person.
• Bruce read Chen Mo’s long application for a Wayne Enterprises student reporter position and discussed it with Alfred.
• Bruce reviewed a reinforced red-and-blue Spider-Suit design and decided to offer Chen Mo a supervised Student Public Service Observer position with equipment and allowances.
• Bruce reopened Chen Mo’s unfinished guardianship dossier and agreed with Alfred that Chen Mo needed a clear choice.
• Bruce sent Chen Mo a formal offer email and added that Wayne Enterprises would cover reasonable fieldwork equipment damage.
• Bruce continued preparing the Spider-Suit while Chen Mo slept at school.

Chen Mo received a system reward that raised his strength limit to sixteen tons, while Helen Morris explained new school rules connecting grades and attendance to jobs, meals, and support. The school’s reforms gave students a reason to prepare for exams, and Barbara invited Chen Mo to dinner at her home.

• Chen Mo woke to learn that his physical strength limit had increased to sixteen tons.
• Students discussed their new job registration slips and ways to cheat on the next exam.
• Helen Morris announced that class placement and employment opportunities would depend on grades, attendance, and conduct, while promising tutoring and a minimum safety net.
• Helen Morris warned that cheating could cost students their job slots and access to meals, subsidies, and future class placements.
• Chen Mo noticed that students were beginning to take school more seriously because grades and attendance now offered practical benefits.
• Barbara invited Chen Mo to dinner at her home, and he asked for Chinese food.

Ms. Morris taught her students by day and worked for Gotham’s gangs at night, but Wayne Enterprises’ school support had made leaving the gang possible. She confronted a thug suspected of meddling at the school and questioned him about informants, meal theft, and contraband sales.

• Ms. Morris finished lecturing her students, then changed out of her teacher’s clothes at a laundromat after school.
• Damian-no asked Ms. Morris to identify promising students and report rumors about gang activity, but she warned him not to bring contraband into the classroom.
• Ms. Morris told Damian-no that her school wages now covered her expenses, though she agreed to keep watch at school because her ties to the gang were not easily severed.
• Ms. Morris questioned a captured thug about who was investigating school informants, whether he had tampered with meals, and who was selling things at school.
• Ms. Morris finished both her teaching work and her nighttime work, hoping school support could keep some students out of the alleys she had known.

Helen Morris killed Damian-no after refusing to help him recruit students into the drug trade, but an unexplained force made her laugh and left her wounded. Joker arrived, killed Damian-no, and declared Morris the opening act as the Killing Joke event began.

• Damian-no told Helen Morris to identify students who could be recruited to sell drugs and run errands.
• Morris pretended to agree, then shot Damian-no and ordered his henchmen to leave.
• Morris confronted Damian-no about exploiting children, but she began laughing uncontrollably as an unknown presence approached.
• Damian-no shot Morris, and she collapsed while still laughing.
• Joker shot Damian-no, then called Morris perfect for the opening act and announced that the Killing Joke event had begun.

Batman discovered that Joker had escaped Arkham after replacing himself with an impostor, while Chen Mo shared dinner with Gordon and Barbara across Gotham. The chapter ended with Gordon judging Batman a difficult but dependable presence and suspecting Spider-Man was too young to be operating as a vigilante.

• Batman entered Arkham and ordered the staff to open the maximum-security wing.
• Batman wiped away the impostor’s makeup and removed his green wig, then learned Joker had replaced him days earlier.
• Batman left as Arkham’s alarms sounded and laughter spread through the corridors.
• Chen Mo joined Gordon and Barbara for dinner, where they teased each other and discussed rumors about Batman and Spider-Man.
• Gordon described Batman as troublesome but someone people hoped would arrive, then said Spider-Man seemed too young.

Chen Mo cooked a successful dinner at Gordon’s home, while Joker explored the abandoned Happy Valley Amusement Park and remembered Spider-Man’s offer to work for smiles. Joker’s interest in Spider-Man lingered as he continued through the park with his guide.

• Gordon warned Barbara and Chen Mo to avoid dangerous rumors and focus on being students.
• Chen Mo insisted on cooking, carefully prepared a stew, and earned praise from Barbara and Gordon.
• Gordon served pie as the family ate while cold weather persisted outside.
• Joker’s guide led him through the abandoned Happy Valley Amusement Park, where Joker admired its decayed attractions.
• Joker recalled meeting Spider-Man and became fascinated by his claim that he accepted no tips, only smiles.

Joker toured an abandoned amusement park and decided to buy it and recruit Gotham’s desperate residents to create a park full of smiles for Spider-Man and the bat. At dinner with Barbara and Gordon, Chen Mo’s Spider-Sense erupted when someone knocked, and he warned them not to open the door.

• Joker explored the abandoned amusement park with its temporary caretaker and settled on the ruined circus tent as a fitting place for Spider-Man’s web.
• Joker stuffed bills into a clown statue instead of giving the caretaker a deposit, then said he would buy the park.
• Joker announced he would recruit Gotham’s unemployed, desperate, and dangerous people to staff the amusement park and give Spider-Man and the bat an entire park’s worth of smiles.
• Chen Mo enjoyed a home-cooked dinner with Barbara and Gordon, joking about his stew and his cooking.
• Someone knocked at Gordon’s door, Chen Mo’s Spider-Sense warned him of extreme danger, and he told Gordon and Barbara not to open it.

Chen Mo fought off the Joker Gang at Gordon's house as Spider-Man while Gordon and Barbara escaped, then joined Batman in confronting Joker. Joker escaped through a sewer after hinting at Smile Park, and Barbara began to suspect Spider-Man was Chen Mo.

• Chen Mo sensed danger, sent Gordon and Barbara toward the backyard, and revealed the Joker Gang outside Gordon's house.
• Chen Mo changed into Spider-Man and webbed up the invading gang while Gordon led Barbara to safety.
• Joker arrived, taunted Chen Mo, and announced that he had prepared surprises for Spider-Man and Batman.
• Batman joined the fight, but Joker escaped through a staged smoke bomb and a sewer passage, mentioning Smile Park.
• Gordon and Barbara returned to find the Joker Gang tied up, and Barbara questioned Spider-Man about how he knew she was looking for Chen Mo.

Chen Mo and Batman discovered that the Joker Gang had been abducting circus and amusement-park workers and headed for its hideout at Happy Valley. On the way, Chen Mo ate from Batman’s car refrigerator, remembered his dog Bruce, and worried about feeding him.

• Batman explained that Barbara had revealed Chen Mo’s name by shouting it repeatedly, while Gordon confirmed she had done so.
• Batman found a flyer for Happy Valley Amusement Park, and Chen Mo persuaded a Joker Gang member to reveal the gang’s location.
• Gordon connected the gang to recent abductions of circus performers and amusement-park workers, and Batman agreed to go after Joker with Chen Mo.
• Batman drove Chen Mo toward Happy Valley in the Batmobile and offered him food from a hidden refrigerator.
• Chen Mo remembered that his dog Bruce was home and hoped the automatic feeding system he had installed was working.

Chen Mo and Batman infiltrated Happy Valley Amusement Park and found Joker holding kidnapped performers captive under the effects of a modified laughing virus. Joker welcomed them as his VIP guests, leaving the confrontation about to begin.

• Chen Mo and Batman entered the park, webbed two Joker Gang guards to the ticket booth, and followed the laughter to the square.
• They discovered kidnapped performers forced to laugh and corpses displayed on the turning carousel.
• Batman identified Joker as the culprit behind the recent kidnappings, and Chen Mo agreed to focus on subduing him.
• Joker preached about pain and humiliation while displaying a vial of colored liquid and preparing a spectacle for his captives.
• Batman told Chen Mo that Joker was waiting for someone, and Joker spotted them and welcomed his bat and adorable Spider-Man.

Chen Mo and Batman watched Joker turn Happy Valley Amusement Park into a bomb-laced stage where bound performers acted out scenes of hardship for a laughing audience. Joker sensed the two heroes hiding nearby and demanded to know why they were not laughing.

• Chen Mo recognized his former high school teacher among Joker’s captive victims, but Batman restrained him from rushing in.
• Batman spotted bombs hidden throughout the amusement park, including inside a giant teddy bear.
• Joker staged acts about a veteran unable to afford medicine and a single mother struggling with rent and childcare.
• Joker staged acts about a worker trapped in an insurance process and an old man dividing plasma-sale money among household expenses.
• Joker addressed Batman and Chen Mo’s hiding place and asked why they were not laughing.

Chen Mo and Batman fought to stop Joker’s deadly amusement-park show while rescuing the captives, including Chen Mo’s teacher, Helen Morris. When Joker started the Ferris wheel, Chen Mo climbed up to save its passengers, but the fourth gondola revealed a new shock.

• Batman disabled the teddy bear’s timer while Chen Mo swung in and pulled captives away from the carousel; together they freed performers and fought Joker’s traps and gang members.
• Joker taunted Chen Mo about Helen Morris and staged a bleak classroom scene, while Chen Mo narrowly escaped electrified cables and Batman confronted Joker.
• Chen Mo caught Joker’s laughing-gas bomb, freed Miss Morris from her ropes, and helped contain the gas as Joker activated the Ferris wheel.
• Batman headed for the control tower while Chen Mo climbed the Ferris wheel, rescued a family from the first gondola, and lowered them safely after removing its bomb.
• Chen Mo continued toward the next gondolas, finding the second and third empty before reaching the fourth and reacting in alarm.