The officer, Geoff Shancoe, a recently recovered alcoholic is shattered by the loss of his young wife. While the Joker is taken away to his court proceedings, Shancoe sits at home watching and re-watching his wedding videos growing more and more demented. Finally he snaps and begins murdering police officers in an attempt to lure the Batman - whom he blames personally for the Joker's existence. When Shancoe doesn't show up at the Joker's hearings, Gordon goes to Shancoe's house to check on him but is shot point blank for his troubles.

Back at the courthouse, Joker continues his antics - murdering his two police escorts upon arriving and then offing the judge and his court psychiatrist. With the trial over, the state decides that the Joker is to be incarcerated at the new Arkham Asylum facility as their first patient. As the police are escorting Joker to Arkham, Shancoe finally makes his move, crashing his car into the transport van and executing the two officers.

Shancoe finally gets his wish as Batman swoops down to keep him from killing the Joker but the Dark Knight soon finds himself in peril as well. Surprisingly enough the Joker is the one who takes Shancoe out of commission. But when the temptation to murder the Batman proves too great for the Joker to turn up, a wounded (but still alive) Jim Gordon luckily arrives on the scene to take in both madmen.

With Arkham's first two inmates behind bars, the city's crime wave continues to escalate and Batman knows that it won't be long before the Joker somehow escapes from Arkham. But as he delivers yet another new super-crook by the name of The Riddler to GCPD Headquarters, Batman begins to come to terms with his existence as the World's Richest Garbage Man. He vows to do his best to keep the true trash off the streets.