The end of NO MAN’S LAND marked a stark change in the life of Commissioner Jim Gordon, thanks to the Joker. Now, he’s about to impact the life of Jim’s daughter when he encounters Barbara Gordon and threatens the lives of everyone in New York City.
Plus, Barbara finally finds out who her secret admirer is, Black Canary returns to Gotham City and Power Girl is revealed to have a history with the Birds of Prey…
Minor Crossover: This three-part Birds of Prey storyline features a tie-in to Action Comics that isn;t required to understand the story.
Must Reads: Story arcs marked with a ✔are must-read stories.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- NO MAN’S LAND (1999-2000) – Lex Luthor funds the rebuilding of Gotham City
- Y2K (2000) – Luthor sacrifices his daughter to save Metropolis
- STRANGERS IN SMALLVILLE (2000) – Lois Lane & Clark Kent’s marriage struggles
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- ✔ Birds of Prey #15
- Action Comics #765 (tie-in)
- ✔ Birds of Prey #16-17
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Birds of Prey #15 Black Canary returns to her civilian apartment in Gotham for the first time since the city was rebuilt (after the events of NO MAN’S LAND). She keeps watch on a neighbour, Olivia Crichton, who suffers physical abuse at the hands of her partner. But she arrives too late to stop Oliva from shooting him. Barbara Gordon finally meets her secret admirer who turns out to be Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle. They eventually realise each other’s secret identities. Meanwhile, Dick Grayson is continuing repairs on Barbara’s apartment when Jason Bard shows up looking for her. America armed forces impose a no-fly zone in al Tagir to try and create a ceasefire between the warring nations of Qurac and the Karrocan Emirate in the Middle East. An envoy is sent to New York to address the Security Council of the United Nations, and unmasks as the Joker! |
| Action Comics #765 (tie-in) The Joker reunites with Harley Quinn and uses his diplomatic immunity to stir up trouble for Lex Luthor in Metropolis while avoiding arrest. Joker confronts Luthor directly, prompting Mercy Graves and Harley to battle it out on the streets. Joker brainwashes citizens who claim to be Lex Luthor, and taunts Lex further with a massive robot based on Luthor’s daughter, who Joker believes is dead (during Y2K, 2000). Despite feeling depressed over Lois Lane constantly spurning him and his waning powers (both of which escalated during STRANGERS IN SMALLVILLE, 2000), Superman arrives on the scene. He saves Joker and Lex Luthor from falling rubble caused by the Lena Luthor robot which then attacks and floors Superman. The Joker departs having successfully gotten Luthor’s back up. Later, Clark Kent receives a letter from Lois telling him she’s leaving. |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Birds of Prey #16 Joker finds himself in a holding cell, which he believes is at Arkham Asylum. He explains how he escaped the authorities (after NO MAN’S LAND, 1999-2000) and went to Qurac for refuge, becoming their envoy to the US. After warning the UN that New York would be hit with a neutron bomb that would wipe out every man, woman and child (then presumably running into Superman and Lex Luthor). Joker was apprehended by Power Girl and Black Canary. His captor reveals herself to be Barbara Gordon who’s holding him in New York City. The Joker has to tell her the whereabouts of the bombs to save his own life. As Oracle, Barbara rallies Black Canary and a reluctant Power Girl, with her fluctuating superhuman abilities. She also hacks into the Pentagon to ask for help… |
| ✔ | Birds of Prey #17 Black Canary and Power Girl find the ship containing the neutron bomb, but fail to stop the launch. Power Girl destroys several decoy missiles, leaving it up to Oracle to gain access to US Military satellites to shoot the neutron bomb down. Despite their narrow win, Power Girl remains stoic due to her first time out as one of the Birds of Prey – something she’s unwilling to discuss. Joker is taken to the Slab, though he seems to like the idea of being locked up with the other “super creeps”… |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event/ Crossover |
| ✔ | Birds of Prey #25 (2001) Barbara Gordon and Ted Kord both decide not to pursue a romantic relationship. | |
| Superman #157 (2000) ‘Lois Lane’ is revealed to be the Parasite in disguise. Action Comics #766 (2000) Superman and Batman track down the real Lois Lane. | THE SEARCH FOR LOIS | |
| Superman #161 (2000) The Joker gets another chance to torture Lex Luthor when he gains Mister Mxyzptlk’s reality-altering powers. | REIGN OF EMPEROR JOKER | |
| ✔ | Birds of Prey #31-32 (2001) Jason Bard’s eyesight is restored following a series of operations; Oracle offers Jason Bard a job, but can’t offer him her affection. | |
| Superman #171 (2001) Lena Luthor returns to Earth, aged to adulthood. | OUR WORLDS AT WAR | |
| ✔ | Joker: Last Laugh #1-6 (2001-2002) Beliving he’s going to die, the Joker uses Joker Venom to Jokerise the other metahuman criminals in the Slab. | JOKER: LAST LAUGH |
| ✔ | JSA #32 (2002) Power Girl’s fluctuating superhuman abilities are finally addressed; Power Girl replaces Black Canary in the Justice Society of America. | |
| ✔ | Birds of Prey #42 (2002) Power Girl’s time as the first member of Oracle’s Birds of Prey is revealed; the government of Qurac is overthrown. | |
| Batman #613-614 (2003) Joker is revealed to have been moved back to Arkham Asylum. |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Birds of Prey vol.3 | Birds of Prey #12-21 Nightwing #45-46 |
| Superman: The City of Tomorrow vol.2 | Action Comics #764-768 Adventures of Superman #577-581 Superman #155-159 Superman: Man of Steel #99-103 |
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