Batman #23.1 Joker #1 3D Lenticular Cover 2013 NM

Batman #23.1: The Joker, a tie-in to the "Forever Evil" event, features a story titled "Time to Monkey Shine" written by Andy Kubert with art by Andy Clarke. The issue was released on September 4, 2013 (with a cover date of November 2013). 

Story Synopsis: "Time to Monkey Shine" 

The story provides a glimpse into a potential origin for the Joker, framed through his own potentially unreliable narrative. The main plot focuses on the Joker's attempt to raise a baby gorilla as his son, paralleling the abusive childhood he experienced with his Aunt Eunice: 

• Joker's Past: Flashback sequences show the young, pre-Joker being strictly and physically punished by his Aunt Eunice, who fed him meager meals and bragged about murdering his uncle. He had an attachment to a monkey puppet named "Gaggy" that his aunt disapproved of.
• Present Day: In the present, the Joker, seeking to recreate the family life he wished he'd had, steals a baby gorilla from the Gotham Zoo after gassing its mother and feeding a zookeeper to a large snake. He names the gorilla Jackanapes and raises him in a deserted house, treating him with the affection he never received from his aunt.
• Twisted Parenthood: The Joker teaches Jackanapes how to steal candy from children and build devices of death and destruction, fostering a father-son relationship built on crime and chaos.
• Climax: Joker and Jackanapes decide to target a city councilwoman who advocated for the zoo's demolition. During an inspection of a dirigible, they board the craft and begin killing people. However, Jackanapes shows reluctance in using a device to mutate the councilwoman, shedding a tear before turning the dial. The mutated victims attack the pair, causing them to fall from the dirigible.
• Aftermath: The Joker survives the fall, but Jackanapes falls into the river and presumably drowns. The Joker's only reaction is to laugh, noting that he is "owed a refund for all the swimming lessons" he gave the gorilla, and he can always return to the zoo to find a replacement.