In celebration of the 80th anniversary of former Gotham Police officer in a therapy session after having fallen victim to one of Joker's latest crimes.
Officer Dell is having trouble opening up to the doctor, burying his face in his hands. As he laments that he can no longer deal with the process, he brings his face up, revealing the signature gnarled, monstrous smile left behind on so many of the clown's victims. His therapist, Doctor Reeder, explains that he's treated dozens of Joker's victims and that he's well acquainted with the type of damage - both visible and invisible - the maniac leaves behind, as well as the healing processes needed to treat them.
He asks Dell to put on the corrective mask he'd been given to correct the damage, a terrifying and painful-looking apparatus with individual wires leading into each tooth, seemingly to pull his facial muscle taut and remove the ghastly grin. Reeder deduces that Dell doesn't actually want for his injuries to heal, out of fear that it will only draw Joker back into his life for another attack, a fear that's apparently not unusual amongst his victims.
We learn from the doctor just how customized some of Joker's attacks can seem to be - a woman with a crippling fear of lightning being marred by an electric joy buzzer, a young boy afraid of becoming the class clown permanently dyed white and green. A photo spread shows just some of the ways Joker has maimed Gothamites over the years. Dell himself says that he had always prided himself on his smile. Reeder explains that these sorts of feelings are part of the healing process and pleads with Dell to continue with his sessions.
But it's to no avail and the officer drops his mask to the floor before leaving the office, defeated. Reeder, whose work had been funded by a grant from the Wayne Foundation calls Bruce to bemoan the fact that they've lost yet another patient, though he offers assurances that one day they'll finally be able to make some sort of progress with Joker's victims. But that's assuming Reeder gets the chance, because his work may have brought him even closer to the Joker's world than he even knew.
