The work doesn’t end when the war’s been won. In fact, it’s only just getting started. With the Joker defeated, Punchline under house arrest and the people of Gotham left to pick up the pieces, a weary city asks a desperate question—what happens now?

It’s something fans are likely wondering as well. With “The Joker War” serving as the heart of the Bat-books for much of 2020, now that it’s done, we’re all a bit curious about what comes next. Batman: The Joker War Zone and the climactic Batman #100 both make it clear there are plenty of loose threads that stand ready to be unraveled. The Joker and Punchline may be down, but they’re definitely not out. Clownhunter doesn’t seem like he’s going to heed Batman’s warning to stop killing the Joker’s men. And Ghost-Maker…? Well, we don’t know what his deal is, but it doesn’t seem like he wants to take Batman out for nachos. No, the Dark Knight still has a lot to watch out for, and he now has far fewer resources to work with.

But before he can face these new threats, he still has a few friends to check in on…and perhaps patch things up with. There’s Catwoman, obviously. Just when Selina and Bruce were back on solid ground, her dark past with the Designer was brought to light and now things between her and Batman seem…off. There’s Damian. We suspect that one’s going to be a LOT more complicated to resolve. And then there’s Lucius Fox. From what we’ve seen, Batman hasn’t checked in on him since Lucius was poisoned by the Joker. How’s his recovery coming along? What’s he been doing? And why is he now working with Cole Cash?

That’s right, Grifter once again returns to the DC Universe in next week’s Batman #101…and if you caught yesterday’s DC Future State announcement, you know the Wildstorm character is going to be one to keep an eye on. In fact, it seems quite a few important characters are about to step into the Gotham City spotlight, so if you are wondering what comes next… Well, you might want to check out this exclusive preview of Batman’s newest chapter.

Batman #101 by James Tynion IV, Guillem March and Tomeu Morey is in stores and available digitally on Tuesday, October 20.