9. The Dead Man's Hand
Right away, Morrison kicks things off with maybe the most defining Batman scene you can have: Batman and Joker in a room talking to one another. You'll notice the black and red colour scheme, alternating with each panel, to make the page look like a checkerboard - this comes into play later and ties into one of the book's themes of identity - while Joker plays a dead man's hand with his cards: red 8, black ace, red 8, black ace. This is Joker's answer to Batman's question: who is the Black Glove? Take the 8th and 1st letters of the alphabet and spell it out: H. A. H. A. And it begins. Another thing that struck me about this scene is how much it references Alan Moore's books Batman: The Killing Joke and Watchmen, a comparison I'm sure Morrison would hate given how little the two writers like each other. But the scene itself between Batman and Joker, discussing jokes, is very similar to the opening scene of The Killing Joke, while the close up focus of the blood spot on the joker card is like the blood mark on the smiley face badge at the start of Watchmen. Why the comparison? To make it feel epic and final, like the title suggests. Both of Moore's books are apocalyptic in their way - referencing them is Morrison's way of hinting to the reader of a similar intent.