In a recent issue of Joker, Punchline shows off her most dangerous ability from prison by riling up a public mob against Batman ally Harper Row
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for “Punchline: Chapter 6” from The Joker #6 by Sam Jones, James Tynion IV, Sweeny Boo, Ariana Maher, Arif Prianto and Dave Wielgosz, on sale now.
The Joker’s newest right-hand woman wields two sharp daggers when she fights against Gotham’s heroes, but her most dangerous weapon is her ability to rile up the public. Even after being locked up during her trial, Punchline shows that she hasn’t lost her skills by pushing Harper Row to attack her, then using video of the attack to convince her fans she’s innocent. A previous video riled up initial support for her and this one is surely going to gain her even more public support.
“Punchline: Chapter 6” opens with Harper Row the fake identity of “Katherine Skinner” to infiltrate Blackgate Penitentiary and find Kelly Ness, the one person who could lock Punchline away forever. But as every good Batman ally knows, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Punchline called out to the disguised Harper and asked her to sit while they ate lunch. The villain immediately noticed Harper was lying about her identity, then taunted her by saying that she had no evidence. Punchline continued to taunt her by using Harper’s brother Cullen, who had become a Punchline supporter alongside his friends.
After hearing her brother mentioned, Harper immediately went into a rage and attacked Punchline with a tray. The duo was surrounded by all of the other inmates, who were itching to protect their “Queen of Diamonds.” After realizing she had no way out if she confronted Punchline and her goons directly, Harper fled deeper into the prison. One of the inmates came to help Punchline and confirmed that they had filmed the entire confrontation. Punchline told the crowd that they could kill Harper if they found her. Afterward, Cullen and his boyfriend watched a video of the attack, which reassured them that Punchline was innocent.
First appearing in Batman #89 by James Tynion IV, Guillem March, Carlo Pagulayan, Danny Miki, Tomeu Morey and Clayton Cowles, Punchline became Joker’s partner shortly before Joker War. After their murderous rampage and Joker’s vanishing act, Punchline was arrested. Most costumed criminals in Gotham are sent to Arkham Asylum but Punchline created a viral video where she explained her only crime was trusting the wrong person. She was sent to Blackgate Penitentiary while her case went to trial and the evidence against her has been slowly going up in smoke. While in prison, she’s made herself the new leader of the inmates after defeating their former leader. Harper has been pursuing every possible lead she could find to make sure that Punchline would be put behind bars, and now that her brother has fallen for Punchline’s trap, she will not let anything stop her.
While her appearance might make one think that Punchline is brash and impulsive, it’s all an act. One of Punchline’s biggest abilities is to create intricate plans that so far have worked out fairly well. That ability combined with her most dangerous skill, being able to rile up public opinion with social media videos, makes her a very dangerous threat for Harper Row and the rest of Gotham. Her previous video made thousands of Gothamites start calling for her release and this newest video is already starting to spread like wildfire, sure to garner her even more support.
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