The Trial of Punchline

[cyberghostface]

"I attended C2E2, my first convention of the year, and signed comics for Punchline cosplayers. I remember when the editor in chief of DC walked up to me after a panel and told me the sales on the upcoming Batman #92, bolstered by the Artgerm Variant cover featuring Punchline, and gave me a hug. That it was the highest selling issue of Batman since the Wedding, with sales over 200K. I remember saying that I promised them that I was going to sell some Batman comics for them, and I was glad I could keep my promise." -- James Tynion IV

While the Joker has been doing his thing in his title, Punchline has been appearing in the series' backup stories as she's on trial for her crimes during the Joker War. In doing so, she has become a celebrity of sorts in Gotham.

#From The Joker 12...





#13...

Comments

[huntleyhaverstock]

If I wanted to see horrible people getting away with terrible things and being hailed as heroes by unthinking mobs for it, I'd just look at the real world. I read comics to get away from that sort of thing, thank you very much.

On the other hand, Tynion IS a horror writer, so I guess I can't begrudge him this particular nightmare example of low-hanging fruit.

[jlbarnett]

no, you should. Begrudge him for it, let the higher ups know, and maybe they will stop

[b_i_beast]

Honestly, if this doesn't ultimately end with Joker killing her, I will be surprised.

[deh_tommy]

I don’t know, this seems like the sort of thing that would get the Joker howling.

[morallyambiguousscience]

As soon as the trial became a backup story it became instantly clear Punchline was going to get off.

I don't think its the worst direction they could have taken, but it does feel less subtle than a box of hammers.

[shakalooloo]

So, next time she gets caught they're throwing the book at her, right? No way she can pull this off twice in a row.

[morallyambiguousscience]

oh absolutely, but I'm sure there's going to be a long period where she's hands off on the actual crime and acting behind the scenes before she gets outed.

[windleopard2]

This is a world where the Joker has a body count that would make real life war criminals either vomit in disgust or turn green with envy. Meanwhile, Selina Kyle almost gets the death penalty because she took the fall for killing terrorists who blew up an orphanage.

The Gotham justice system is a joke and I wouldn't be at all surprised if Punchline does skate twice.

[iamrman]

Oh. Are DC still trying to make Punchline a thing?

[armycat23]

I really do wish they would stop. The character is flat as a plank of wood and reminds me of those knock-off movies with the similar titles, but a slight rewording, of the bigger successful movies.

[cyberghostface]

I’d say they already succeeded.

[icon_uk]

Didn't she also commit murders (a college room mate or something) before she met the Joker that she could be prosecuted for without direct reference to his actions?

"I'm going to use the Joker having editorial immunity from consequences to make myself look like the victim by comparison", is not a take I was expecting.

It would probably help if I found her character in any way engaging (I find many villains reprehensible, but are at least entertaining) but, as other's have noted, horrible people getting away with horrible things so they can do horrible things again is not something I feel like looking for in my, at least nominally, escapist fantasy reading.

[windleopard2]

I don't think superheroes have been (solely) escapist for a long time.

[numeronone]

Oompa loompa, doopety dee
I've got another riddle, DC
Oompa loompa doopety dawtett
Is it a gimmick if nobody bought it?

[numeronone]

What do you get when your character's flimsy?
Lacking in motive, just murder and whimsy?
Selling this bore's just a thankless sad chore
What audience were you aim - ing - for?

[blues32]

Can we please kill her already? She's utterly dull. "Joker's equal partner"? Joker doesn't see anyone as an equal. He stands above them all. Batman is, at best, his straight man.

And then there's her capabilities. There's no sign of her ever getting proper training, but she's able to hold her own against Harley Quinn, with her enhanced reflexes, strength, and agility? To fight Nightwing without being utterly humiliated? She comes off as a child playing pretend. She should be treated as such.

Gaggy was a better Joker sidekick. At least he could give Joker ideas. Gaggy would do some silly stunt, get Joker to laugh, and suddenly Joker had a plan. What else could a guy like Joker need? Besides his old sense of humor back. Before his idea of funny was making someone eat a soup made of their own child.

[beyondthefringe]

I hate her because she's such a smug, smirky, smarmy, obnoxious character who doesn't have enough to back it up. She's not as charismatic or engaging as she thinks she is. She's basically a sociopathic "mean girl" with clown makeup and a Joker fixation, and for me that's just not enough to support a character of her caliber getting this sort of profile.

I like my villains to earn their status and so far, it feels like Punchline's been handed things to her because of plot armor.

I hope that if they really must keep her around and make her more than a "once every few years punching bag" like so many other flavor of the month villains (remember when Prometheus was supposed to be scary?) they flesh her out a bit more and make her defining trait less "smirks at the crowd."

[icon_uk]

It's a long standing tradition on scans_daily to NOT wish characters dead, especially female characters, so please don't.

[bradygirl_12]

*sigh*

Gothamites get what they deserve.

[john_drake1964]

I will say, artistically, that last face she's making is less "ominous face" and more "constipation face."

[numeronone]

Also somehow that doesn't look like tears. Maybe some weird piercings. Or eye sweat.

[remial]

well, it IS true she didn't pull any triggers, (maybe, I don't know, I haven't read Joker War) but she DID develop and dose the population with gas to make others pull the trigger. so...

[blues32]

I think she stabbed some people to death.

[lego_joker]

This many comments in, I'm shocked nobody's pointed out how laughably clumsy this is as any kind of commentary on Internet Radicalization (as I recall Tynion saying was the point of this character). If the focus were mainly on the hundreds or thousands of young randos trying to look cool by hiding behind the Joker's image, that would work - but I feel condensing it into one actually devoted and competent supervillain gives the concept a kind of dignity it doesn't deserve.

[windleopard2]

I don't see how being associated with a villain would be dignified. Not one like Punchline anyway.

[jgraygaming]

This feels so weird to me.

Can you Tik Tok from prison?

Wouldn’t any prosecutor be able to object to the use of media to influence the outcome of the trial?