Joker Gets A New Sidekick, Insert Punchline Here

The Joker has had his share of help terrorizing Gotham City. He’s had henchmen, a team-up or two and even the fan favorite Harley Quinn herself. DC Comics is about to add another name to the list. Ready to get the Punchline?

Here you can see the character designs from Jorge Jimenez, and they’re pretty great. Punchline will technically debut in Batman #89, but will have a full premiere in Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3 with art from Steve Epting and Javier Fernandez with color by Nick Filardi. The new henchwoman is definitely here to stay for a while, as she will be a part of the “Joker Wars” storyline coming to Batman this May.

As much as I’m sure they are hoping for it to be the case, it’s unlikely that DC will be able to replicate the meteoric rise in popularity that Harley Quinn has had. Punchline will be, fairly or unfairly, compared to Harley no matter what happens. This certainly doesn’t seem like a Harley clone or replacement. Rather, Punchline feels like a new amd fresh character with no real comparison to Harley. This is definitely intriguing, however, and I’m very curious to see how the character is received by long time fans.

Photo Credit: DC Comics