The Joker's new girlfriend Punchline hasn't even made her official comic debut, however, the hype surrounding the character is huge. There has been little revealed about the character outside what she looks like and a tease of her first appearance. However, artist Jorge Jimenez dropped some interesting details about Punchline that make her the polar opposite of Joker's former girlfriend Harley Quinn.
Punchline, who was co-created by Jimenez and James Tynion IV, will make her debut in this week's Batman #89. The new villain will then next appear in Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3, will star on her own variant cover for May's Batman #94, and will take on Nightwing in Nightwing #72. In Tynion IV's recent newsletter, Jimenez described Punchline as "Harley Quinn's polar opposite."
Jimenez broke down Punchline in the newsletter, calling her a "real breakout character if we handle her correctly." He said Quinn is the character's opposite, as she's essentially "Joker's new girlfriend," who is like the "Joker #2." If you were expecting a more light-hearted villain by the Joker's side, that's not what Punchline is going to be. Jimenez described her as a "silent, terrifying serial killer," that's "sexy as hell." He said they didn't create Punchline just to be "the anti-Harley Quinn."
We don’t want to base her costume off either Joker or Harley’s too much, but there should be a bit of a clown component to her. Maybe she has a porcelain mask, but that might be too cheesy. We don’t want her to just be anti-Harley Quinn, and we don’t just want her to be female joker. We don’t want to evoke The Batman Who Laughs or the Dark Multiverse with somebody who looks like she steps out of Hellraiser.
Jimenez made a great comparison, saying that it's like a "f**ked up Archie Comic" where the Joker is Archie, Harley Quinn is Betty, while Punchline is Veronica. He further called Punchline the devil on Joker's shoulder - which makes Harley the angel - which is sort of wild. Punchline also loves killing people. Jimenez described her as a talented killer who gets along with the Joker quite well.
When she smiles, it’s scary. It’s not a toothy smile, it’s a closed mouth grin. She is a sadist. She enjoys killing people. She is talented at killing people. The Joker calls her the funniest person he’s ever met in his life. She is a physical character, and she should be sexy. Sexy in a slinkier, darker way than Harley, who is all pep and energy.
For those expecting the same abusive power dynamic between the Joker and Punchline, it seems unlikely based on this description. Punchline appears to be Joker's equal when it comes to being a completely deranged serial killer. She's not somebody you want to mess with, which will create an interesting relationship between her and the Joker. Punchline will be a menacing foe alongside the Clown Prince of Crime. We can't wait to see her debut.