Punchline Gets Thrown In The Trash! 

What is the Gotham Game?

The Gotham game is definitely MONOPOLY Batman edition.

Sasha needs to become chief editor for some comic book company. She really knows her stuff.

Punchline will continue to be promoted until everyone has their $1500 statues made over 5 easy interest free monthly installments paid off.

Aimless is basically Punchlines character, nobody seems to know what do with her.

4:05 I love the idea that the Bat signal is just like, A bat family Gacha now.

They really missed out by not calling the game console wayneboy.

Question: does Punchline deserved better? It seems like DC knows female counterparts to Joker bring lots of interest but they barely every actually know what to do with them. Harley, Joker's "daughter", and Punchline all exist but only Harley actually has a good reason to exist. I like Punchline in theory but I'm not sure if she'll ever become that popular, mostly because things seem left unplanned to start and unresolved to finish.

Unrelated but as an aspiring writer, the constructive critiques from this channel are pretty helpful! Always gives you something to think about or overthink, that's fun too. This was a pretty good Punchline breakdown.

Might as well rename her “Bold and Brash.”

I'm old enough to remember how Bob Haney and Stan Lee wrote young hipster dialogue back in the day, so I'll give some slack to Millennial Tini Howard writing Gen-Z Punchline. Failing spectacularly trying to write for younger generations is a long and honored tradition in the comics biz.

Seeing Dick and Harper together does make the Bluebird outfit look like a female version of Nightwing.

Sasha said she almost fell off the Punchline train. I can forgive her since she was concerned with other things like giving birth to her child.

The Gotham Game: It's everyone playing on the same board, but they're all playing different classic games. Some are playing Monopoly, some are playing Sorry!, some are playing Clue, some are playing Guess Who?, some are playing Mouse Trap, and Batman's playing them all at the same time.

Seems like the biggest issue is that all of Punchline's conflict is external - stuff that just happens to her - instead of internal conflict driving her to make things happen. She will never grow as a character without that.

As others have said, it is more fun watching you narrate and give your critiques than to actually read the books. It saves money. I also think this is a huge sticking point for DC. They tend to milk new characters who have a lick of popularity, looking at you Batman-who-used-to-laugh-but-now-is-just-a-bore, without allowing them to grow organically through the efforts of them appearing frequently as a background character gaining some history.

Now make way for Punchline's apprentice, Set Up!

As a youth, I think it's ridiculous for Punchline to say 'boomer' out loud, putting any slang in dialogue dates it and that meme is already pretty old, so no one is saying that. She should've called him a crusty old man. If you want a topical slang word maybe call him 'maidenless'.

I think all this mini series highlights is that punchline doesn't have what it takes to be a big player in Gotham. Her drug idea is great, but she can't keep her lab safe, can't stop getting high, and above all else evokes no fear from the other criminals. She's a right hand to joker and that's ok.

Am I the only one who didn't know there was a new Catwoman?

I get the distinct vibe that they're Speedballing her, and that's not a good thing. "Hey kids! Here's a brand new character that's gonna speak directly to and for you, and we're gonna make them super important and hip deep in EVERYTHING, just like you want to be. That should make you want to buy ALL the books, right?" Ask Robbie Baldwin how well that works out. His series lasted ten issues, and everyone STILL hates him. From 1989.

I love Sasha. You give the distinct vibe of "we would have been friends in high school", which is the best kind of creator.

I really like you analysis on how to write misogynistic characters, something I miss in current comics is the subtlety in writing, everything needs to beat you over the head with their message instead of have the reader interpret subtext. The lack of subtlety really flattens characters out

Gotham Game? More like War of Broads and Boomers.

I've been saying this a million times and ill say it again, Punchline is better going against Terry.

“Never send a cat to do a man’s job” that’s an insane line

With the title of "Gotham Game" this whole series could have been about Punchline playing the "Gotham Knights" video game and I would have been cool with that.

These videos seem like one million times more fun and interesting than the comics. Thanks for doing these ;)

This mini isn't working for me. Punchline is all over the place. She starts out confident, next she starts going nuts, then she was a coward out of her league in Catwoman, and now she's a berserker out for blood. Are all of Tini Howard's comics like this?

Sasha, you are the editor DC needs right now.

I feel like Gotham Game and Punchline herself is an example of a good idea with poor execution. The idea is there and there's a lot that can be done with them, but the story and character aren't quite nailed down yet. They need more ground to build off of before jumping to great heights.

Reminds me of one of my favorite UHF quotes: "I don't know how many times I've told those boys, never call chicks broads."

The main issue is, punchline could be a interesting character, particularly due to being a manipulator. But over all as a series it feels more random and fun then informative. I think the Gotham game is just reputation. I mean, there’s a lot of villains who are basically untouchable because they are so well known. Most villains spend a lot of time in Arkham but don’t seem to struggle with followers,

really glad comics youtubers are still around, dc and marvel really needs to give this side of content some love and attention.

NGL I'm really liking the Harper Row attention lately. I like that shes becoming Punchline's Foil.

She was looking for her clout in the dumpster.

I like Punchline and she's one of my favourite characters but her getting thrown into the trash is really funny to me

Yeah, see.. these skirts are gettin' frisky thinking they wear the pants in this town! I'm ok with the tight clothing but let's keep em behind the desks. Now, lets do some crimes boyos!

This mini-series reminds me of the solo X-Men mini-series from the '90s. Trying to drum up interest for more solo X-Men comics beyond Wolverine. The closest they were to this was Nate Grey from Age of Apocalypse, and that comic didn't last long.

Am I the only one who thought of Orion being found in the garbage in Final Crisis when Punchline was in the garbage… maybe that’s just me, once you read Final Crisis, it’s hard to forget it lol

If you know Yugioh, the only option you have to do is get gasoline and burn the entire board. When you do that your pulling a Joker move.

Honestly I know Punchline more from Brizzy Voices cosplay than the comics. Which just makes me want Brizzy to play/voice her in an adaptation.

Punchline is the result of Harley Quinn moving so much merch that they turned her into a hero but they still wanted to tell Harley Quinn villain stories.

20:04 Maybe King is debating with himself out loud?

Where she belongs 🤭

On the Blackmask front... that's sadly entirely realistic to a lot of misogynists. They really do talk like that and operate on such a shallow level of thinking.

Gotta wonder if Punchline, by the nature of the character (young and precocious... but YOUNG!), ever had the potential that DC editorial seems to be forcing on her. I'm reminded of a similar "child villainess" from early 70s Captain America, named Nightshade. A brilliant scientist who created a werewolf serum (Falcon caught a dose), but also an inexperienced poseur who was acknowledged and written as such in the story. It seems that modern characters, like PL, aren't rooted in honest and accurate psychological reality, so they can never really come to life, become truly iconic of even emblematic of anything but weakness (if PL was intended to mock the mindset of the current generation, then she's a modest success; but still the writing, her depiction and details, could be better).

You're the only one making this story interesting. You should really think about being a editor for people getting into crowd funded comics. Or something along those lines. If you fell off the Punchline train none of us would be upset.

Thanks for keeping up with this series admittedly I have given up on it. I've tried to follow what they are doing with punchline after she was given such an early big push. But it's got two big strikes against it. Could not care less about a character that social media is a major plot catalyst and Tini Howard's writing leads out of character with inconsistent motivations. Ah what could have been

Punchline just feels too derivative and uncooked as a character. It doesn't feel like anyone has a real plan for her that isn't gimmicky. She's shallow with cringy generational/social media references, not particularly deep in design, and there's just not much to grab onto about her. She's been all style and no substance for years. Honestly, she's the Poochie of the DC universe.

I honestly don't know why DC is bothering anymore. Punchline has been divisive at best but never popular to the point where readers wanted to see more of her. Ontop of that she's been dumped in a mini series largely seperate from any regular ongoing title making it even more unlikely for her to spark any lasting interest. As for the mini itself it was seemingly expected to be so sucessful that DC would turn it into an ongoing but that's clearly not happening. I think that because the story seems to have been intendet to be much grander since it was setting up so many concepts and plot threats all at once. I'm also puzzled as to why they made this series to begin with. One might argue that it was because of the overwhelming popularity of the Punchline back-up in the last Joker series but I personally never saw anyone praising that one. In fact from what I can tell readers hated it so much that they simply ignored it. I really think DC should just abandon Punchline alltogether since she's clearly not working. She's a poorly defined Anarky knock-off with a distorted version of Harley's actual original origin story and basicly nothing else going for her. Tini Howard is supposed to take over the Harley Quinn title now and judging by this * gestures * it's somehow gonna get worse than it was before wich I didn't think could be possible.

It's crazy that Punchline is becoming Haper Rowe's real arch. Like the Bat brat DC forgot and the villain refuses to give a rest.

I'm actually really happy they're letting this character reach for the stars too quickly and I would love to see her being sidestepped as character motivation because it speaks to her needing to "earn a spot" in Gotham and the DC universe without dismissing her as a bad character, she isn't. As much as Harley was the woman running back to an abusive relationship, Punchline to me is the intern that sleeps with the boss and then tries to usurp him somehow. She's all fresh ideas and drive but no experience or morality.

Sounds like a fitting end.

The Gotham Game is what parents have been calling Gotham Knights for the past few months. E.g. "Hi, do you have the Gotham Game in stock? My son wants it for his birthday."

I love to hear your takes on the various comic issues you read haha Your quips, comments and ponderings is a nice insight to the ongoings of the comic book industry :)

I've been away for so long that this feels like a fever dream

Don't forget "moll". "skirt" and "dish".

The idea of “The Gotham Game” as the big leagues of crime is great. Only the best can make it there. This story would be more fun with Punchline as the protagonist in an ensemble of mid level villains trying to “go pro” and make it big, maybe one of them are from hub city and branching out? Another like punchline a former sidekick. Gotham is the crime jewel

The Gotham game? Remember, it's all about the game and how you play it. YAY! Wrestling reference.

Great premise that slowly unravels with more and more plot threads that don't connect each book and iffy dialogue? SOunds like a Tini Howard book. My head cannon is that she must have amazing pitches, because she gets SO MANY titles when all of her books end up with the same problems.

The game was rigged from the start.

Another awesome analysis. Thanks for taking the time to think deeply about how the series can be improved as well as for sharing what is done well. I also enjoyed that you defined Scroogeploitation; I always wondered how to appropriately reference the subgenres. LOL! Kudos on the Punchline themed wig! 😁

Trash meets trash. And that's the punchline.

Is Poochie finally going back to her own god damn planet?

just an aside, i also hate her new costume. the faux corset and tutu make her look like a little girl playing dress up instead of an actual threat. it’s such a downgrade considering her previous one especially since she is a younger villain trying to be taken more seriously. is it just me or are they making her dumber? she was supposed to be an unhinged prodigy, a loose cannon pointed in joker’s direction, now she just seems like an aimless fan girl.

I still don't know who Punchline is supposed to be. I'd like her to become an opponent for Huntress, or Batwoman, somewhere where she can grow some roots. Look what Harley Quinn did for Poison Ivy; not being in that type of relationship, but it really re-imagined her.

Man, I absolutely get why writers continue to use Black Mask as the go-to strawman misogynist character in the Gotham rogues gallery, but it makes enjoying his character that much harder. Yes, his character is absolutely tied into those themes in regards to Catwoman and Stephanie Brown, but my first exposure to him in the comics were more through the Red Hood storyline and....I want to say Streets of Gotham? When he was acting crime boss for the city and did shit like give Zsasz his own child-fighting arena because Zsasz saved him once. I liked him as just a true-blue fucker, even if it often requires him getting his shit pushed in, but it does suck where a chunk of his modern appearances revolve around his awful treatment of women.

Just want to confirm that teens and early twenty-somthings do say, "Boomer" out loud and unironically, at least out here in the Southwest/West Coat. Seriously though, you look fantastic, I hope you're getting enough sleep. 🤗

Honestly, I think Punchline's gang is one of the weakest elements in this entire story. I get they're trying to make it so she has her own minions to compete with other Gotham criminals, but they A) don't feel like they're themed around Punchline as a character... even Joker never went with card suite themed henchmen to my knowledge and he plays up the Joker card quite often as a character motif. B) They seem to have really out-there powers and abilities, which begs to question how Punchline even recruited them or where they came from. If someone had powers and abilities that were above normal humans, why would they feel the need to follow someone who wasn't? It feels like they were just cobbled together so she could have a varied team. The nanotech stuff also feels really weird and high-tech for a no-name villain to have at her disposal. This story and Punchline in general just feels messy. I think DC has tried way too hard to push her into the limelight and as a major character that there's been no time to actually *build* her up and I'm not convinced they really have solid ideas of her as a character and her motivations. She's been around for a bit over 3 years, and it's just breakneck speed. She's introduced as a Joker fangirl to hench woman/ sidekick to replace Harley Quinn, then she's fighting and beating Harley and Batman almost immediately, the writers dial that back because they realized it's a bit much and decide to have her do her own thing and now she's trying to run her own gang and compete with major Gotham gangs. It's very jarring, to say the least. It feels like they've started to abandon the social media aspect of her character, which was at least unique and could have had some mileage, so now instead of manipulating people and public opinion with her followings and presence she's just devolved to saying internet jargon out loud as a part of her personality. As much as I'm tired of the Joker being everywhere all the time, I almost feel like Punchline would have been better served by having been associated with him for much longer with rifts between them gradually opening up over the years and her taking more initiative to do things outside of his direct influence while still working towards a similar goal. Have her succeed on smaller scale ideas that are important parts of a bigger picture, and build her up as she gains experience and familiarity with readers. If she's going to fight and get the upper hand against established characters, have her do it in a way that feels underhanded and clever. If she uses tactics that resemble the themes of other villains, have her have a run in with them. Imagine she did something with Scarecrow's fear toxin and then Scarecrow comes after her and turns the tables on her kind of deal. Maybe she uses her social media clout to manipulate henchmen of other villains to defect with supplies and equipment belonging to other villains. That could have been her thing, where you never know what kind of threat she's going to pose because she's eroding the support off other villains and using variations of their tactics to augment her own plots and abilities. She could do this and frame other villains for actions Joker and her take to throw heroes off their tails during pivotal moments. Ultimately, start her off as an invaluable hench woman who builds up to being a credible threat that becomes increasingly more and more independent from the Joker until she eventually goes solo after it feels like it makes sense for her character. Keep her as a potential ally for the Joker and don't be afraid of seeing her plans blow up in her face, only for her to turn things around through her ingenuity and talents later. This character has the potential to be fresh and interesting and I can't help but feel they're slowly squandering it.

Great video! Thanks for giving us the summary of this Punchline series. I still don't know how to feel about her. She has a cool look, but I am struggling to care about her character. Let's see if Editor Dave can help us out next issue! :)

Look at the gams on that dame!

9:56 is really good writing advice on writing misogyny in a more nuanced, gross, pervasive and interesting manner instead of the hamfisted, clumsy, and preachy way that pulls readers/viewers out of the story. I took notes. Thanks!

I really enjoy this series, but it's not Tini's best work, I would be very curious how you see her catwoman compared to this, her catwoman is stellar

I like this. Thank you

Back with some more Punchline! This is all I'm here for 😅

One of the best analysis and explanation yet

I imagine a version of PunchLine who exits in the future era of (BATMAN BEYOND) & she lives in the Earth-53 Realm.

9:55 Personally I think it's better when it's implied. My hero academia kinda implied it with Dabi recently. He said something along the lines of "The women in this weak" or "The women in this family are crazy".

I think it's hard to pull something like this all together with a final issue. You most likely will get something like the final episode of most Marvel Disney+ TV series, where it's like everyone suddenly remembers they need to wrap it all up, along probably with some "notes" from execs, and so the writers/producers metaphorically stuff all their plot resolve ideas plus "notes" into a cannon and shoot it at the viewer. Sometimes it works. Or works for some. But often not so great. Piggybacking off Sasha's idea, I do like the idea of something altering Punchline's mental faculties as partially explaining why she's not the force to be reckoned with this that she was before. I'd go a double whammy of the designer drug & the nanites. Use that one character's anti-nanite EMP-like device to clear Punchline's head, and then maybe Punchline would remember being drugged... in this hypothetical scenario. And maybe have Black Mask be the one who did it somehow via one of the Royal Flush gang. But regardless, Punchline suddenly can take everyone on once she's herself again... everyone including the Joker, though they still have some relationship, but it's one where the Joker's starting to be a little threatened. But... metaphorical cannon in the face might be what we get. And maybe it will work.

A joke without a punchline is Absurd. This is the core of Absurdity. Punchline has read both Sartre and Camus. She recognizes the first, but she sees the Latter in Camus. Peace and happiness,Sasha!

Overall, it just feels like people are trying way to hard to force Punchline into being a thing that everyone just accepts and is as into as the people that created her. It's like you've assembled all the right ingredients, and it seems like you've put it all together, but it just isn't as popular as the old cake people say they're tired of but still won't turn down when it's offered. They try the new cake, because new cake, but something just off. It almost gets there, but you don't go back for seconds. "Stop trying to make fetch happen" pops into my head whenever they try something with Punchline. It could have worked had they done it differently, but I still find myself not caring. A shame really, because I love her color scheme.

You could say that Punchline's goals are beyond your understanding

Tough decision. Do I want to watch a 25min vid of a person I was tired of in the first story they introduced her in BUT it's narrated by mommy enhanced Sasha? Not a question at all; love sasha's quips

I wanted to say that I really like Punchline! I hope they develop her more and let her play into the themes they wanted her to embody. LET HER run around and break shit. Let her show how OBSESSED she is with Joker and even have a back-and-forth with "Mistah J" about her growing to understand him and playing on the fact that she never could or that she might. One of the reasons why I loved Harley was, even though she was designed to be a one-off in the animated series, her personality was developed and allowed to grow! That's why I hate when DC tries to make her into Deadpool lite the character myself (and many of you) grew up with. Her nuanced relationship replaced with "Lol So random" attitudes. That said, I want them to build Punchline as an individual and at the same time, develop her relationship and dynamic with The Joker. How will she be different and what her goals are. I just hope DC doesn't screw her up like many other characters I love.

6:44 "...something to make it a bit more clear." Unless that being unclear is the point.

Very cool purple hair Casually.

I love this discussion. I am curious how issue six will turn out. They seem like a mess. Maybe Punchline needed to make mistakes. I'm curious if she is going to come undone.

I think this is a great critique

I do not think you are too critical. You take the series serious, and if anything I would say this is a compliment for a writer. And if they want to push Punchline in the first line of characters I think it is best if the comics are looked onto in detail. When it should become relevant it should be made with care (or it will be a strawfire for sure). Also I would say your thoughts make much sense.

It's rather like the movie Interstellar for me. I'm in it all the way to see it, but it feels like it needs one or two more drafts of the script first. Still, maybe now Dave's woken up the end might do that. I did like art in issue four though. The look on her face when Black Mask finished speaking and she had to think on her feet for once was really good. I thought Black Mask hated everyone, not just the ladies, so he's just being that way because he's speaking about and to her. Nice to see Tiger Shark and the Ventroloquist against though. It's been a while. What if the way this ends: 1: Freemont is actually trying to track down Punchline because she's Alexis's long lost twin sister? And your theory from way back was right all along! 2: the whole things ends with it turning out to be a comic Joker is reading, and it's just one from whoever is putting out those back ups in the man who stopped laughing? We shall see.

Factory destroying dames, and plenty of em

It feels like Punchline is spinning out, not sure where to focus her energies or not set on her goals. As a character, she feels incomplete, like there's something important missing from her build, like a deeper motivation. So far, most of the "motivations" attributed to Punchline have been pretty surface-level, as there's no concrete support for them with her actions and reactions. But I could be seeing things from a weird angle.

You should be an editor at DC (or Marvel). You provide excellent story and dialogue observations to improve the books. (Sorry Samuel Summers-we had the exact same idea!)

I Still Wish Alexis Kaye would make her Debut outside of the Comics; I WANT TO KNOW WHAT VOICE DC WILL GIVE HER IN BOTH ANIMATION & LIVE-ACTION!!!

I think she is her persona, so she would say it out loud... always enjoy a War Games reference lol

Oof. The boomer thing is kinda cringe but there's honestly not a better batman rogue to be called a boomer than black mask tbh

For someone who is wearing a mask with no holes for their mouth, Black Mask certainly seems to drink a lot of Scotch.

Oh come on; not even an "F's in chat for Valmont."? Sheesh.

Nightwing and Blue Bird have a nice Dynamic Duo ring to it