Spinning out of her backup story 'The Trial of Alexis Kaye' in the recently-ended Joker series, Punchline – AKA Joker's latest fling, Alexis Kaye – is getting a six-issue limited series this October that follows her clownish antics after she gets out of prison.
First announced in Joker #15, Punchline: The Gotham Game will be written by Tini and Blake Howard and illustrated by Gleb Melnikov, and it will follow the titular villain as she attempts to become the queen of crime with the help of her Royal Flush Gang.
However, it won't be an easy feat – prior to her jail sentence, Punchline made a lot of enemies in Gotham, and every single one wants revenge now that she's free.
To her benefit, Punchline is great at manipulating public opinion, as seen in 'The Trial of Alexis Kaye,' by Sam Johns, James Tynion IV, Sweeney Boo, and Becca Carey. She even managed to frame a confrontation with Bluebird to make it look like she was the victim, which her rabid social media followers spread far and wide in the final installment of the backup story.
DC says Punchline: The Gotham Game will "redefine" the seedy underbelly of Gotham City, which may mean high-impact events across the series' relatively short six-issue run. Punchline may still be new – having made her first appearance in Batman #89 during the 2020 'Joker War' storyline – but she's driven and she's smart, often showing up even greater villains who came before her.
Check out covers for Punchline: The Gotham Game #1 by Derrick Chew, Rose Besch, Rafael Albuquerque, Guillem March, and Mateus Manhanini below, as well as some interior art by Melnikov.
Punchline: The Gotham Game #1 will be available October 25.
Punchline may distinguish herself as one of the best Batman villains of all time.
More DC news from SDCC 2022
- DC reveals first look at Blue Beetle: Graduation Day and Constantine: Distorted Illusions
- Clark Kent returns to high school in Superman: The Harvests of Youth OGN
- First look - Bruce Campbell writes Sgt. Rock vs. Nazi zombies in new DC horror series
- Meet the winners of the 2022 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
- DC shows off Riddler: Year One and Static: Up All Night art as EIC Marie Javins receives Inkpot Award
- Static: Shadows of Dakota limited series debuts in October
- Batman and Spawn reunite for a December one-shot
- DC announces 5 new Gotham-based titles and shows off new art
- GCPD: The Blue Wall limited series challenges Renee Montoya to reform Gotham's police
- New Batman Incorporated ongoing asks Ghost-Maker to solve a murder
- Joker becomes the Man Who Stopped Laughing in new ongoing this fall
- Gotham Knights prequel follows Batman's last case before his death
- Surprise! Dark Crisis's real title is Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths
- The Human Target returns in September and raises the stakes for Lex Luthor's bodyguard
- DC reveals more Batman: One Bad Day - The Riddler #1 covers at SDCC
- Gotham City: Year One reveals how the city became riddled with crime
- New Jim Lee art may show off Michael Keaton's new Batsuit
