Gotham City Sirens No. 3: Punchline gets closer to world domination
By Mark Lynch
DC Comics' Punchline shouldn’t be as good as she is. Not this short into her career as a villain. Nevertheless, here we are four years later and the former Joker sidekick is a step closer to world domination. And all because of an energy drink she created (more on that in Gotham City Sirens No. 2).
Punchline brought wealthy investors to her ranch and sold them the dream of killing self-healing endangered animals. She knew that preying on their, as she put it, cowboy fantasies was the right thing to sell them. Combine that with the prospect of controlling people and they were all in.
Villains like Joker, Lex Luthor, and others take decades before they create a plan to rule the world. Punchline did it in less than half the time. The timeframe isn’t the only thing that makes this impressive. She’s been one step ahead of Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy.
Punchline knew the Gotham City Sirens were coming and captured them. She even had a contingency plan for their escape by using mind-controlled henchmen with cactus on their faces. Despite the vegetation on them, they couldn't be controlled with Ivy's powers. They were strong enough to get through Ivy's plant wall too. Considering Ivy’s power over vegetation, you can’t help but be impressed by Punchline’s scheme.
It’s easy to guess that the Ivy, Catwoman, and Harley will stop Punchline before it’s too late, but it won’t be over once the mini-series ends.
Punchline is too smart for this to be her only plan. She’s created a need for XO Punch. People will crave it and she’ll keep getting money. Even if she doesn’t, Punchline has other ways of making money. She knows how to work social media and has a massive following. Don’t be shocked when Gotham City Sirens concludes with an open ending. Stay tuned to Caped Crusades to see if that happens.
Two years later canceling Batgirl is still a mistake. Two years later canceling Batgirl is still a mistake. dark. Next