Timala Elliott
Timala Elliott
Punchline: The Gotham Game #6
DC Comics
Written by Tini Howard & Blake Howard
Art by Gleb Menikov & Max Raynor
Colors by Luis Guerrero
Letters by Becca Carey
The Rundown: Bluebird has an epic showdown with her enemies at Miller Harbor.
The Royal Flush Gang return to their base and find it has been breached with one lone survivor. They then discuss their next steps. Two days later, an injured Punchline awakens to Joker nursing her wounds. After an interesting conversation, she heads off to find Black Mask. Elsewhere, at Miller Harbor, the Royal Flush Gang confront Roman, but are soon interrupted by Bluebird and Batman. Soon an all out brawl begins with things getting even more complicated when Punchline joins in the fray with a large population of chemically addicted Gotham citizens. Finally, in the epilogue, Batman and Bluebird discuss the state of Gotham and Punchline as the Gotham City Police deal with the remnants of activity at the harbor.
The Story: The final chapter of this series ends with a large display of power from Punchline and the promise of a storyline continuance in Catwoman. I found this action packed narrative did a good job of showing how a cult of personality heavily influences those that surround them. Punchline’s biggest advantage is her ability to manipulate, whether it is through mild altering drugs or social media. And much like in the real world, while her influence appears large, it really only reaches a small percentage of the population. The final conversation between Batman and Bluebird does an excellent job of explaining that fact. I hope this work can produce a broader discussion amongst young people regarding the pros and cons of media outlets and social accounts.
The Art: This is a good looking, colorful issue, that focuses heavily on character expression and form. I found the artwork impressive in both styling and tone.
Punchline: The Gotham Game #6
