#and Harley being the one to try and talk Punchline and Bruce into leaving BECAUSE she's the one having had enough

[distort-opia]

I know you ship batjokes, but what do you think about jarley?

Well, I can't say I ship it, but I do find it interesting-- much like I find Bruce's other relationships interesting. It'd be tough not to, since in Punchline's own words:

-- Batman (2016) #93

Harley is the person to get closest to Joker emotionally other than Batman. And with the big disclaimer that this is all my personal opinion which I got specifically asked about, I'll put a slightly longer discussion of the subject under the cut.

To be honest, I dislike how Jarley has been reduced solely to the label of "abusive relationship", with Harley's own darker traits being swept under the rug or fully attributed to Joker's influence. Doctor Harleen Quinzell had her own demons and psychopathic tendencies, before ever meeting Joker; and it was a sense of deep loneliness that drove her to him, and which he exploited. At the end of the day, that does seem like what it amounted to, especially in the beginning... Harley feeling horribly alone, and latching onto Joker to fill that void, with Joker manipulating it and taking control. However, Joker would not have been able to take advantage of any kind of attachment if Harleen's own darkness didn't relate to Joker's own somehow.

And well, thing is... Joker, in his own way, cared about Harley. Put bluntly, he wouldn't have bothered to keep her around otherwise. It's a Black Label comic, but my mind always goes to this phrasing when thinking of Jarley:

-- Birds of Prey (2020)

"Crawled in each other's void." And Joker's void was Batman-shaped, just like she says. At this point it's been canonized again and again that Joker is in love with Batman, with Harley herself being the one to confirm it more than once... and it is fascinating how Batjokes and Jarley interact, most tragically when it comes to Harley. Because she was jealous of Batman and the hold he had over Joker's attention. Part of what kept her next to Joker, trying harder and harder to please him (like in Mad Love) was the hope that eventually, she could become as special to him as he was to her. She saw how human Joker could be about Batman, and wanted to nurture and help him turn it into something more, but in the end it probably became the most hurtful thing-- Joker being incapable of caring about anyone else but Batman, no matter how hard she tried or the things she endured.

...Anyway, Anon, to summarize, I do think Jarley is interesting :)) That being said, it's also annoying how it's being used to turn Joker into a one-dimensional cartoonishly evil abuser, ever since Harley's redemption arc began. Better writers could find ways to turn Harley into an anti-hero without bulldozing over previous characterization for her or Joker, but alas.

[zahri-melitor]

New(ish) Comics:

Batman #151: Zdarsky writes a competent Selina using her car burglar skills in this. Proof positive that Bruce & Selina make a solid investigative team.

There’s also a Tini Howard Harley Quinn backup, sigh.

Gotham City Sirens #1: I was mostly sampling this because I do like Selina and I enjoy Ivy, but a little Harley goes a loooong way.

Hmmm. The plot is a fairly weird and sort of forcing the three together, plus it looks like their main antagonist is going to be Punchline. That's...not exactly convincing me I'm going to enjoy this.

Blue Beetle #11: And that's the wrap for this series, as it's cancelled. I do wish that DC had given Trujillo one more issue to finish on #12, because it was clearly plotted as 2 6-issue arcs. So this issue is your classic "we shoved two issues of plot into one and ALSO threw in some pages of the future story we were drafting for year 2 because we liked it and wanted to show it off". Which means it reads as terribly disjointed: two separate relationships are announced by their participants; every page feels like a separate plot point, which normally would have some context and lead in; and things are hurriedly tied off without explanation. I think it probably would have gone more smoothly to read if Trujillo had left a few more threads hanging (like the Jaime/Ood'Li relationship, the Reyes family visiting, and whatever he was trying for with Traci and Nimue), but I get the desire to shove everything in so you can say you 'yeah I planned that!' and get the credit. I'll miss this. I would have liked to see the kids starting college together.

The Boy Wonder #4: oooh this is the Talia issue. I enjoyed the structure of how this was put together; echoing Talia's childhood against Damian's childhood and setting up the story of cycles of behaviour and the manner in which each of them chose to attempt to reach outside of the League's teachings. And they made different decisions! Talia chose to turn back towards the League, while Damian here is shown reaching out to change - BECAUSE he received that extra support from his brothers, which Talia did not get. It's just crunchy and really interesting framing and talks to a lot of things, because yeah. Talia did end up in a situation where she was pregnant, and her father and her lover were in opposition to each other, and she had to make a call about where she wanted to be, and where she'd raise that child. And she chose to stay with what she knew, rather than reach out and leave and tell Bruce and turn her back on her father. And that's an understandable decision she made, even if was probably the worse decision for all of Talia AND Bruce AND Damian.

Birds of Prey #12: mind empty, DinahBabs hug telling her "I love you. Never do that again!". Okay that aside this is still really good? It's a wild Xanthe appearance! I do agree that Kelly Thompson need to take a breath and slow down on trying to get to play with ALL the toys in terms of characters, but also I fully know if I were given a BOP run I would also have a cast list of at least a dozen characters who I wanted to play with, even if it was unwieldy.

Shazam! #14: Freddy has a lot of emotions and reminds you that he keeps it bottled up a lot of the time unless you're in his head. Also I enjoyed that Campbell has looped around to add Uncle Dudley back into the cast, after setting him up over in Power of Shazam; not only does he bring a lot of energy of his own but I think his thing of being unpowered and still fighting is going to link in well with the fact that Freddy, Eugene, Pedro and Darla are also still unpowered.

Plastic Man No More #1: okay, this is interestingly creepy. I honestly don't hugely care about Eel O'Brien, but it makes his condition fascinatingly horrifying plus leans into the fact that Eel's often used as a joke character. Even while on the League. Even by other characters on the League.

The Warlord #63: this week in Skartaris Travis Morgan and Mikola Rostov are off to see Jennifer to find out if she can cure his lycanthropy. Mikola brings up Mariah, because she was his student and lover, and Travis is like...oh yeah! Still trapped in the past.

At some point you'll get to come back to the story, Mariah. I believe in you. Hopefully you are busy spreading the good news of Communism among all the various gnomes in early Skartaris.

Also they drop in to see Aram's kingdom, where Shakira is spending all her time as a cat, and some fabled people who can talk to animals are visiting. They end up kidnapping Mikola.

[punchyline]

Catfight || Discord

Summary: Punchline crashes the party and a fight ensues. Trigger Warnings: Abuse mentions, violence, death, blood, Joker Written By: @harleenqueenzel, @antidyingantihero, @ofpowerfulmortal, @poisoned-kisses

Harley: Harley pressed a kiss to her adopted son's cheek, and scratched Bruce behind the ear. She felt eyes on her, turning her head to see a woman wearing clown makeup. Oh great. "Hey, Mike..." she said, looking away. "Is that clown still watching me?" she asked, feeling anxious.

Mike: Mike's smile turned genuine. Harley always made him feel better. He glanced behind her, looking at the clown. "Kind of. Who is she." he said as he looked back at the bar. "You want me to get her out of here?"

Harley: Harley let out a soft sigh. "I have no idea. But she looks like she works fer my ex," she commented, turning to look at the woman again. Her presence was making her uncomfortable. And if Pam saw her, she'd probably end up strangling her. "I'm not sure. Do I give her a chance first, or d'ya think I should go straight ta the throwin' her out?"

Punchline: "William." She mused, scrunching up her nose and giving him a cheeky smile. "I like that. I think that's what I'll call you." She decided and he wasn't about to change her mind. She liked the sound of it, the way it shaped on her tongue. She had another sip of her drink. She may be playing with him, but she was loyal to the Clown Prince of Gotham.

Mike straightened up. "Joker? If you didn't invite her get her the hell out of here. I  can do it if you want Ma'" he answered. No one was going to make her uncomfortable.

Harley: Harley bit down on her lower lip, nodding as she ran her fingers through Bruce's fur. She didn't want Mike to get hurt -- not that he could, really. "Could ya go an' ask her what her business here is or somethin' like that? If she starts bein' aggressive, I'll come over an' help. I've got a gun concealed beneath this dress," she shrugged.

Mike: "Of course." he said standing up and kissing Harley's head. He went over to the woman, not carrying about interrupting her conversation. "What's your business here?"  he asked serious. "Because I know you weren't invited."

Billy: Billy crinkled his nose, he was not used to having someone calling him by William. He felt as if he was in trouble when people did it and remind him too much about his mom, which hurt him. Even if he was extremely young when she left him at the park, he still remembered that she called him by his full name all the time, "I don't have a choice, do I?"

Punchline: "It's cute. You don't like it?" She asked Billy. She glanced Harley's way just then, catching the kiss. Half of Gotham hated her... but the other half. It praised her for leaving him. Idolized her for it. "I heard it was open for all." Punchline replied, taking a few steps from Billy towards the boy. "Did Pumpkin over there ask you to talk to me?" She said, glancing over towards Harley with an icy stare. "I'm here to paint eggs."

Harley: Harley watched as Mike approached the woman, and she heard her say 'pumpkin'. Her stomach churned and she started to walk towards Punchline, Bruce next to her, watching her closely. He'd attack if he had to. She stayed a few steps away, but was close enough to help Mike if he needed her.

Mike: "Well that was a misprint, you see it's open to everyone who don't work for a that piece of shit clown" he answered back. "I don't care what you came to do. The only thing you're going to do now is leave, and I'd rather not make a scene but I will."

Billy: Billy knew from the start that going to a villain part was a bad idea, now he was more sure, he didn't know what to do, he wasn't turned into Shazam, he had no powers, "Okay, now, let's not fight, we don't want things to end badly," he knew if they fought, more than one person could get hurt.

Punchline: Punchline eyed Harley as she came a little closer. This was who she was here for. Not her odd little bodyguard, not William. she was here for Harley Quinn. She wanted to see her. To know what she was dealing with. "I don't work for him." She corrected. She sort of did but she wanted to make it feel more intimate. More special. "We're partners." She took out her knife from her boot pocket and in one swift, cruel movement sliced open Mike's neck. Feeling the blood splatter on her face before she turned to Harley and Billy. "Oops... my bad."

Harley: Harley ran forward as soon as the woman pulled out a knife, but she was too late. She grabbed the woman by her ponytail, slamming her head against the top of the bar a couple of times. "Get the fuck outta my mansion," she hissed into her ear. She knew that Mike would wake up soon, but that didn't mean this bitch could come into her home and pull an attempted murder. "Don't make me pull out my gun, honey. I won't miss if I do."

Punchline: Punchline felt the woman tug her by her hair and smash her head against the table, not fighting against it. When she was done, she let out a small chuckle. Glancing up at her face from where she was holding her. "You liked him, didn't you? The little brat?" She whispered back. "Shoot me, dollface. I'm sure Pudding would just love that." She replied with a hiss before using her leg to kick Harley off of her. Immediately jumping on her so she could pin her to the floor. Pulling her face in close to the other woman's. "That's what you called him, wasn't it?" She said, ignoring the shouting all around her. All that mattered was Harley.

Harley: Harley slammed her head against the table again when the other asked about Mike. "Who I do an' don't like doesn't concern ya, toots. But I can tell ya one thing... I definitely don't like you." The use of the nickname she had for Joker caught her off-guard, and suddenly she was being kicked backwards. Her body pushed forward as the woman pinned her to the floor, and she headbutted her in the nose. "Yeah, 'cause that's what he was. My Puddin'. Jealousy is an ugly colour on you, sweetie!" she yelled, using all of her slightly enhanced strength to flip them over, now on top of Joker's new toy, her fingers wrapped tightly around her wrists as she pinned her down. "Tell me what ya want. Is it me? 'Cause I ain't goin' anywhere with you."

Punchline: Punchline's teeth grind together and her eyes bore into the other woman's. Anger clear on her face. She reached down to grab at Harley's neck and choke her when she felt the woman smash her head into her nose and she gasped. Blood dripping from her nose onto her snow white skin. She was as pale as he was and they'd never have that intimate connection because Harley blew up the Chemical Plant. "Say that again and I'll rip your tongue from your mouth." She snarled before Harley managed to get her down on the ground with her now straddling Punchline. "Oh... honey... I just wanted to meet you." She said before rearing up herself and smashing her own head against Harley's.

Harley: Harley could feel the woman's blood dripping onto her. It was disgusting, and she wanted to throw herself into a bath filled with sanitizer. "Rip my tongue from my mouth? Nice threat, Hannah Montana. I was with him fer years, d'ya really think a lil' threat like that is gonna scare me?" she growled. She stared down at the other, her grip on her growing tighter as she didn't get the answer she wanted. Before she could say anything in response, she was being headbutted. Their fighting styles were too similar. Had Joker trained her to fight like this? Her lip throbbed, and she felt blood dripping down her chin. "You fuckin' psycho," she screamed, letting go of one of her wrists to grab her gun from beneath her dress. "I'm gonna paint these walls with yer brains. It'll be the most beautiful thing anyone's ever seen," she warned. "I'll make sure ta invite Mistah J ta look at my new work of art. He loves it when I go feral."

Punchline: Punchline let out a deep chuckle and struggled to break free of the blonde's grip. "Hannah Montana? You're the one with the awful blonde weave." She retorted. She smacked their heads together and when she pulled back down, Harley was pulling for a gun and her wrist was freed. She could have easily grabbed a knife. She had two after all but... it was more fun to do something else. She grabbed a hold of the other's neck and forced her face closer to her own. Reaching her head back up and with her teeth biting down into her shoulder. "How's that for feral?" She spit out the blood to the side of them before moving her legs to wrap around Harley's waist and keep her still on top of her. "Go ahead, shoot me. Impress him. That is why you're doing this right. Because that's what you just said... and here I thought you were over him. My Prince."

Harley: Harley was ready to kill her. "Awful blonde weave? At least I ain't tryin' ta channel Ariana Grande with that high ponytail. Or is it just a cheap facelift?" she asked, a smirk on her face. Feeling a hand on her throat, she tried to stay as calm as possible. This was fine, she was into it. But when this stranger was doing it... It was a little scary. Her other hand reached up, grabbing the other woman's and trying to prize it away from her neck. A hiss left her lips as teeth sunk into her shoulder, and she pressed the barrel of the gun against the other's forehead. "Ya need ta keep those teeth where I can see 'em, Hannibal." As she listened to the other speak, she shook her head, feeling herself start to panic. It had taken her years to get to where she was today -- happily married, adopted kids... "He ain't yer nothin'. You think you mean somethin' ta a guy like him? Yer nothin' but a toy that he can mess with. That's why yer here now, right? He pitted you against me. Pathetic," she spat, lowering her gun and pressing a hand to the bleeding bite mark on her shoulder. "An' if ya ever bite me again, I'll pull yer fuckin' teeth out with pliers," she threatened, before sinking her own into the woman's arm. If she was going to have a scar on her shoulder, the other woman was getting one too. Fair was fair. She didn't stop, not until she was satisfied that she was causing pain. Pulling back, she grinned.

Punchline: She felt herself smile when Harley held the barrel of the gun pressed against her forehead. Tilting her head slightly back, Harley's blood bloomed at the edges of her lips and slowly dripped their way down her cheeks, like it was drawing a smile on the woman's face. She let out another chuckle at Harley's words and watched as she reacted to what she said. "You know... you kinda taste like he does." She commented, her voice low and her eyes wide. She was trying to make her jealous. Sure... Harley had been there for much longer then she had but she was his new thing now. She was there for him when Harley wasn't. She didn't run away, she took it. The bad, the good, the really ugly. Because she loved him. Harley didn't. Harley didn't know what that felt like and yet Joker never shut up about her. She was the one there everyday by his side and she kept having to hear him yammer on about how she used to call him Puddin'. How she used to smile better. Fuck that, she'd be smiling no longer. Not when Punchline had her way. "He loves me!" Punchline screamed at her when she tried to tell her that he didn't. "I'm no toy! I'm his right hand woman. He respects me. He cares for me. He didn't care for you!" She lied with a growl. Then Harley moved down and bit her back and she used her one free hand to grab at the back of her neck, at her baby hairs. Trying to force her off. When she finally was, Punchline glared ad her and used the way her legs were positioned as a way to force Harley down to the side. She then rolled them so she was on top and got up to her feet placing her foot on Harley's chest to keep her there.

Harley: Harley felt repulsed when she said that she tasted like Joker. They were nothing alike. Not anymore, at least. "Look, I'm inta some kinky stuff myself.... but that? That's just fucked up." She stared into the woman's eyes, seeing nothing but anger. Her own eyes used to be like that whenever she looked in a mirror. It was what being with a man like him did to you -- it gave you a hunger for violence and pain that you could never satiate. Eventually, his new plaything would see the light. After years of pain and abuse, mental torture. Harley didn't want that for her, even if she hated her right now and wanted to kill her. She was a puppet, just like she had been. But there was no way to make her see that. Being under his spell lasted for years. "He loves ya? Are ya sure about that? Does he love ya when he's leavin' bruises? Does he love ya when he's sendin' you out ta get hurt so he doesn't," she said, her voice low and angry. It was making her remember things she'd rather forget. This was supposed to be a fun night with her family and friends, and now it was a nightmare. "He doesn't care fer anybody!" she screamed back. "Nobody but himself!" The pain of the woman pulling her hair didn't really bother her. She'd been through so much worse, so she didn't even flinch. Once again, she was being put on her back, and she choked out a breath as the other put a foot on her chest. Reaching up, she dug her nails into her leg. "Did he teach ya this? Make yer victim feel small?" she asked, laughing as she lay there, looking up at the stranger. "Do ya feel powerful now? Like yer in charge? 'Cause you'll never be in charge of me. I'm in charge of me. Now get yer foot off me, an' go back ta kissin' his. This is yer last chance."

Punchline: Punchline: She hated her. Everything she said, she hated it. He didn't love her? Then how did she explain the good moments? Those days then he was good to her. When they'd dance together for no good reason. To no music. He'd say he just felt like dancing with her, when she asked him. How did Harley explain the times when they were alone and he'd actually let her kiss him? She felt Joker's love. She wasn't delusional or stupid. She knew it was there and the angry outbursts. That meant nothing. "Yes, he loves me then, too." She argued. Harley was screaming at her and Punchline just glared at her, watching her with a stone-cold face. She held the woman down and slowly pushed her weight against her leaning down to get a bit closer to Harley. "Maybe he did." She said. "He taught you it too, didn't he?" She said, her voice getting quieter. "I'm leaving, and not because you told me to. I could end you right now if I want." she said, taking the knife from her other boot and gesturing it towards her. "But I'd like to do it in front of him." She decided. "So he knows you're gone." She gave her one last kick before removing her foot from the other. Just noticing now the wave of dizziness in her head. She shook it, trying to get it back to normal. Taking a few steps away from her.

Pamela: Pamela had just walked into the ballroom as a woman, covered in blood, kicked Harley as she stood above her. She had been out and told Harley that she would be late to their party. She hadn't told her that she had began the process of creating more children. She would need a bette lab for that. Pamela quickly glanced around the room, noticing the blood all over their new ballroom. The shock of the scene wore off and rage bubbled up in her chest instead. The woman was thankful for the vines that grew on the outside of the house, because now she willed them to burst in through the windows. "Get the fuck away from my wife, you sad excuse for a clown! Who the fuck do you think you are? Did that bastard clown send you?" She screamed as she power-walked towards the woman, arms raised. Pamela didn't wait for an answer and she willed the vines to wrap the woman up tightly, squeezing her enough to hurt. She ran over to Harley and dropped to her knees. "Oh darling, flower, are you  alright?" she asked, panicked now, searching Harley for lie-threatening wounds.

Punchline: When the green woman burst in, Punchline frowned. She was on her way out but now she had to deal with the woman that Harley married. She didn't intend to fight Harley at all during this party. She just wanted to watch her, but ah, well. When in Rome.  The vines shot from the windows and came right towards her. She could get out of this but Poison Ivy would just wrap her up with what remains of the vines she would cut. Oh- She was rushing over to Harley now thinking that she had detained the problem. Focused on her wife. Her love. Oh, how week it was. Knife in hand she poked it through the vines. (They were pretty tough due to Spring but not actually that bad). Ignoring the pain from the squeezing in one jerk of a movement she sliced all the way through the plants and was able to release herself. Jumping down nimbly before quickly using the chance to leap out the broken window and out of the party. Hows that for an exit?

[shesquiinnsane-ar]

BATMAN: THE DARK PRINCE CHARMING

This is based upon the stand alone story from Enrico Marini featuring a whole new look for Harley Quinn whilst Joker seeks to find her the best birthday present. The Joker within this verse seems to genuinely love the Jester even if she is hard to get.

It was Harley’s Birthday and a failed heist meant Joker had turned up empty handed trying to find the perfect gift for her as Bats had thrown it into a river. Aside from that the scene was set; red, green and white decorations covered the room all that was missing was a present but a last minute joke from a new recruit led him to the punchline, and at least some present for his girl, Joker just hoped she liked itThe goons gathered round a cake, a huge smile iced into it with lots of candles as she entered. They sang Happy Birthday as the jester smiled sweetly telling them all how adorable they looked before blowing out all the candles. She counted them all but there were a few short. Running a hand down the Joker’s chest she told her puddin’ how there were only sixteen candles on the cake, when really she was twenty five. The Joker reassured her that it wasn’t an error, because she was always going to be his sweet sixteen.

The comment sweetened her up, and he needed that as he handed over a cortier case, wishing her a Happy Birthday as he did so. She asked him whether he was serious as she took the case from him. Before she had a chance to comment, Joker made a sly joke that he’d made it with his own fingers. He couldn’t be serious, and well he wasn’t, he had tried previously, but this was a gift he’d have to make on the spot. As Harley opened the case, she was horrified, for it wasn’t a cortier necklace, but a set of teeth strung together to act like a necklace. How did he think that would be a way to express his love for her? It was lousy and pathetic and the only thing worth doing with it was throwing it at his head. He complained, asking her to calm down, calling her honey in an attempt to keep her sweet. But right now, Harley wasn’t going to let him honey her, he didn’t love her, that’s how she felt amd in frustration had taken her baseball bat to the birthday cake that had been made for her. she ran off crying, leaving the celebrations, convinced the Joker didn’t love her at all.

After shooting down most of his men, as they had failed him, Joker joined Harley in their private suite, where she was watching the news. A forty-five carat diamond known as the Blue Cat was in Gotham City, set to be sold at Bernie’s Auction House the following Saturday. With an estimated worth of fifty million dollars, Harley found the present she wanted for her birthday. Joker appeared bored as Harley became overly excited, almost bouncing in her seat to let him know what she wanted. He was far more bothered about changing the channel, he found the news boring, and would rather be watching cartoons. Snatching the remote off her he changed the channel to Gotham Gossip, which annoyed Harley. She was quickly silenced, however, as the gossip channel had new news on Bruce Wayne, as they speculated whether the billionaire’s playboy lifestyle was over.

It wasn’t interesting news to Harley though, she had her beau, and Bruce Wayne was just another ‘rich bastard ‘ in Gotham. She wanted to go back to the diamond, but it wasn’t her call to make. After all, the gossip channel seemingly had the news that one woman was calling for a hundred million dollars simply because Bruce Wayne was supposedly the father of her child. Having denied paternity, she wanted to backdate the child support he owed according to woman. To the Joker, this was news, labelling Bruce Wayne a little devil, claiming he knew the man had some skeletons in his closet. Whilst Harley was listening to this garbage though she made herself comfortable, resting her head in the Joker’s lap, her feet kicked up in the air. But it seemed Joker had been thinking more than he’d let on as he let Harley know he’d figured out a way to get her present. She beamed up at him, letting him know that really she loved her Puddin’ sooo much.

But his plan wasn’t what she thought as the alleged daughter of Bruce Wayne was kidnapped by the Joker and he’d been spending more and more time with her, leaving Harley out. Opting to try and confront him on the matter, the jester folded her arms commenting that he’d been getting rather cozy with the little brat. But he told her not to be jealous of the kid, no matter how atypical she was.

It seemed eventually though, the male found some time for Harley as Archie, the only remaining original henchman Joker had, had been preparing Sushi for the pair. the meal was laid out over her body as presumably she had her own ideas for dessert. Whilst he’d been waiting the Joker had been playing on their grand piano so it was time to drop the Beethoven and move his butt in her direction. He was quick to correct her, as he’d actually been playing Rachmaninoff, but it didn’t matter she just wanted him to play with her instead. After waiting a moment, she apologised for hurting his feelings, but he could play Beef Stroganoff later but the Joker had already left. She cried out after him, as she was getting cold but after no response, and with the Joker nowhere to be seen she became increasingly frustrated, declaring he couldn’t leave her like this, but apparently her Puddin’ could. Being abandoned in favour of Mr Wayne and the little brat Harley took matters into her own hands.

Waiting on top of one of the many pipes throughout the facility that the brat had been kept in, she simply smiled upon seeing the little girl. With a smirk on her face and a bat in hand she told the girl that she knew she would have been trouble right from the start. The girl started pleading, asking to go home to her mom, asking Harley to please let her go. But that wasn’t the plan. Harley faked a pout, asking the baby girl to stop pleading before Harley got all emo and messed up her mascara. It was clear the girl knew she was no baby though, which was fortunate as Harley was no babysitter.There was nothing she’d rather do than make the girl go away but the Joker needed her, on her birthday of all days.

She didn’t know why it was so important, but it was a part of his strategic plan he never told her. Harley was sure he had it all figured out because he was a freakin’ genius but the girl wasn’t going to let her finish that thought out loud. The girl kicked her shin and Harley let out a cry, gripping her by the wrist so she couldn’t run off. Harley told the little monkey that they had to get something straight. Mista’ J was hers, and the kid was to stay away and stop charming him with her eyes as no Stockholm Syndrome would be allowed between the kid and Mista’ J. She was corrected, as the kid told her that Lima Syndrome was when the kidnapper falls for the hostage, the opposite of Stockholm Syndrome. With a careful threat with her bat, she declared the brat too smart for her own good threatening that if she wouldn’t leave the Joker alone, she wouldn’t have any eyes. Harley simply dragged the kid back to her cellar before she did something the Joker would make her regret.

It was the night of the auction of the Blue Cat diamond, and Harley and Joker were snuggled on the couch watching the auction together. Harley sighed, commenting how beautiful the diamond was as she rested her head against him. He smirked asking her again whether she wanted it. Questioning whether he was being serious the Joker seemingly picked up the phone, asking her to watch him. Talking into the phone he offered sixty million dollars for the bloody stone. At first Harley seemed ecstatic until she quickly realised they didn’t have sixty million dollars. Looking worried she told her puddin’ to wait but then he showed her the phone, as it wasn't connected to the line. Clearly he was joking, and labelled her stupid for not picking up on that. Harley tried to smile with a sheepish giggle. They continued to watch the auction together as it got tense, according to Joker it was all up to Bruce but Harley simply didn’t understand. But Bruce Wayne didn’t win the bids. At sixty-five million dollars another bidder had pipped him to the post but then all hell broke loose.

The lights turned off in the auction as a chandelier crashed to the floor and in the next moment it was clear the Blue Cat was stolen as the information of the theft was broadcasted during the auction. The Joker shouted at the television before picking it up and smashing it to the ground for good measure, claiming that was what happened when you worked with amateurs. He asked Harley to bring him a phone as he needed to make a call to which she joked, offering him the one she already knew to be broken. After getting an actual phone, however, the Joker tapped in a certain number and dialled straight through to Batman.

He’d agreed to Batman at an abandoned factory. He’d brought a lot of people there so Harley simply sat on the sidelines, steps made quite comfortable seats when you didn’t have another choice. She had her baseball bat in hand but wasn’t feeling overly excited. Her puddin’ had promised her a birthday present and instead Joker had only gone and given himself a bunch of soldiers instead, which wasn’t cool. A smile did creep up on her face though, as Joker revealed that her present should be arriving any minute. Harley asked whether her present was what she thought it was but Joker trailed off, claiming it landed on Bruce Wayne caring about his reputation or the girl he’d previously kidnapped. Speaking of which, that actually reminded Harley to tell Joker that the surveillance monitor to their cellar, where the girl was being held captive, went black.Harley even popped a strip of bubblegum into her mouth to keep her occupied.

By the time the Joker brought the girl up from the cellar Batman had arrived. As Batman gripped the Joker she swung her bat around the back of his head telling the brute to let go of her puddin’. Joker applauded her, then asked her to frisk him to find it. Bending down, feeling through the Batman’s utility belt she slyly commented that she was digging his Bat-Butt. That was when she found the Blue Cat diamond necklace. With it in her grasps, Joker officially wished her a happy birthday. It was wonderful and proceeded to tell him that she loved him over an over planting a soft kiss to cheek. He informed her that he already knew but the celebrations were cut short by Batman. With the diamond in his possession, Joker now had to let the girl go. Harley wasn’t fully paying attention to the exchange, doing up the clasp on the necklace instead.

That was until she saw Joker point the barrel of his gun straight at the kid, knocking it out of the way with the baseball in her hand. Between them they agreed not to kill any kids. Fathers, mothers, uncles and cats were okay, but grannies and kids were off the menu. According to the Joker it was all for show to make the Batman suffer, shouting at her that she’d spoiled it but it had genuinely looked real so real to her, not that that stopped her from apologising. That’s when he turned the tables, claiming he was getting a headache and calling Harley’s existence annoying as she was supposedly never happy with anything, always opting to argue. Pointing the barrel at her he did his best to frown despite his makeup, after all they had never agreed not to kill each other. Harley protested as if he was to pull the trigger it was over between the two of them and the shot went off with a Blam!

It seemed Joker wasn’t the only one to have brought back up as Catwoman pushed Harley to the ground out of the way of the shot, grabbing the Blue Cat necklace as she went. Despite being on the floor she reached out to grab Catwomans’ ankle, ready to swing her bat at her demanding she’d give the necklace back, but a boot to the face and Harley was out cold, the diamond Selina’s to keep. Harley’s hadn’t seen the rest of what happened that night, only awoke in the factory with a pounding headache and Archie the clown at her side. Mista’ J hadn’t been seen since. Without the Joker around, Harley spent a lot of her time crying, trying to move past the heartache of what she believed was bereavement, trying to spend her better days convincing Archie to become the next Crime Boss in honour of the Joker. Despite the pain she was feeling, Harley was trying to find a way to continue. But in his own twisted way, the Joker always seemed to find a way to come back - even supposedly back from the ‘dead’.

[distort-opia]

What are your opinions on Tynion run? I noticed there’s some batjokes fans not being too much into it. I wonder if it’s because of the new LI for Joker or is there truly something off?

Mm. I can't say I'm opposed to it, to be honest. It has its good parts and bad parts. Tynion actually was a co-writer alongside Snyder for a good chunk of the New 52, and for stories I did like. And when it comes to his solo Batman run, I personally had fun with Joker War and Fear State. He introduced Ghostmaker too, a character I've come to like a lot. And even Punchline is quite interesting.

However, when it comes to most Batjokes fans disliking his stories, I get why that might be -- Punchline seems like a new love interest meant to "straighten" Joker out. And Ghostmaker has now become half of a popular Bruce ship (Ghostbat), which you might hate, if you're an exclusive shipper. But on closer inspection, to me at least, it looks like Punchline as a character is meant to be Harley Quinn's opposite. She hasn't joined Joker out of love, but rather ambition. She's a sidekick, not a love interest. She believes Joker has an anarchist agenda, and she wants to further that. She joined Joker because of her twisted belief system and ensuing obsession with "someone who understands", not quite realizing Joker is faking having any agenda. Both Joker and Punchline are using each other, with different degrees of awareness about it. This is pretty much spelled out in Joker War, in the fight between Alexis and Harley. And when it comes to Ghostbat, I personally think it's not detrimental to Batjokes in any way -- it's Bruce and a weakness a mile wide for a psychopathic character who he thinks understands him. I've got a whole-ass post of Batjokes/Ghostbat parallels in the works, which says plenty, I guess.

And well, I guess one could hate the ending of Joker War, from a Batjokes shipper POV. Bruce leaves Joker to fend for himself with a bomb strapped to him and it's 100% framed as him leaving a toxic partner behind. But I'm an angst fiend and I find this kind of conflict really interesting :)) From Endgame (which Tynion co-wrote for) to Joker War, you get Joker escalating in his quest to force Bruce be more... Batman. In Endgame, he didn't fully go after "Bruce Wayne", only after Gotham. But in Joker War, he goes after everything "Bruce Wayne" is. It's a huge escalation on Joker's part, who in the past would not have touched Batman's secret identity with a ten-foot pole. And so, of course Bruce needs to escalate as well. I'm not actually talking about Bruce leaving Joker to die, because the text makes it 100% clear Bruce knew Joker had the tools to survive. The point of that scene is that Joker went too far in trying to force Bruce play his part, save Joker at any cost the way he always did, with Bruce going "fuck you, do it yourself" and then leaving. Which is what Joker genuinely gets upset over -- Bruce's refusal to play the game. He doesn't get to hear Bruce admit he thinks Joker is right later to Selina, or see Bruce try to do exactly what Joker said he should do. It's a messy divorce arc, kind of! And I'm a sucker for this shit.

Anyway, I got a bit too long, but yeah -- I guess I can't say I've got terribly passionate takes on Tynion's writing (like with Morrison, Snyder or King) but I definitely can't say I hate it.

[itsblueberry13-blog]

#this is part of why Joker War is very interesting to me too#Tynion so clearly had Batman Punchline and Harley at the forefront of the story#as three main relationships Joker has. each of them at different stages of having wanted something from him#Punchline in the beginning. Bruce in the middle. Harley at the end#and Harley being the one to try and talk Punchline and Bruce into leaving BECAUSE she's the one having had enough#...but it's wild how through the sheer nature of comics. Batman is essentially INCAPABLE of leaving Joker behind#DC will only stop telling their story when it stops selling and God knows when that'll happen#so Harley tells Bruce 'this story needs an ending'#and Bruce tries to walk away from Joker#but in the very next issue Bruce says 'Joker was right' and implements the lessons Joker tried to teach him#how's that an ending? it isn't and it can't be#aaaanyway. me and my brand of overthinking as usual#asks#batman#joker#jarley#batjokes#my meta

I know you ship batjokes, but what do you think about jarley?

Well, I can't say I ship it, but I do find it interesting-- much like I find Bruce's other relationships interesting. It'd be tough not to, since in Punchline's own words:

-- Batman (2016) #93

Harley is the person to get closest to Joker emotionally other than Batman. And with the big disclaimer that this is all my personal opinion which I got specifically asked about, I'll put a slightly longer discussion of the subject under the cut.

To be honest, I dislike how Jarley has been reduced solely to the label of "abusive relationship", with Harley's own darker traits being swept under the rug or fully attributed to Joker's influence. Doctor Harleen Quinzell had her own demons and psychopathic tendencies, before ever meeting Joker; and it was a sense of deep loneliness that drove her to him, and which he exploited. At the end of the day, that does seem like what it amounted to, especially in the beginning... Harley feeling horribly alone, and latching onto Joker to fill that void, with Joker manipulating it and taking control. However, Joker would not have been able to take advantage of any kind of attachment if Harleen's own darkness didn't relate to Joker's own somehow.

And well, thing is... Joker, in his own way, cared about Harley. Put bluntly, he wouldn't have bothered to keep her around otherwise. It's a Black Label comic, but my mind always goes to this phrasing when thinking of Jarley:

-- Birds of Prey (2020)

"Crawled in each other's void." And Joker's void was Batman-shaped, just like she says. At this point it's been canonized again and again that Joker is in love with Batman, with Harley herself being the one to confirm it more than once... and it is fascinating how Batjokes and Jarley interact, most tragically when it comes to Harley. Because she was jealous of Batman and the hold he had over Joker's attention. Part of what kept her next to Joker, trying harder and harder to please him (like in Mad Love) was the hope that eventually, she could become as special to him as he was to her. She saw how human Joker could be about Batman, and wanted to nurture and help him turn it into something more, but in the end it probably became the most hurtful thing-- Joker being incapable of caring about anyone else but Batman, no matter how hard she tried or the things she endured.

...Anyway, Anon, to summarize, I do think Jarley is interesting :)) That being said, it's also annoying how it's being used to turn Joker into a one-dimensional cartoonishly evil abuser, ever since Harley's redemption arc began. Better writers could find ways to turn Harley into an anti-hero without bulldozing over previous characterization for her or Joker, but alas.