Warning! Spoilers for Batman #97 below!

The ‘Joker War’ is in full swing as the Clown Prince of Crime has overtaken Gotham and sent the city into chaos. However, a new vigilante has emerged among the destruction, as the Clownhunter is hunting down the Joker’s men – and the Joker himself is impressed.

The Joker has done a magnificent job of ensuring Batman’s life is an absolute living hell in the “Joker War.” He’s successfully stolen all of his money and taken control of all of his technology, properties, and his companies. On top of that, the Joker has cruelly toyed with Bruce Wayne’s most tragic moment of his life, while releasing a toxin that’s wreaked havoc in Gotham. As Batman deals with the madness caused by the toxin, a new vigilante has shown up to try to stop Joker and his insane plans.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Batman #97 by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles, Punchline is acquiring more of the chemicals needed for Joker’s new toxin when one of his henchmen tells her that they need more security, as 12 clowns died yesterday. Punchline immediately responds by saying Batman doesn’t kill, but the henchmen lets her know it isn’t the Bat, but instead a new vigilante, the Clownhunter. That’s when the comic flashes back to the day before, where Clownhunter is dousing a Batmobile in gas, which sets off a deadly explosion.

Punchline isn’t pleased that Clownhunter is killing the Joker’s men, so when she informs him of the situation she gets a surprising response. The Joker tells her the Clownhunter’s presence is “wonderful” as it shows that vigilantes in Gotham have taken a step forward from their no-kill mentality. The Clownhunter isn’t following Batman’s moral code as the “rule book has been thrown out!” Punchline asks Joker if they should just let Clownhunter keep killing people. Joker tells her to send their heavy hitters to “crucify him,” and also to kill Harley Quinn.

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While Joker isn’t intent on letting Clownhunter continue to kill his men, he sees the murderous new vigilante as a product of Gotham’s increasingly Batman-less environment. Clownhunter doesn’t act under the same moral code as Batman and is willing to kill to get the job done. That’s exciting for the Joker as most new heroes try to fall in line with Batman. However, that doesn’t mean he’ll let Clownhunter live. If the new antihero wants to keep breathing, he’ll have to take down some of the strongest men in Joker’s army – Clownhunter has definitely proved he’s capable of doing that.

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Liam McGuire
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Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

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