Harper Row: Bluebird Appreciation 2021

[J. D. Guy]

Is DC confirming Bruce is LGBTQ+? Likely, B?

That'd be a neat something, wouldn't it? But no, I don't think so. DC is considerably more likely to confirm Dick Grayson as Bi. And as it currently stands, they're much happier just queerbaiting by using Grayson as an icon; that way, they pander to his fandom who already headcanon his bisexuality while remaining noncommittal and no-homo for those they'd fear isolating. If they can't even work up the courage to confirm Dick's bisexuality, there's no way they'd be able to begin mustering up the nerve to confirm Bruce's.

(And no, I don't think Bruce should be taking up a spot there, even if he isn't directly centered. He's not LGBTQIA+, so he shouldn't be on a cover celebrating LGBTQIA+ characters. Same for the queerbaiting Dick Grayson/Nightwing.)

[J. D. Guy]

I’m super curious how she’d match up with Miracle Molly. Her and Bluebird’s designs owe a lot to technicolor hair, so that’d be a neat design clash.

Miracle Molly would make for a really cool transplant adversary for Bluenird. Or even The Signal while he's in Gotham. Lot's of fun to be had with Miracle Molly interacting with both, I feel.

[Westbats]

Sweeney Boo Harper Row.jpg

From Sweeney Boo yesterday, really like how she sketches Harper and Bluebird. Definitely going to be interesting to see her pages in upcoming issues of the Punchline backup.

[Stars & Stripes]

Sweeney Boo Harper Row.jpg

From Sweeney Boo yesterday, really like how she sketches Harper and Bluebird. Definitely going to be interesting to see her pages in upcoming issues of the Punchline backup.

I kinda dig the neck armor being blue to match the mask. Makes her look less like Nightwing and more like a Bluebird.

[Stars & Stripes]

tumblr_1cc9c72ea5f60e5d6e624001d39419d0_9afc1be4_640.jpg

From the Batwoman story in DC Pride from last week. Nice to see our girl in blue get an appearance there.

[Westbats]

Since reading the Punchline backup this week, I've had this feeling of dread. We the audience now know that Punchline is explicitly aware:

• Who Harper Row is.
• That Harper is the vigilante Bluebird.
• That Bluebird has been investigating her, having had run into Aiden, and the incriminating evidence burning.
• Cullen's involvement with Bluff and the rest of her group.

Since Tynion said that the backups are at the halfway point of the story, I don't know what the endgame for this story is. I feel like Marcus will betray Harper, and that Orca will betray Punchline to save her (maybe similar to how Killer Croc was in Gotham Academy).

With Tynion announcing his departure from DC (and subsequently superhero comics), I'm concerned that Harper will get written out of comics again. Like either she and Cullen will have to leave Gotham to go into witness protection, or that Harper will get stuck in Blackgate and have to ride out the rest of her fake sentence. We don't even know if anyone, Batfamily or Leslie, knows that Harper is in undercover at Blackgate.

[Stars & Stripes]

Since reading the Punchline backup this week, I've had this feeling of dread. We the audience now know that Punchline is explicitly aware:

• Who Harper Row is.
• That Harper is the vigilante Bluebird.
• That Bluebird has been investigating her, having had run into Aiden, and the incriminating evidence burning.
• Cullen's involvement with Bluff and the rest of her group.

Since Tynion said that the backups are at the halfway point of the story, I don't know what the endgame for this story is. I feel like Marcus will betray Harper, and that Orca will betray Punchline to save her (maybe similar to how Killer Croc was in Gotham Academy).

With Tynion announcing his departure from DC (and subsequently superhero comics), I'm concerned that Harper will get written out of comics again. Like either she and Cullen will have to leave Gotham to go into witness protection, or that Harper will get stuck in Blackgate and have to ride out the rest of her fake sentence. We don't even know if anyone, Batfamily or Leslie, knows that Harper is in undercover at Blackgate.

If your speculation is right (or even worse, they just have Punchline kill off Bluebird), that's gonna suck. I'd hate for the character to be sidelined so harshly compared to how she had a nice retirement at the end of Batman & Robin Eternal.

[Westbats]

If your speculation is right (or even worse, they just have Punchline kill off Bluebird), that's gonna suck. I'd hate for the character to be sidelined so harshly compared to how she had a nice retirement at the end of Batman & Robin Eternal.

I know we don't have the entire picture out yet, but I can't help but feel like this is going to turn out like War Games. I just want Harper to have a legitimate opportunity at being a hero, to be her own character. But she's obviously being used to elevate Punchline's status and her power-play in a Joker-less Gotham.

Also it bothers me that while Ghost-Maker gets the entirety of the November Batman Annual, the Punchline story won't get the same treatment in the Joker Annual.

[Darkspellmaster]

I know we don't have the entire picture out yet, but I can't help but feel like this is going to turn out like War Games. I just want Harper to have a legitimate opportunity at being a hero, to be her own character. But she's obviously being used to elevate Punchline's status and her power-play in a Joker-less Gotham.

Also it bothers me that while Ghost-Maker gets the entirety of the November Batman Annual, the Punchline story won't get the same treatment in the Joker Annual.

No character should have to go through what Steph had to in War Games, Period. Harper deserves to be as much of a character in the batbooks as any of the other characters, and this coming from someone who was mostly Meh about her in general when she first showed up. I can only hope this isn't the case because we had Ridley fridge Tam to help elevate Jace, and I don't want Harper to be used in the same way that Detective Sara Essen was in No Man's Land to show the Joker was just as dangerous as ever. I know DC wants to push Punchline to replace Harley as a badgirl for the Joker, but man...This is not a good look to use Harper for it.

[Stars & Stripes]

I know we don't have the entire picture out yet, but I can't help but feel like this is going to turn out like War Games. I just want Harper to have a legitimate opportunity at being a hero, to be her own character. But she's obviously being used to elevate Punchline's status and her power-play in a Joker-less Gotham.

Also it bothers me that while Ghost-Maker gets the entirety of the November Batman Annual, the Punchline story won't get the same treatment in the Joker Annual.

I think their rationale is that they think nobody cares about Bluebird and thus, wouldn’t mind if she was used to prop up Punchline.

[Westbats]

No character should have to go through what Steph had to in War Games, Period. Harper deserves to be as much of a character in the batbooks as any of the other characters, and this coming from someone who was mostly Meh about her in general when she first showed up. I can only hope this isn't the case because we had Ridley fridge Tam to help elevate Jace, and I don't want Harper to be used in the same way that Detective Sara Essen was in No Man's Land to show the Joker was just as dangerous as ever. I know DC wants to push Punchline to replace Harley as a badgirl for the Joker, but man...This is not a good look to use Harper for it.

I think their rationale is that they think nobody cares about Bluebird and thus, wouldn’t mind if she was used to prop up Punchline.

I agree absolutely. Her absence on the cover of Batman: Fear State Omega is frustrating considering they have references to every upcoming and continued storyline in the Batman lineup of books. I hope that Tam comes out of her coma sooner rather than later now that DC has formally announced that Future State is out of continuity. Considering Tynion is one of Harper's creator, seeing him use her to prop up Punchline, who is guaranteed to see continued use after Tynion's run is finish, does not sit well with me.

[Majesty]

We'll see where it goes, but if they use this just to have her as a throwaway or even worse if they kill her, then that would be the worst outcome.

Sad thing is, there wouldn't be a loud enough outcry to even make them realize they made a mistake.

[Stars & Stripes]

We'll see where it goes, but if they use this just to have her as a throwaway or even worse if they kill her, then that would be the worst outcome.

Sad thing is, there wouldn't be a loud enough outcry to even make them realize they made a mistake.

Pretty much. I doubt Bluebird's fanbase, as passionate as we are, is big enough to make an outcry.

[Majesty]

Pretty much. I doubt Bluebird's fanbase, as passionate as we are, is big enough to make an outcry.

And the thing is, they don't need to use Bluebird as a prop to big up Punchline. She literally nearly killed Harley(after dodging bullets from point blank range), was behind all the stuff going down in Gotham and Bruce Wayne no longer being rich. Fooled the world via social media to not seeing her as a bad guy.

They literally just used the Queen of Spades as canon fodder in order to prop up Punchline some more, all while making her oh so brilliant that she was 20 steps ahead of any plan that she could have had. Even when she 'seemed' to be defeated it was ALL PART OF HER PLAN. They literally have this bullet dodging villain no weaknesses whatsoever. *SPOILER* Her ex NEARLY KILLED Harper Row on first try.*SPOILER* And she just a few issues in is already the queen of butt-pulls and an impossible amount of plot armor. But the problem is they are using characters that would actually be very interesting as just canon fodder to build up her resume and making them throwaways. Next thing they're gonna say is she's an even better mastermind than the Joker or something like that.

But anyway, the fact they pretty much throw what would be interesting characters as Punchline, to have her win easily and continue to build up her resume, to me gets tiresome after a while. Now within about 1 issue she knows everything about Harper Row. If they think this makes Punchline interesting, they're wrong.

Let's look at all the stuff Harper Row has been through, and all the people she's dealt with... then ask ourselves if Punchline would ACTUALLY be able to get to her so easily? Harper isn't stupid, she's actually a master tactitian, but if they have to dumb that down in order to make Punchline seem "so much smarter and more of a tactician" than her, that's one of the biggest problems. They dumb people down to build Punchline up. They need to make Harper make stupid decisions she wouldn't make in order for such a storyline to happen.

Let's not even forget how brilliant Harper is with computers. If she wanted intel on Punchline, she could just hack the computers of BlackGate or the cameras, she'd be able to keep an eye from there and would only go inside if she ABSOLUTELY HAD TO.

But no, not only did Punchline know Harper was going to infiltrate Blackgate (how she knew that we have no idea), but she already had her team ready with camera phone in hand for when she provoked Harper to attack her....

This is the kind of butt pulls they give Punchline that try to go "oh look how brilliant she is!!" but instead I go "look how lazy the storytelling is".

1) Harper's not that stupid.
2) If there was any tech Harper could sneak inside to catch her incriminating herself she would have.
3) Harper's not that stupid.
4) If Harper wanted intel on Punchline she'd just hack into Blackgate
5) In the span of a day Punchline knows everything about what Harper's been doing despite being in a hospital waiting for the Queen of Spades to show up.
6) Harper's not that stupid.

Harper Row has seen her darn brother turned into a zombie, she wasn't as reactive as she was with Punchline. She grew through her emotions and everything during her bond with Cassandra Cain. But yeah she's gonna just start a fight in a prison with Punchline cause she threw a quip about her brother whom she SOMEHOW knows supports her...????

It's just too much, none of what Punchline does feels earned or deserved, it feels handed to her on a silver platter with no explanation, all the while weakening the intelligence of everyone around her in order to make her come out on top or seem 'that much better' than them. That's the biggest problem. And playing Harper like a fool their FIRST meeting with each other considering Harper's been doing this with the Batfamily for years and Punchline's been a supervillain for all of what... less than 3 months? Yeah, I don't buy it. It just stinks of "lets make Harper do something really stupid, so that Punchline looks smarter." which is the kind of storytelling I can't stand. And unfortunately, it's been all over Punchline since she was created.

[J. D. Guy]

Are we sure Harper is being used as a prop here? We're talking "what if"s, but in a way like it's already happened.