Harley Quinn and Power Girl #2 Review

Written by: Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by: Stephane Roux, Elliot Fernandez, Paul Mounts and Alex Sinclair
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: July 23, 2015

Can I Borrow a Feeling?

To say I was disappointed by last month's premier issue of Harley and Power Girl is an understatement.  Of all the minis announced with the DC You, this book was the one I had pegged as a can't miss.  How could I not enjoy a continuation of one of my favorite teamups in recent memory done by the same writers who gave it to us in the first place?  Well, I didn't enjoy it at all and I blame the lack of fun and story as the reasons.  Sure there were the standard toilet humor and pop culture jokes I usually love from Palmiotti and Conner, but most just fell flat and left me wondering what the hell happened.  There is still time to right the ship and make this story as good as the original, but it really needs to start this month.  Does this issue get things on track and heading towards a glorious end?  Let's find out...


For the uninitiated, this book takes place during a missing panel  from the Harley Power Girl teamup and while the team is back together, things just aren't the same.  The issue begins with a fun narration that may have been a bit confusing, but it still sets the tone and mood for the issue nicely.  However, that doesn't mean I have to like it.

The same problems that plagued last issue rear their ugly heads again this month.  The jokes feel forced and rarely hit the mark and while the original story had heart and great interaction between Harley and PG, there is barley a sniff of that here.  It just doesn't feel like this story is taking place during the other one at all.

That doesn't mean that everything here is a complete bust.  Harley dealing with the Killy-McHappy-Bot 2.0 was okay and I actually liked the idea of the hard light sculptures and how Harley used them. However, for everything I liked, there was at least one thing I hated.  I know it seems weird to say because of the creative team, but Harley feels off in this issue.  I know how bad this is going to sound and I will probably get made fun of for it, but I didn't like it when Harley used foul language.  It felt like a desperate attempt for laughs.  Besides, Harley's part in this issue was pretty mediocre and never took a hold of me in the least.

While this was going on, Power Girl fights a near endless wave of bad guys and then comes face-to-face with the best part of the issue...the XGF Team.  They are an awesome looking team comprised of Vartox's ex-girlfriends and a guy who does not like being called an ex-girlfriend, but also doesn't want to leave the team.  Awkward.  They plan on saving Vartox, but just as PG was about to join in, Harley shows up and creates the craziness that only she can.  The issue ends with Harley, PG and the XGF heading to the Lust Moon to save Vartox.  Unfortunately, he may no longer want to be saved.

Two issues down, two major disappointments.  I'm sure some people will love this issue, but I didn't like it at all.  I think a major problem was separating Harley and Power Girl.  Their back and forth was one of the reasons I loved the original story, but we hardly get any of that here.  We also don't get much of a story.  Some may argue that a book like this doesn't need a strong story to succeed, but I disagree.  The reason the original was loved was it's fun story that had so much heart and a great mix of farce and feelings.   I would love to say that I still have hope that Palmiotti, Conner and Gray will turn things around, but truthfully, I don't.  I'm about to just give up on this one.

The issue was nice to look at with it's pretty pictures and such.  Harley and Power Girl looked good, but I fell in love with the XGF team the minute I laid eyes on them.  They are such a diverse and awesome looking bunch of do-gooders.

Bits and Pieces:

I can't stress how much I was looking forward to this limited series and now how depresses I am from reading it.  The fun and charm has been sucked out of it and all we are left with are curse words, poor dialogue and not much of a story to speak of.  I did like the XGF Force and the art, but not much else at all.  With only four issues left, I'm already wishing it was over.

4.5/10