Welcome Back to That Same
Old Place That You Laughed About
Written By: Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti
Art By: John Timms & Chad
Hardin, Hi-Fi
Letters By:
Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 23, 2016
**Non-Spoilers and Score
At The Bottom**
Well, here I am. I fought
desperately not to become this site’s “Harley Quinn guy,” despite reviewing
most of the Harley Quinn & Power Girl
mini, then taking on Harley Quinn’s
Little Black Book, agreeing to review the Harley Quinn & Her Gang of Harleys comic coming in April, writing
about Harley Quinn’s Road Trip from a
couple of months ago, and also doing New
Suicide Squad (featuring Harley Quinn) since Seeley and Ferreyra became the
creators…I figured whether I like it or not, I’m the Harley Quinn Guy. I don’t
mean that to sound like I dislike Harley at all—I like the character, and I
think Conner & Palmiotti have done a lot with her. But I do find individual
issues hit-or-miss (though the artwork is always top notch) and, knowing how
popular Harley Quinn is, I feel like there are people better-suited to my task.
But it must be done! And so read on to read my review of Harley Quinn #26, the first solo Harley Quinn book I’ve ever critiqued and spoiled the crap out of!
Explain It!:
As explained in the intro,
this is the first Harley Quinn solo
comic book I’ve reviewed for the site. What I didn’t mention is that it’s the
first one I’ve read since issue number five. I’ve read some annuals and special
issues, and I critique everything else in which the character appears for this
website, but Harley Quinn was a comic
book I deemed to be of good quality that was not quite “my thing” some time
ago. Consequently, I only know what’s been happening in this book from Jim’s
reviews, and as a rule he’s not as spoileriffic as the rest of us. I do know
she confronted the Joker in Gotham City and essentially broke up with him last
issue, which is confirmed by a dream sequence where Harley fears being
manipulated by Mistah J, but awakens on the bus back to her independent life in
New York City. Besides the opening panel being an homage to one of my favorite
scenes from Fast Times at Ridgemont High,
I really liked how it was rendered in a psychedelic style, and seeing Harley
awake from her nightmare to a better reality was as crystal clear in its intent
as it was nice to see. You’ve come a long way, Harley.
When she does finally get
to Coney Island, she’s beset by some sort of surf gang, which is probably the
last gang you would ever actually encounter at Coney Island. Harley asserts her
dominance by ripping the hair off of one and the earlobes off of another, which
was actually pretty funny to see. It’s all rendered expertly by John Timms, and
that added to the silliness of this violence. Then Harley’s pal Tony, the
little person that looks a lot like Glenn Danzig, comes by with a coffee and a
whole lot of patience for yakking, because that’s what Harley does. She pretty
much establishes the book’s status quo: Harley is on a roller derby team, and
has assembled the Gang of Harleys, and also works at an old age home as Dr.
Harleen Quinzell. She also ties up some loose ends, like what’s happened to Sy
Borgman and where other members of the book’s cast are. If you haven’t been
reading Harley Quinn, like me, then
it is some welcome information that should situate the reader well. But boy—it
is a lot of words. A lot of words. Al
Feldstein on Shock SuspenStories lot
of words. I assure you that the ten people who get that reference would agree
that it is a good allusion to comic book wordiness. She has an interaction with
a fat guy using a metal detector who comments on her ass, but I would swear
that by the end of it he’s convinced her that he should be allowed. Truly a
strange, seemingly pointless two-page bit of fluff.
There’s also an aside
where the Mayor plots and schemes to ruin Harley again, and we learn about a
paraplegic guy hell-bent on revenge against Ms. Quinn who, after having
episodic bouts of rage, has surgeries that turn him into an unfeeling
super-killer that has his face all bandaged up like Batman’s villain Hush. But
really, this book is about setting the stage for the new, improved Harley
Quinn—now with a haircut and outfit more closely resembling her upcoming film
counterpart, and a new jacket that demonstrates her symbolic divorce from the
Joker (being Catholic, she would never apply for a legal separation). It’s a
brand new day for the Quinnster, and to celebrate (and make some much-needed
scratch) she goes to that evening’s Skate Club, which you may have guessed is
like Fight Club but with roller skates. So like ten times more interesting,
because actual street fights are often as boring as fuck. Her opponent is
someone who has risen through the ranks specifically to challenge Harley, and
on the last page we see it is the multiple weapon-wielding Red Tool! Who is
nothing at all like Marvel’s Deadpool!
Not one bit! Not in speech or abilities or characterization at all!
Considering satire is one
of Palmiotti and Conner’s strengths, I’m all in for next issue. But this one
was a bit too talky for my liking. I’d say it’s a really good “jumping on
point,” if you’ve been waiting for such an opportunity. But if you’re already a
Harley Quinn fan, then there’s not much new information in this issue. The art,
as with all Palmiotti projects, is really well-done and deserves the highest
accolades. Unfortunately, much of it is crowded out by an abundance of word
balloons.
Bits and Pieces
I guess we can call this Harley Quinn pilot episode, take two, because this book is more or less an epilogue to the previous arc that re-establishes the silly, murderous status quo of the titular character. The art is great, but the comic is a little wordy for my tastes. If you've been looking for an entry point to the series, this is as good issue for it. But really, unless you're unnaturally confused by concepts like taxidermied talking beavers and sentient egg-people, then you could probably pick any old issue and jump on whenever.
6.5/10
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