A Little
Bit of Razzma Zsasz
Writer: Frank Tieri
Artist: Inaki Miranda
Colors: Alex Sinclair with
Jeremiah Skipper
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Cover: Amanda Conner
& Alex Sinclair
Cover Price: $2.99
On Sale Date: March 7, 2018
**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT
THE BOTTOM**
Well, Coney Island has been overrun by weirdos and
malcontents…feels like the 1980s all over again! I can’t wait to get back to
it, so let’s hop right into my review for Harley Quinn #39, commencing right
now!
Explain
It!
The first time I went to Coney Island, I was 16 or
17 years old—right about 1992, therefore. It was a pretty dingy spot, but it
had, by outward appearances, come a long way back from its filthy, crime-ridden
days of the 1970s and 80s, which partly inspired the great Walter Hill film The Warriors. But it was still pretty
crappy: most of the amusement lots were empty and the place was thick with
cigarette and weed smoke. It took about another twenty years before Coney
Island became what I would consider an amusement park destination for any
family (that wants to haul out to the ass end of Brooklyn), but today it’s as
nice as DisneyWorld…well, maybe not that nice. Somewhere between Six Flags and
Busch Gardens. But you know…it was nice before the 1970s, it was once a
vacation destination for New York’s wealthy elite during the Gilded Age. And in
between that time, and the 1970s, it got crummy and nice again two or three times.
Coney Island is a neighborhood constantly on the brink of decline or ascension.
Looking at this issue of Harley Quinn, it seems like
Coney Island is due for a sharp downturn, what with Penguin’s band of weirdo
supervillains running around, creating mayhem. I was under the impression that
the Penguin was looking to take over New York City, but it appears that running
ol’ Coney is enough for him. He might face some stiff competition, however,
since Killer Croc seems to think all of Coney is his territory—he even ousts
King Shark from the New York Aquarium, located at the Western end of the Coney
Island boardwalk. During this transitional period, it looks like they can
occupy the same space, Condiment King even setting up a hot dog stand just
across from Nateman’s—and putting it out of business! Who will save Coney Isle?
Not Harley Quinn, apparently, who is making good
taking out Victor Zsasz as one of her “Harley4Hire” jobs…with Red Tool’s
surreptitious help, once again. Harley finds him out this time, and she’s
rightly pissed that he’s stalking her when she specifically said she wanted
some time apart from the Coney crew. Speaking of which, what’s happening there
now? Looks like Coach is confronting Frank about his advice to Harley about
leaving in the first place—and that’s when she’s felled from behind by Hugo
Strange! And Frank peels off a mask to reveal he’s False Face! Okay, this story
just got like three times weirder.
I have one nit-pick from the files of Eric Shea,
Continuity Kid: I don’t like how Zsasz is drawn in the interior. The body looks
okay, but he’s covered in these haphazardly slashed scars when he’s supposed to
have tally marks—like Amanda Conner’s drawn him on the cover! Beyond that, this
is another solid issue with some good gags and a story that’s getting more and
more engrossing by the issue. That’s how comics are supposed to work, right? I’m
curious to know what Penguin’s plan will be—the New York mob families are
fighting back, capturing Signalman in this issue and then teaming up with
Scarface and the Ventriloquist, and I am betting that’s going to lead to a
crazy gang war. What’s the Hugo Strange angle? I don’t know, but I am looking
forward to finding out!
Bits
and Pieces:
As Coney Island slides into a gritty, urban, supervillain-infested ghetto, Harley Quinn faces her secret benefactor and tells him to buzz off. The mastermind behind all of this chaos is revealed, and it's not someone I'd have expected! If the art was a little better, I'd be clanging bells for this series.
7.5/10
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