Harley Quinn #47 Review and **SPOILERS**

It’s How You Handle the Hammer

Writer: Sam Humphries 

Artist: John Timms 

Colors: Gabe Eltaeb 

Letters: Dave Sharpe 

Cover: Guillem March 

Variant Cover: Frank Cho 

Assistant Editor: Andrea Shea 

Editor: Alex Antone 

Group Editor: Brian Cunningham 

Cover Price: $3.99 

On Sale Date: August 1, 2018

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Do you see what I see? (Do you see what I see?) 

An arc, an arc 

A tale in comic books 

It was told in issues but thrice 

It was told in issues but thrice 

This issue concludes this Harley on Apokolips story arc, making it a three-issue arc! Blessed day! Now let’s see what I think of the issue itself in my review of Harley Quinn #47, commencing now!

Explain It!

The problem with torturing a masochist is that it isn’t much of a punitive measure. Harley and Petite Tina (didn’t even recognize her in the last issue) are being zapped by Bernadette the Female Fury, and Harley Quinn absolutely loves it. I mean…way more than a rank-and-file masochist. Frankly, I’m not sure that it’s a sexual thing insofar as it’s the only way she can feel anything. She acts broken, but then breaks into her best Bugs Bunny shtick to show that she cannot be mind-controlled or whatever. The Bugs Bunny shtick, however, allowed her to pilfer the key to her cage that she shares with Petite Tina. After some cajoling, Tina decides to flee with Harley.

And then, like…a million things happen. Too many things, considering how bereft of action and plot the last issue was. Tina and Harley find Granny Goodness’ bedroom, including a bedside, life-sized statue of Darkseid, and then they find their respective hammers, which pleases Harley to no end. They’re about to leave Apokolips, when the hammer’s Granny Box points out that another batch of lowlies has been sent to the Subjukator, and it would be within her character to rescue them. Harley wears pieces of Darkseid’s costume to fool Granny Goodness, and it works for an unusual length of time. Eventually, Granny fights back, and is about to clobber Harley with her God-hammer, when Tina steps in and cleans Granny’s clock. They make off with the Splinter of Destiny, which was needed to power the Subjukator, then Boom Tube it back to Earth where Harley teaches Tina the finer points of beach side mai tais. And then, the Coach calls with an urgent message, which will lead into the next issue’s story!

Despite this issue being a pretty quick read, and this story arc being an issue longer than necessary, I had a lot of fun with it. Harley’s inability to be punished and her bopping around Apokolips was more fun than I think it had a right to be. And maintaining Harley’s heroism, which was developed over many years, was a relief to me. I need to take a minute to mention the lettering, since Pat Brosseau is always furious when it isn’t noted (though he didn’t letter this comic book): there’s a gimmick where certain words are lettered outside of their word balloons, in another color, I guess to denote a loud or strong statement. I don’t like it. So there, I’ve even mentioned the lettering, which was not as good as the issue on a whole! That is pretty irregular, if you ask me. 

Bits and Pieces:

Harley Quinn reverts to form and saves the day, but not without a lot of silliness and violence along the way. This story, which sounded ridiculous when first solicited, wound up being a lot of fun. This just goes to show, you can't judge a comic book by its solicit. Strangely, you can judge a comic book by its cover.

7.5/10