Old Lady Harley #1 Review

You Laughing at Me?

Writer: Frank Tieri
Artist: Inaki Miranda, Eva De La Cruz, and Dave Sharpe
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 24, 2018

I never expected the Old Lady Harley story to continue after Frank Tieri threw it at us in his regular run on Harley, especially after his run ended.  Well, here we are and here it is!  Even though this is a future Elseworlds type thing, I am so hoping that it gets the Harley groove back for me.  Well, did it?  Let's find out...

The issue opens with the wackiness that you'd expect from this sort of thing...Lexico, President Power Girl and Zombie Canada all pop on the page thanks to various Cat Grants for LNN News with a Condiment King commercial to boot.  Good wholesome fun here!

We do go back and find out Harley blames this future on herself before quickly getting whisked back to the Mad Max here and now with Red Tool (awesome!) and Harley fighting a giant squid waitress.  After outrunning the squid version of the Dukes of Hazzard, they get shot by a gun straight out of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (look it up or better yet, play it!).  That's when we meet the Laughing Boys...a Joker gang that doesn't sit well with Harley.  Them saying the Joker is still alive REALLY doesn't sit well with her either.

Harley decides to investigate and we not only go to Gotham but find out the fate of Joey Chestnut to boot.  May he rest in peace.  The pop culture references fly at the reader (some are even correct!) as Harley and Red Tool fights an army of Azreals (no, not Gargamel's cat) and ends up in the place they needed to be anyway.  The issue then ends with a great looking and really cool cliffhanger.

Well, I've got my Harley groove back!  This issue was not only packed with the type of humor I miss in the regular Harley book these days, but it's even better than Harley Quinn #42 which started this story.  Sure, it's not a mind-bender that will make you think after you put it down, but it will make you smile while you're reading it and that is a bit of an endangered species nowadays.  Plus, it looks fantastic, though I am a huge fan of Inaki Miranda.

Bits and Pieces:

This is just what the doctor ordered for anyone not getting a kick out of the current Harley book.  Frank Tieri seems content to have fun here and I actually find that refreshing considering what DC has been giving us lately.  Inaki Miranda's art is icing on the cake on an issue that surprised me by how much I enjoyed it.

8.5/10