Harley Quinn #58 Review and **SPOILERS**

Bat Pat on the Back

Written By: Sam Humphries

Artist: John Timms

Colorist: Alex Sinclair

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Cover: Guillem March & Arif Prianto

Variant Cover: Derrick Chew

Assistant Editor: Andrea Shea

Editor: Alex Antone

Group Editor: Brian Cunningham

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: February 6, 2019

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

The team-up you weren’t asking for! And which we’ve actually seen before. But this is, I think, the first time Sam Humphries and John Timms have handled the idea—and it’s definitely a somewhat rare opportunity to see Timms render Batman. So take a chance, and dive into my review of Harley Quinn #58, right here!

Explain It!

So Harley Quinn and Batman have teamed up, so Harley can clear her name of a murder that Batman believes she committed. Along the way, Harley wants to show Batman that she’s reformed—because of reasons? It’s unclear as to why she gives a shit what Batman thinks all of a sudden. Batman takes Harley to the Batcave, where she slaps some bat-cuffs on the two of them, forcing them to team up. Never mind that Batman surely must have the keys to his own Bat-cuffs—and could slip out of them instantly anyway—this is enough to resign Batman to this inane team-up.

And sadly, there’s really never a time that, say, Harley has to use the bathroom and Batman stands outside the stall. Or they’re never trying to drink water with their cuffed hands. The only time it really comes up is when Harley dives headlong from a Batplane to intercept a mugger, pulling the Dark Knight after her. Otherwise, it never really comes up—in fact, I’d kind of forgotten that it was a principle in play until I saw the aforementioned scene. Anyway, in the end it turns out that the person who framed Harley Quinn was Lord Death Man, which gives us the opportunity to remember that we hate the way Sam Humphries writes this character. Bleah.

I like the way this book looks, and there were fewer small, cramped panels in this one than in previous collaborations between Timms and Humphries. I like the way he draws Batman, which had a little Ed McGuinness vibe to it…but more stylized and less “tanky.” That’s really all the good I can say for this book. This whole run is marred by missed opportunities and bummer stories that only get more depressing when the “punchline” is delivered. This might be the last time I review this title.

Bits and Pieces:

Batman and Harley Quinn team up to clear Harley of a murder charge.

3/10