Wherein weird and silly things happen.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner
Art: Chad Hardin
What They Say:
Harley makes a new friend–and he happens to be a murderous cyborg who’s on a rampage in search of retribution.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The arc with Sy Borgman largely comes to a close here and it’s certainly amusing overall with how it unfolded, though part of me is definitely glad that it’s over. After spending a few issues getting us acquainted with the setting, having a fun Ivy appearance and working the background storyline of someone having a hit out on Harley, doing something mostly unrelated in a sense worked well. At least it had a connection to Harley doing her therapist gig and working with a patient that needed help, as it cements a way for new gigs to come into her life from time to time as well as showing that in her own twisted way, she really just wants to help people. Especially if she can kill or hurt other people along the way in service to that.
With this installment, we get plenty of silly things going on as the woman that they went after in the previous issue intended to cause them some real trouble, though it just turns into a lot of amusing chaos with a news copter nearby capturing it all and Harley and Borgman getting caught up in it all. Eliminating all these old threats is what’s motivating Borgman, so with her out of the way it’s on to the next one, though they have to survive Harley flying the copter first. What’s fun is that the next opponent is Alexi, the Bear that Borgman is certain to be a trouble. With him working at a zoo as security for all these years, it’s a fun locale to work with and we get a lot of cute material with Harley playing with the animals and getting distracted there while Alexi goes and unleashes the animals to do the killing for him. Of course, it has to go horribly wrong, hence the animals beheading him and playing with his remains like a toy. That’s just an out of left field moment, but it fits completely with Harley’s life.
That doesn’t mean that Harley doesn’t get some fun here, though it’s kind of convoluted as the rest of the targets from the file show up to help Alexi deal with Borgman. They’re comical in that they just want to enjoy American life after everything went down, but with Borgman rattling off their crimes over the years, it’s easy to understand his dedication. Naturally, it has to go in all sorts of directions, including a hilarious kiss sequence with Harley watching on, and it also deals with the final opponent that Borgman has refused to talk about. It’s all silly and largely nonsensical in a way, but it has the energy to keep things moving on. what drew me in the most though is getting to the end, first with the mildly tender moments between the two but largely with the return of Ivy, who has been waiting a few days and has lots of things to tell her. Harley’s fun on her own and with others from the book, but things just feel far more alive when Ivy shows up
In Summary:
With a lot to look forward to with Ivy back for at least another issue, this installment brings things to a close with Borgman, and not a minute too soon. The story has its moments and it’s comical with its violence and destruction – though some of the death sequences make me cringe a bit because it’s almost too flippant – but it’s definitely done and over with and you get the feeling of really being ready to move on. With potential clues or answers in the offing about who set up the bounty on her, that gives us the feeling that things are ready to get push forward and with Ivy included in it, it’s definitely got me excited to see what’s next for the book.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: May 21st, 2014
MSRP: $2.99
