Creative Staff:
Story: Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Connor
Art: Charlie Adlard, Art Baltazar, Becky Cloonan, Amanda Conner, Darwyn Cooke, Tony Salvador Daniel, Chad Hardin, Adam Hughes, Dave Johnson, Sam Kieth, Jim Lee, Tradd Moore, Dan Panosian, Paul Pope, Jeremy Roberts, Stéphane Roux, Walt Simonson, Bruce Timm
What They Say:
This bombastic debut issue features art by award-winning illustrators including Darwyn Cooke, Sam Kieth, Tony S. Daniel, Paul Pope, Walter Simonson, Art Baltazar and others–but will any of them measure up to the exacting standards of the Clown Princess of Crime?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The rise of Harley Quinn over the years has been interesting to watch as I certainly like the character and the way she presents numerous opportunities to have fun and just be outlandish while still fitting into the crazy, darker side of the DC Comics world. Where she made the biggest impression on me overall is in the original Batman: The Animated Series, and every time I see the character I hear the voice from there like I’m sure so many others do. With this series having kicked off in late 2013, I had missed it since I wasn’t doing too much in the way of comics at the time, but picking up several issues on sale I figured I’d check out and see how it’s going, especially since it’s cited as one of the big reasons DC Comics is doing a lot more non/light-continuity books coming up – a very good thing in my book.
The opening issue, going with a number zero, certainly sets the tone in a big way with the whole breaking the fourth wall angle. That can be problematic with some writers, but Palmiotti and Connor handle it really well here and this character is ideally suited to it. While Harley is wondering what she should do with her life, she discovers that the writers are there watching her and trying to figure it all out as well, since she tries to imagine what a comic book about her would be like to have such a thing. What she lucks into is the team of Palmiotti and Connor, who Harley tweaks from time to time over some of their other writing assignments and how this book will be the one to pay the bills, but mostly she imagines what artist would be the most ideal for her. And that’s what really sets the book on a really fun path here, especially for long time comic book readers.
Outside of the first couple and last couple of pages, we basically get a series of one-off pages where Harley is thrust into new worlds under different artists and seeing how they would interpret her. The results are hilarious, from commenting on how Walt Simonson’s page is light on backgrounds but visually striking to the utter beauty of Adam Hughes work while admitting he can’t carry a monthly schedule. The re-imaginings show all the forms Harley can take, and there are some great lighthearted ones as well from Art Baltazar as well as Bruce Timm, which desperately makes me wish we had more of that. Jim Lee gets to shine as well, and take his lumps from the writers, and Becky Cloonan hits a great note right out of the gate by doing Harley in a rock band where she murders her own group. It’s all over the map throughout, but it shows such great style, range of interpretation and self awareness in so many ways that you have to laugh because it’s a book that doesn’t take itself seriously, at least for now, and it connects you with the “real people” behind it all, which can make you engage with the company as a whole even more. This is something we used to see a bit more of, so getting it again is definitely great.
In Summary:
If this had just been a one-off book, it would have been a great special that would be referenced regularly and loved, even if it might end up as just kind of cultish. That it’s the start of a larger series that’s going strong and showing the company a way to have more fun and gain more of a following is just impressive as hell and has me really interested in checking out more of what’s to come. With so many favorite artists involved here and some great wit and humor from a writing team that I’ve enjoyed a lot over the years, Harley Quinn starts off in great hands and it’s hard to imagine it faltering in a big way based on past experience. That they got as many artists involved here as they did and play and poke at so many of them and DC Comics in general just makes it even more rich, and making it a must-own book. Very recommended.
Grade: A
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: November 20th, 2013
MSRP: $2.99