“Fashion Victim”
Creative Staff:
Story: Mirka Andolfo
Art: Mirka Andolfo
Colors: Mirka Andolfo
Letterer: John J. Hill
What They Say:
Harley is determined to steal back the spotlight by sabotaging Catwoman in style! When the two are challenged to model a new line of cutting-edge criminal couture, Harley accepts it as a contest of pride-but she’ll have to swallow a tough pill when she learns her arrogance is all part of Selina’s grand plan to pull off the ultimate high-profile heist on the catwalk.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The second installment of this is one that delivers in a really big and beautiful way by bringing on Mirka Andolfo to work on it. I’ve been a huge fan of Andolfo’s work for years, especially going back to her time on Bombshells, so getting something that’s focused on style and fashion here while playing up Catwoman and Harley is fantastic. And like her creator-owned works, she’s handling story, art, and the color design which just elevates it as I love her use of the various shades of white and grey to handle everything, giving it more layers and nuance while letting the red stand boldly as it should throughout.
The premise is definitely fun here as we see how Harley’s a victim of following social media as one might expect. When she gets one comment about how she’s so last year in terms of fashion, it leads her to a video from a pair of commentators from the Gotham Underground that talks up such things. The focus is all on Catwoman and her style, which makes an impact on Harley but also raises Catwoman’s profile a lot. When we see Selina at a museum where she’s made a theft (it appears), she’s mobbed by adoring fans wanting pictures and just enjoying basking in her presence. This sets Harley off even more and the book turns into a big event with fashion week at Gotham Underground where our commentators are highlighting an expensive new dress that the winner of the competition will get to wear – but not keep.
The competitive nature of the two is a lot of fun to watch here and the way it kind of hops all over the place with an infectious energy makes for a really good time. Andolfo uses the colors in a wonderful way but I absolutely love the costume design. That’s always been a big part of my draw to her artwork and we see it used beautifully here with what both Catwoman and Harley wear as well as the reveal of the special red dress. Which reveals the truth behind the whole thing in a fun but not entirely unexpected way. Harley’s relationships may be a kind of focus for this series since she has so many and in different ways and I really like seeing the way she and Selina play off each other here, especially after some of the early stuff where it’s a little more antagonistic.
In Summary:
This is going to be the issue to beat when it comes to the rest of the run here, which is a lot of pressure on a lot of great creative talents. Mirka Andolfo has brought out one of my favorite Harley stories in comic form here in a long time as I’ve been pretty over the character for an age. But everything clicks wonderfully here with the dynamic action, the fantastic designs and costuming, and the excellent use of color. It hits every mark wonderfully and left me thrilled and a little exhausted in a great way by the end as it was such a ride. Definitely a great issue and definitely a great Harley story from top to bottom.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology and Amazon Kindle
Release Date: July 3rd, 2020
MSRP: $0.99
