I Reads You Review: HARLEY QUINN #1

HARLEY QUINN #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITERS: Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
ART:  Chad Hardin
COLORS: Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: John J. Hill
COVER: Amanda Conner with Paul Mounts
VARIANT COVER: Adam Hughes
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (February 2014 – second printing)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Harley Quinn created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm

Harley Quinn is a DC Comics fictional character; she is specifically a super-villain in the DC Universe.  However, Harley Quinn was first introduced on the animated television series, Batman (also known as Batman: The Animated Series), which debuted in 1992 on the FOX Network.  Harley was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm and made her first appearance in the episode “Joker’s Favor” (September 11, 1992), as a female sidekick of The Joker and his eventual accomplice.

Harley Quinn made her first comic book appearance in The Batman Adventures #12 (September 1993), DC Comics’ comic book spin-off of the animated series.  Harley received an origin story in the one-shot comic book, The Batman Adventures: Mad Love (cover dated: February 1994).  Produced by Dini and Timm, Mad Love revealed that Quinn had been Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, M.D., an Arkham Asylum psychiatrist who falls for the Joker and becomes his accomplice and temporary sidekick.

I read Mad Love years ago.  I ignored the previous Harley Quinn comic book series, but decided to give a shot to the 2013 launch of a new Harley Quinn series, after find a second printing of the first issue.  Harley Quinn #1 (“Hot in the City”) has Harley starting over in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

According to Robert Coachman (of the law firm Coachman and Coachman), an anonymous benefactor has left Harley some real estate.  She has inherited a four-story building, complete with residential and business tenants.  This new life does come with complications.  Harley has expenses and someone is stalking her.

Harley Quinn #1 is good, not great.  I like the art by Chad Hardin (pencils and inks) and Alex Sinclair (colors).  Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti’s story is playful and engaging.  It’s also violent, partly in a Looney Tunes cartoon kind of way, although some characters are killed or grievously wounded.  I’m still debating as to whether I want to read more, but I’m intrigued.

B

Reviwed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

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I Reads You Review: HARLEY QUINN #0

HARLEY QUINN #0
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITERS: Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
ART:  Amanda Conner, Becky Cloonan, Tony S. Daniel, Sandu Florea, Stephane Roux, Dan Panosian, Walter Simonson, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Bruce Timm, Charlie Adlard, Adam Hughes, Art Baltazar, Tradd Moore, Dave Johnson, Jeremy Roberts, Sam Keith, Darwyn Cooke, Chad Hardin
COLORS: Paul Mounts, Tomeu Morey, John Kalisz, Lovern Kindzierski, Alex Sinclair, Lee Loughridge, Dave Stewart, Alex Sollazzo
LETTERS: John J. Hill
COVER: Amanda Conner with Paul Mounts
VARIANT COVER: Stephane Roux
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (May 2014 – second printing)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Harley Quinn created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm

DC Comics began publishing a new Harley Quinn comic book series by writers Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti and artists Chad Hardin (pencils and inks) and Alex Sinclair (colors) at the turn of the year.  As a tie-in to the new series, DC published Harley Quinn #0, which was also written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti.

Harley Quinn #0 is essentially a stand-alone, anthology comic book.  This issue has a single narrative, which basically breaks the fourth wall, allowing Harley Quinn and Connor and Palmiotti to interact.  The two sides are arguing about the type of artists that should draw Quinn and her adventures.  The anthology part is that 17 artists draw at least one page of the 20 pages of story in Harley Quinn #0.  Amanda Conner draws the opening two pages, and Chad Hardin, the artist of the new ongoing Harley Quinn series, draws the three pages that end the story.  That leaves 15 pages for the 15 other artists.

I am a fan of many of the artists contributing to Harley Quinn #0, and some of them are familiar to me, but only in passing.  I grabbed a second printing of Harley Quinn #0 as soon as I read the names of the artists listed on the cover.  I was most looking forward to seeing art by Jim Lee and Bruce Timm, but was somewhat disappointed by their contributions.  The best page is by Walter Simonson – transposing his classic version of Manhunter onto Harley Quinn.

The biggest surprises for me were Stephane Roux, Dan Panosian, and Jeremy Roberts, and Tradd Moore’s page makes me want to see more of his work.  Of course, I am always happy to see anything by the genius named Darwyn Cooke.  I have one question for Harley: can we do this again?

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.