Harley Quinn Vol. 1 (New 52)

Disclaimer: I know very little about the DC Universe, New 52, and Harley Quinn. At most I know the more iconic parts of Batman's story, particularly illustrated through film. So my review isn't a comparison against previous variations of Harley Quinn, but rather how this comic holds up without any prior exposure...

I really really wanted to like Harley Quinn. There are only so many female characters I know about in the DC universe, like Batgirl or Catwoman or Wonder Woman. I've read some Wonder Woman stuff, and it was good, but the New 52 is way too heavy on her mythos so I couldn't keep up with it. And after all, Harley Quinn is unhinged which is often how I feel lately, so perhaps she'd give misery some good rowdy company! (I've opted for counseling over a Joker-obsession and knack for mayhem). I'd get to live vicariously through her, witness her destruction and twisted sense of justice! Plus, look at the cover! She's clearly badass, and involved with roller derby -- a hobby I would have picked up myself if I had a shred of athletic ability or comfort wearing short shorts in public... so this can't be all that bad...

But, then again, it wasn't great.

The story is alright, with Harley inheriting an old building in New Jersey somewhere. Jersey Shore? I don't know. She gets herself into all kinds of trouble, and is oft-visited by her pal (perhaps lover?) Poison Ivy... and she does in fact join a roller derby league for a bit. But none of that mattered to me, really. I couldn't get into it completely. It was mildly amusing at parts, particularly in the beginning, but charm was quickly replaced by annoyance.

Well that's new... at least Ivy treats her better than "Mistah J"

I found the art style chaotic and frankly overwhelming after a while. I struggled to focus on each panel, and the movement was hurried and frantic. Maybe that's normal for Harley? I don't know, but it made it hard to read and the last few issues included in this volume required a real test of will. It's a shame too, because it started with such promise. If you are vaguely interested in this story line, then at most I would recommend just picking up a copy of the 1st issue as a standalone. You get enough of Harley's personality and humor, and a flavor of the writers who in a way make a cameo appearance as they work their way through selecting the appropriate artist to depict this New 52 rendition. Each page features the illustrative works of a different artist, and to me that was easily the best part of the whole thing. And frankly it set the bar too high to maintain by the artists they selected in the end. My vote would have gone somewhere else, but then they didn't ask me.

And I knew the famed-femme-fatale associate of the Joker had a lust for chaos and gore. If that's your bag, then this will not disappoint. I really didn't mind it, but it got old. I get it now, don't piss her off or you'll lose your head to the big hammer. But then again, that may be a better option than hearing her recite, "Holeee knife-in-the-neckeeee!" or the like, every other page... yikes.

As an aside, I'm a fan of linguistics/languages and that includes Yiddish. So while her exclamations grew old, fast, there is an old man that shows up that speaks Yiddish quite frequently. That part was particularly awesome to me... but again, the story itself was nothing to write home about. It was better than some of the others though, that is for sure.

I can respect her love of animals, and appreciate their role in the stories too.

I give it three stars. It was fun while it lasted, but then again, it lasted a bit too long for my taste. Now if they made a reboot where she just rescued dogs all day, then we'll give this another go... Until then, "Holeeeee guacamoleeee!" I'm out.

(Okay I say that, but let's be real, the stuff I've seen of Suicide Squad looks pretty epic. Again, I admit I know nothing, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was intrigued, and that Harley didn't have something to do with it... maybe I'll give her a second chance after all...)

Holeey upgrade-erole! She looks epic now. I'm diggin' her new aesthetic that's for sure!