Harley Quinn #0 Review
Written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by 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 Balthazar, Tradd Moore, Dave Johnson, Jeremy ROberts, Same Keith, Sarwyn Cooke, and Chad Hardin
Review written by Steve Seigh
* Don’t miss our interview with Jimmy and Amanda to be posted this coming Friday! It’s some weird and wild stuff!
Harley Quinn’s been through a lot since the start of the DC New 52. Not only has she undergone a drastic overhaul of her appearance – she’s also been kicked around, left for dead, and placed well inside the belly of danger at the turn of every page. That would be a hard knock life for any character in the DC Universe, and Harley’s been through it all while still building a wall around her darkened, broken heart. You see, with her beloved Mr. J out of the picture, and Amanda Waller, alongside the Suicide Squad, constantly breathing down her neck – what’s a girl to do in order to have any fun around here, amiright?
Well, thankfully, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti , along with 16 of their closest friends in comics, are about to take Harley for the ride of her life, fourth wall breaking comic style, baby! Okay, so I’m being goofy, but in all seriousness, this book kicks major ass. Often times I’ve complained that the art within the DC Universe feels a little too similar throughout many of its on-going series. And there have been several people who have argued with me that the reason for this, is because DC wants readers to feel like everything is happening within the same universe, and I can totally appreciate that perspective. But I’m a comic book fan who likes his variety. Give me something that’s fun, something that doesn’t make me feel filthy and depressed! Well, it looks like I got my wish because Harley Quinn #0 is all over the map in the ways of art … and that’s a very good thing!
For real. Harley Quinn #0 takes a very schizophrenic approach to comic book making. It grabs the reader by the eyeballs and treats them to a tour de force of talent from all of the comic creator globe. With the turn of damn near every page, the tone, flavor, and atmosphere of the book changes – and to spectacular results! What we have here is a straight up fun book that showcases what comic creators do best – take characters we love and place them within otherworldly situations wherein they can have grand adventures. And that’s exactly what this book is, an adventure … featuring Harley Quinn! I mean, c’mon, people!
Those looking for more than just pretty pages will also be excited to know that the synergy between husband and wife team, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, is as strong as it’s always been. The book is smartly written and never loses focus on making sure that Harley’s solo debut in the DC New 52 is a memorable one … not to mention absolutely hilarious and creative.
VERDICT
An absolute buy! Sure to be one of the standout books of the year, Harley Quinn #0 is not to be missed. Whether you’re a long-standing fan of the character or not, this book is sure to assault you with its wildly varied art presentation and leave you stunned. The writing is whip smart and it looks as if Harley is about to be having a lot more fun inside of the DC Universe so long and Jimmy and Amanda have anything to say about it. Buy this book!
Harley Quinn #0 Review Soundtrack
This review was written while listening to the album E-Lux by the band Human Waste Project
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHJsmdZCKcI[/youtube]
This review was written by Steve Seigh – Executive Editor of Talking Comics. You can hear Steve on the Talking Comics weekly podcast as well as find him on Joblo.com where he writes a featured, bi-weekly column called Ink & Pixel. His Twitter handle is @dead_anchoress.
