Harley Quinn #1 - DC Comics

HARLEY QUINN No. 1, May 2021

As “red-hot” re-launches go Stephanie Phillips’ script for Issue One of “Harley Quinn” probably landed rather well with Harleen Quinzel’s fans in March 2021, and certainly seemed to warrant the title being the twenty-first best-selling comic of that month – at least according to North American shop sales. Indeed, there’s such a palpable sense of vitality to the former psychiatrist within this twenty-two page periodical that her fierce determination to “make up for the sins of my past and help the city recover from The Joker War!” is wholly believable, especially when at one point Quinn is penned ‘running away’ from a fight with a group of disgruntled Gothamites despite the fact the anti-heroine would much rather be battering them to death for calling her a clown.

In addition, the “rising-star writer” simply doesn’t waste any time at all in depicting “your favourite Maid of Mischief” being embroiled in a brutal battle where she’s desperately swinging her infamous baseball bat for all its worth. Physically standing toe-to-toe against her old Suicide Squad team-mate Killer Croc is no mean feat, yet the American author manages to pen a persuasive action-sequence where the young woman’s elite gymnastics ability predominantly keeps her out of harm’s way against Waylon Jones’ superior super-strength.

Perhaps this book’s biggest surprise however, is in Harley’s humorously touching relationship with Batman, which somewhat surprisingly even shows a slightly sentimental side to the Dark Knight himself. The Clown Prince of Crime’s ex-squeeze genuinely seems set on making amends for everything she did during the Joker War, but that still doesn’t stop her cheekily expecting “that sweet bat-check” as payment for her now being, at least in her eyes, part of the Bat-family. This honest anticipation of a “stipend” seemingly catches the Caped Crusader by complete surprise, and later allows him to show Quinn that he does appreciate her efforts ‘to go straight’ by giving her “one of those little novelty Batman toasters” she apparently always wanted; “It literally puts your bat-symbol on the toast. Bat-toast!”

Equally as endearing is Harley’s “partner in artistic crime Riley Rossmo” whose newly-costumed titular character and cartoonish sketching style, allows the pale-skinned ‘Brooklyn-babe’ to demonstrate all of her quirky behaviour with great gusto. Although, it is debatably the Canadian artist’s stunning panels concerning the Dark Knight’s awesome battle against a mob of anti-clown rioters which really shows off his pencilling prowess.

The regular cover art of "HARLEY QUINN" #1 by Riley Rossmo