Harley Quinn #8 - DC Comics

HARLEY QUINN No. 8, December 2021

Considering that this twenty-two page periodical plunges its audience smack bang in the middle of “DC Comics” crossover storyline “Fear State” without any warning or explanation, it is arguably hard to understand just how Issue Eight of “Harley Quinn” managed to sell over three thousand more copies than it did the month before. Sure, die-hard fans Of the Dark Knight were always going to turn out in force to collect as many Bat-titles as possible concerning the Scarecrow’s “plan to control Gotham City through the power of fear”. But for those readers solely settling upon the adventures of “Harls”, much of this publication’s plot debatably doesn’t make much sense.

Of course, that isn’t to say that one-third of the way through this comic Stephanie Phillips doesn’t attempt to bring the book’s audience somewhat up to speed with what has taken place since the end of this ongoing series’ previous edition. However, this double splash-page flashback sequence spends half of its time focused upon Quinzel’s childhood and early romance with Pamela Isley in a heavy-handed attempt to be humorous, rather than explaining how the titular character ended up canoodling with a clone of Poison Ivy at the Grove Street Terminal, in Alleytown, alongside Catwoman, Gardener, and the criminal super-team - the Caucus of Corruption.

Fortunately, what this magazine lacks in continuity with its predecessor, it possibly makes up for with an intriguing sub-thread featuring Kevin as a have-a-go hero back in Gotham City. The rotund side-kick, donned in a conspicuously pink costume does his very best to defend a supposedly helpless unarmed woman, when she is attacked by a gang of the Magistrate’s heavily-armoured officers, and it's a shame the duo’s subsequent journey towards the increasingly damaged S.A.F.E. Tower doesn’t feature more heavily in this book; “Whoa… What is it they say about bringing hockey sticks to a gun fi--?”

Happily, this comic also contains some superb artwork by Riley Rossmo. The Canadian artist really nails Kevin’s evident awkwardness at being a vigilante with a heart of gold, who clearly just wants to stand up against injustice despite his excessive bulk and self-disbelief.  In addition, the instructor at the Alberta College of Art and Design also does a stellar job in pencilling both the mysterious Sam’s kick-ass fighting technique, as well as capturing the sheer insanity of Professor Hugo Strange when he openly admits to Lockwood that he’s the one destroying his own high-rise hospital.

Writer: Stephanie Phillips, Artist: Riley Rossmo, and Colors: Ivan Plascencia