Harley Quinn #9 - DC Comics

HARLEY QUINN No. 9, January 2022

Offering absolutely no explanation whatsoever as to just how the happenings within “DC Comics” crossover event “Fear State” have progressed for this twenty-two page periodical’s titular character, Stephanie Phillips’ central plot for Issue Nine of “Harley Quinn” probably completely baffled those readers naïve to the vigilante’s team-up “with the Gotham City Sirens to take down Scarecrow.” Indeed, apart from the “former psychologist turned heroic clown” and Poison Ivy clearly needing to place as much distance between themselves and an exploding building in Alleytown, the American author disappointingly doesn’t debatably even touch upon the pair’s exploits prior to this comic’s opening; “Run Red! Bella said there’s a car out front we can take to get back to Gotham.”

Happily however, the same is not true for this book’s secondary storyline, which features the increasingly likeable Kevin bravely attempting to save the lives of Professor Strange’s unpleasant lackeys who have become trapped inside the fiery remains of S.A.F.E. Headquarters. This genuinely dramatic rescue mission is extremely well-penned, as the kind-hearted sidekick heroically sets aside his prejudices towards the entombed orderlies who previously had tortured him, and uses his considerable strength to brutally tear open a seemingly sealed door.

Easily this publication’s biggest highlight though, is the former-minion’s tense confrontation with the utterly unscrupulous Lockwood, who appears well and truly doomed deep inside one of the fast-perishing building’s secure facilities. Phillips does an excellent job of depicting the internal conflict taking place within Kevin’s mind as he struggles to do ‘the right thing’, and then sparks a genuine rush of loathing for Strange’s senior henchman when he later repays his saviour by leaving him to die alone beneath some falling rubble.

Riley Rossmo’s layouts are also well-worthy of praise, with the artist pencilling some truly memorable action sequences, such as Quinn’s nod to “that car chase in Bullitt” and the vehicle’s subsequent destruction at the hands of Eli Kaufmann’s less than impressive alter-ego, Keepsake. The Canadian proves particularly adept at drawing the heat emanating from the destruction surrounding Harley’s rotund-shaped friend, which genuinely seems to threaten to blister the very fingers of any unsuspecting bibliophile holding this book in their hands.

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