REVIEW: Harley Quinn #0

Harley fans rejoice!  The crazy lady now has an ongoing series in the New 52 and readers are introduced with this week’s zero issue written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner with a staggering amount of artists.  Major Spoilers finds out if this will be worth your hard earned money or a cancellation waiting to happen.  Oh and there’s that little thing about Harley killing herself as well.

HARLEY QUINN #0
Writer: Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Various
Letterer: John J. Hill
Colorist: Various
Editor: Katie Kubert
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99

Previously in Harley Quinn: New Series, introduction issue!

BREAKING FOURTH WALLS AND FUNNY BONES

After appearing in the Batman Animated Series, Harley Quinn was brought into the comics and became quite a popular character. I understand her appeal, especially to women, but I never found her that special. On a whim I picked up the zero issue to see if I could be enticed to read an ongoing starring the crazy chick. The controversy surrounding the issue honestly played a big part in that decision as well.

Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti give us an issue that is incredibly funny and entertaining all around. Harley wonders what her comic book would be like and who would draw it and is led by Conner and Palmiotti into different situations and artists. It’s all quite bizarre but works wonderfully. The fourth wall isn’t broken, it’s demolished as Harley interacts with Conner and Palmiotti and all three comment on the page’s art and setting. It’s nothing but fun from beginning to end and some great jabs are made, especially at Jim Lee and Adam Hughes and even Palmiotti and Conner themselves. By the end I was excited about the series and found myself a Harley Quinn fan. I hope the promise of no longer breaking the fourth wall in future issues isn’t true as I found that to be much of the charm. It’s a total success and guarantees my return for issue one.

I guess this review need address the controversy concerning the art contest and suicidal content. When I heard about the whole thing, I didn’t quite understand the uproar. Yes, suicide is a sensitive topic but the context was unknown. When Palmiotti and Conner said it was to be silly that cleared the whole thing up. The page in question references Harley’s stint on the Suicide Squad as Conner and Palmiotti say she must have been sucky at her job because she’s still here. None of the page is offensive and I thought it was altogether funny. The last panel has been changed to Harley riding a rocket and sticks out like a sore thumb, feeling random and out of place. I wish DC, Conner and Palmiotti had stuck to their guns and left the final panel in as the whole thing was blown out of proportion.

NOT A BAD APPLE IN THE BUNCH

The art packs a sledgehammer punch with a slew of talent contributing and every page is beautiful. There’s a huge range from Art Baltazar’s Tiny Titans to Adam Hughes’ sexy style. Half of Hughes’ page is blue pencil roughs, which is hilarious as Harley questions if he is someone who can keep a monthly schedule. Contest winner Jeremy Roberts does a fantastic job with his suicide page and deserves all the work he’ll be getting. I loved it all and it added to the crazy fun with no style a letdown. Chad Hardin, who is to be the series regular artist, looks to be a good choice but there are others in the issue that I would prefer to see. Opinions will of course vary but to each their own.

BOTTOM LINE: LOOKS TO BE A GREAT SERIES

If Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti can maintain the quality, this will be a great, humorous and, more importantly, fun series. I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this issue and find almost nothing bad to say about it. The controversy was silly and shouldn’t offend (though I’m sure someone will be). Hopefully the fourth wall continues to be crushed but I’ll nevertheless be back for issue one. Harley Quinn #0 earns a fantastic 5 out of 5 stars.