Harley Quinn/Gossamer #1 Review

Since it’s the fifth week of the month, DC again continued its practice of releasing some crossovers between their own characters and those from the Warner Bros. cartoons.

Given Harley Quinn’s recent popularity, I thought it would be fun to review her meet-up with Gossamer, that big, red, hairy monster! As always, there are two tales in this issue—one similar to DC’s style of storytelling, and the second more like the cartoons.

HARLEY QUINN/GOSSAMER #1

Writers: Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti, Sholly Fisch
Artists: Pier Brito, Dave Alvarez
Published by: DC Comics
Cover price: $4.99

SOLICITATION: A violent storm leaves a large crate washed up on the beach at Coney Island. When Harley breaks it open to see what’s inside, she suddenly has a new playmate to add to her cast of friends—a large, furry, orange beast called Gossamer. It’s all fun and games until a giant robot attacks them. But who sent it? Harley immediately suspects only one man, but is it really The Joker behind this destructive rampage?

THE FIRST STORY

It’s great to see Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, who recently wrapped up a run with Harley in her own DC title, back on the character and having fun.

Of course, when you have fun with Harley, that often means guest-stars galore, and this story is no exception! Half the pleasure is to be surprised when they show up, so I won’t spoil them here! But there are plenty!

Those of us familiar with the Warner Bros. cartoons will find plenty of allusions to what we’ve seen in them, including Gossamer showing up in a big box. If it’s not laugh-out-loud funny, it’s at least “smile” humor, and both work well for me! I particularly liked when Harley draws her symbol onto Gossamer’s back! I liked that!

The pacing is quick, the art consistent with DC comics, and the characterizations right in line with how their various characters appear in their original incarnations. Given the wide variety of people, that’s quite an accomplishment!

I’m always intrigued with the cast of characters around Harley, including Poison Ivy and several folks who keep her grounded. They get a lot of good things to do, so I didn’t feel they were in any way slighted by the big bunch of guest stars.

Good storytelling all around, in the DC style!

THE SECOND STORY

While the first tale was in the DC way of storytelling, the second story is much more cartoony in its setting and art, in particular.

Of course, this time we find ourselves in Gossamer’s place of origin, and Harley invades that space, so to speak. Interestingly, Harley seems to blend right in, but she also inspires the folks there to do the kinds of things she’s better known for.

I found the faces reminiscent of Disney princesses, oddly enough, and the coloring reminded me of TV cartoons, which fit this tale perfectly.

Lots of fast-paced happenings, crazy fun stuff going on, and characters that work in this setting make this second story a really fun read!

BOTTOM LINE: A Big, Red, Fun Book

Given the fact that many stores have already sold out of this week’s crossover titles I would imagine that we’ll see more of these in the future! One friend said that Gossamer is near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Warner Bros. characters, but both stories use the monster very well. I wouldn’t mind another team-up of these two!

I was reminded of an episode of Justice League Action in which Harley had worked with Titano, the Super Ape. That girl can fit into nearly any situation! Well done!

[taq_review]

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