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Review: Harley Quinn #6

By Philip Schweier
October 19, 2016 - 09:15

...Harley has turned the insanity up to 11. The gang goes undercover as punk rockers, a scene that never quite filtered into my small town Midwestern upbringing. Perhaps some of the angst and rebellion associated with the punk rock scene has been diluted by clichés, parodies and twisted perceptions over the past generation or so. As a result, this issue seems to have the same verisimilitude as a SNL skit.

Which makes it perfect for Harley Quinn.

As she cozies up to the fronts of a band suspected of numerous robberies, a few questions are addressed. Note that I said addressed, not answered. For instance, who/what exactly is Eggy, an egg-shaped being in Harley’s gang. Is he an alien, an experiment or what? Eggy plays typically coy.

I’m still loving the artwork from John Timms, but this issue features a flashback scene illustrated by Jill Thompson. I like her work very much, and for this brief interlude it’s refreshing yet jarring at the same time – much like Harley herself.

Which brings me to a small concern I have for the general nature of Harley Quinn. For one, she’s a little crazy, and as the Joker’s sometimes girlfriend, she’s characterized as a villain. A bad guy (or girl). But in this series, she tries very hard to be on the side of the angels. Kudos to her for forsaking a life of crime, but I’d much prefer it if the pendulum hadn’t swung quite so far in that direction.

A great many stories feature likeable criminals; Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid comes to mind. I would like to see more of a self-serving criminal enterprise from Harley, and less of an altruistic bad-girl-gone-good. But that’s just me.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12