There’s something freeing about jumping into a book you aren’t caught up on. It gives you a clear perspective about what to look for because you get to judge it based on what happens in its 22 pages. I’m happy to report that Harley Quinn #62 was a wild ride told strangely, playing with the medium itself and presenting a weird world where increasingly bizarre things happen, but makes perfect sense all the while despite being the third issue of an arc. The why is never explained, but if Harley Quinn #62 is your first issue of the character in a minute like me, I was entertained from start to finish.
I’m not sure if this is an alternate world or a psychotic break or what, but the setting feels maybe the most strange: it’s a Gotham that feels like a hyper surreal version of the ’80s, with biting commentary on everything from that era. News programs, TV consumption culture, the relationship people have with their heroes vs. what they want to have with their heroes, ‘smart’ villains’ and everything in between. The book is calling out a lot of things here and a lot of them were done wryly enough to make me at least chuckle.
DC
The conceit of the issue is a nightly news program meant to interview everyone’s favorite hero, Convoy. Shortly after the introductions, the studio is raided by Backhand, a villain whose arms are on, well, backwards. Throughout the issue, Backhand reminds you he’s not like other villains, he’s a cool villain shaped by tragedy who is constantly quoting Socrates, Aristotle, Hoffer, and Kierkegaard.
His attempt to hold Convoy and the news station hostage is cut short first by Bat-Quinn, the Harq-Knight (a pretty obvious stand-in for Batman), and then by Chicken Fingers, (a pretty less-obvious stand-in for Superman). The two seem to fundamentally disagree with one another, but really it’s Bat-Quinn driving that wedge between the two of them. She’s angry and flustered and lashing out, acting like a stereotypical and brooding sentinel of dark justice.
While the shenanigans are happening at the TV studio, a pink woman who looks an awful lot like Harley Quinn is brought into the police station under investigation for being Bat-Quinn. She’s released once Bat-Quinn appears on TV, but has insight about Bat-Quinn missing something, and how much trouble the two of them are in until she finds it. So, yeah, I’m thinking psychotic break. Poor girl.
DC
The art is interesting – figures are hyper stylized, dripping with personality on every page, and absolutely riddled with detail, while still feeling breezy and light. The action is well-choreographed and kicks and punches really have weight behind them, adding to the brutality of the story being told. Most of the issue is told in either four or six-panel breakdowns, which I thought would make the pacing feel more monotonous but it actually flows pretty smoothly.
I also appreciated the distinction in the panel framing, with rounded edges to mimic an old tube TV, as well as a small light screen to add some depth and make you feel like you’re watching the action unfold on a screen. Several pages had panels like that opposite panels of the same size with perpendicular edges to remind you it was happening in “real life”, comparatively. A small detail, but one I really enjoyed. Carlos Olivares on pencils (and I believe inks) and Marissa Louise on colors absolutely crush it, delivering a world that feels like Gotham by way of Ren & Stimpy.
DC
I don’t know exactly what’s going on in Harley Quinn #62, but that doesn’t bother me. For 22 pages I got a weird, entertaining story that feels more like an avant-garde Adult Swim short than a comic starring a character who in three movies totaled over $1 billion at the box office. It was strange, it made me laugh, and while I never got a why, I didn’t need one because the story and its immediate stakes were clearly laid out for me. Despite being the third issue of a story arc and the 62nd issue of a series, it’s surprisingly new-reader friendly.
You must be logged in to post a comment.