A Date Which Will Live In Infamy!
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| Nov 2001 |
Last issue, Harley had escaped the Bat-gang, Nixon was creating trouble, Batman shed his disguise and the Quinntets had captured Jack and Di Happi... while Chispazo has been taken to a secret room in Harley's hideout.
Harley and the Quinntets have more important things to do than hang around and watch where the lift stops at. At least, they think they do, because Harley hasn't told them her exact plans for the evening yet.
Kenny is on Nixon's side.. his loyalty being extremely tested between blood and boss.
Nixon springs his coup just as Bo and Surley bust in - expecting only four or five henchmen buuuuuut.....
Nixon has been a busy little recruiter.. but luckily, this slight distraction starts a massive free for all battle royale.
Lewis finds out that Buster has been lying in wait for a moment like this to take him out but fortunately Lewis is too quick on the draw for him and Kenny.Meanwhile, Bo and Surley are forced to make a break for it into the kitchen until their 'bluff' scared away the rogue Quinntet recruits. Well, a Bat Bluff anyway.
Harley hears the noise and comes in to chide the buddy rent-a-cops for busting up her kitchen before 'monologing' long enough for the duo to escape by splitting up.
This right here is so in character for her - she's only here for the fun and would leave an all in all gang war to tell people off for messing up her house. She's got bigger things on her mind.. ones that take her focus off the bigger picture so to speak, and causes her to be a fairly useless mob boss but an interesting character.
Surley happens across the Happi's and rescues them. Jack reveals that he hired the Stooges to capture Harley alive because she makes him laugh while all Di does is complain and punch him in the face.
Batman beats up nearly everyone in the hideout, while Harley takes a short break on the balcony, thinking of course about the will they won't they relationship between Bo and Chispazo instead of watching her back around Nixon.
Harley indirectly kills Nixon, Batman finds out, Lewis get beat on by Buster, Batman strikes, Harley comes in to gather her team (flat out ignoring the mutiny business) and Batman beats on her.
Kenny finds his loyalty, and despite being freaked out about the Bat, launches an offensive strike to which the other Quinntets happily join in.
Harley... of course... has other things in mind.
Instead of acting like any other Batman villain she sneaks away from a brawl instead of joining in. She does show her formidable strength when she does attack the B-Man, unfortunately this back fires on her comically.
In another part of Gotham, Oracle and her Bat-gang are trying to solve the mystery of Harley's hideout until an explosion and a bad pseudonym tips them off to the owner's name.
Oracle expresses a longing to go with the new Batgirl, current Robin and original Nightwing because she doesn't want the last person to wear her iconic suit to be Harley Quinn.
Speaking of, Harley is happened upon by Bo and he demands to know where Chispazo is. Harley helps him out by kicking him through the secret door where she stashed Chispazo earlier. Chispazo has basically freed herself anyway because she's kick ass but seems set to get a heroic smooching off Bo when Lewis appears, wanting to use the two as his and Harley's safe passage out when he's shot from behind.
Bo and Chispazo flee from the killer, and Lewis looks up to confront his shooter, seeing...Uh oh.
Did you hear that? Every time I read this page my heart breaks.
The culmination of Harley's poor choices as a mob boss and all around bad guy result in Lewis being shot by her hand, because he was interfering in her match making scheme.
What's sadder is she doesn't even realise what's she's done. In her cartoonish eyes, Lewis is fine and even though he knows he's dying he hasn't got the heart to tell her it's her fault, instead he tells her other things, including to run along while he catches his breath.
Meanwhile the Bat-Gang crash the party and beat the crap out of the remaining potty mouthed punks. Harley is captured by the Stooges and relishes seeing Chispazo and Bo finally kiss. She's about to break loose when another Bat comes to take her away. Batman realises later that the Classic Batgirl has taken Harley Quinn away..
....and reveals herself to be none other than Poison Ivy!
Harley reflects on her new found focus on being the Cupid of Crime and decides Lewis was right, and she's best to skip town with her bestie Ivy.
Later the Bat Squad over look the clean up effort. The Stooges are being credited for thr nights events as the attending police officer wants to leave the Bats out of it for less paperwork.
Everyone seems to get their happy ending except for Di Happy - who seems to be on the warpath now, and Lewis who is being zipped up in a body bag.
Harley's issues are extremely apparent in this issue. As well as obviously overlooking the gang war in favour of a small romance, she continually uses the names of the people she's killed (or had a hand in killing) in the present tense.. and doesn't seem to realise the harm she's doing either.
Lewis - the most loyal, supportive and smartest henchman in the Quinntets gets to die a lonely, undeserving death under the diamond light pattern on the wall like a grave marker.
I'm still going to argue the differences between this Harley (who kills but is too sick to see it like it is) and her present day remodel who likes to bathe in the blood of all the people she's killed and couldn't care less about it because that's what some edgy executive at DC thought would suit her character (and because Deadpool's so popular!)
This issue absolutely breaks my heart about Lewis, as well as Harley Quinn - who honours love above all else but then lets someone she cares about die in order to preserve a budding relationship for someone else but at least I can understand why she's doing it and it genuinely adds a new angle to the relationship Harley and Joker had as well as making Harley a much more threatening villain, even if she doesn't realise it.
Best lines:
Harley: Oh, that is so you, Nix -- pointin' your pistol any place you like!
Kenny: (about Batman disappearing) People can't do that, man! Not real people!
Nightwing: C'mon, I haven't been in Gotham a lot lately but at least act like you remember me!
Ivy: But match making isn't exactly a paying profession, is it?
Harley: Oh! And like livin' with plants is?
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Play nice or play dead! Harley Quinn's rules!