Catwoman Vol1 #81 Review

Catwoman Vol 1 #81 Review: It's a Wonderful Life

Published June 2000

Writer: Bronwyn Carlton

Pencils: Staz Johnson

Inks: Wayne Faucher

Stunning truths are revealed in what may be the strangest, most disturbing issue of CATWOMAN ever. It's a pivotal chapter in the life of DC's Feline Fatale. If Selina thought being in prison was bad, wait'll she tries a few days in solitary confinement. Making matters worse, this confinement isn't exactly as solitary as it's supposed to be, and someone very dangerous lurks in the shadows, revealing truths about Catwoman she isn't prepared to face.

Wait a minute! This is a Harley Quinn Blog! What are you doing writing a review of an old Catwoman comic?? 

Well, dear ones, this is one of my favourite Harley Quinn cameos/story arc. 

True story, I was a massive Catwoman fan as a kid! 

 It started with this comic in my local library. It was amazing to read something so unabashedly gritty and dark (well, to me anyway at that time in my youth) about a bad ass woman who didn't back down. Also cats. Yes, I really liked cats. I now know that I would like to be a cat (I would love to have a tail. I don't care how awkward the pants wearing would become) but that cats themselves are Satan incarnate.

Anyway, Selina Kyle was firmly cemented in my mind as an icon alongside Wonder Woman in DC Mythology.

Comic Review: Batman Detective Comics #831

Comic Review: Batman Detective Comics #831 KIND OF LIKE FAMILY

June 2007

Writer: Paul Dini

Penciller: Don Kramer

Inker: Wayne Faucher

Today's review will be an older one where I know I can keep my anger in check.
Paul Dini - co-creater of Harley Quinn penned this issue - and it is excellent.

So first page we see is a bit reminiscent of a re-cap page from Harley's original series - she's at a hearing out of costume and dancing around her head spouting both encouragement and puns is a little Harley Quinn. The art is lovely - it's realistic enough without ruining the comic book feel (look at those lips and the detail in the eyes!) and Harley Quinn capering around mentally is awesome.

So far the hearing isn't going well, she tries to explain how she fell victim to Stockholm Syndrome when treating her charismatic patient, but admission of research on the Joker, and her past history work against her, even when she bats her eyes and promises to never do it again? 

No dice, Mr. Wayne on the Asylum board (because of course he is, despite not even being a doctor - votes against) and Harley is bummed that she has been turned down yet again when her guard takes her hostage, knocking her out to quell her protests and kidnapping her. 

When viewing the security footage, Batman agrees it seems to be real and that Harley had been trying to secure an honest release. They suspect the Joker of breaking her out and are worried that she might fall back into her old ways if he's around. 

Harley wakes up in the meantime to meet the masterminds of the whole scheme. 

Bombshell Harley Quinn: Little Black Book

Bombshell Harley Quinn: Little Black Book

What would happen if Volume 2 Harley Quinn travelled back in time and met up with her Bombshell universe counterpart?

I assume that was the general premise for this issue of Harley's Little Black Book series but it's more than likely (like the rest of the series) an obvious cash grab by marketing Harley with other characters (or Harley's in this case) 

Harley Quinn isn't a major character in Bombshells but she's certainly an interesting one, which is a lot more than what I can say for Volume 2 Harley.  

Alright so the cover is nice - both Harley's having a tantrum - probably because V2 Harley has copied most of the Bombshell's outfit, but Bombshell Harley for some reason, has forgone her own eye shadow and adopted V2HQ's stupid two tone one. But oh, it's nice having a flesh tone Harley again, not snow cone. 

The backdrop is well done, even if some of the other Bombshells have a bit of a creepy vapid, vacant look on their faces. 

Harley Quinn New 52 Bishoujo Statue

HARLEY QUINN NEW 52 BISHOUJO STATUE

Harley Quinn has made another appearance in the Bishoujo (read: pretty girl) statue collection only this time she's in her New 52 digs.
Original is on the left up top, while the one on the right is the NY Comic-Con variant.
Pretty much the same statue apart from a few small tweaks.

Obviously the colour scheme is different, the weapons are different and the bases are distinct but I think the biggest change is really the face. The variant has Harley's original Suicide Squad emo-make-up bath and a bit of a creepy sneer while the original is softer, and going for a more Bishoujo look, I guess.

Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad - The Costume

****HARLEY QUINN IN SUICIDE SQUAD - THE COSTUME****

Oh yes, it's another click-bait opinion piece on Harley's revised model in the Suicide Squad!

Wait, if I get money out of it, then that's great but this is just going to be my opinion. 

I've been pretty patient with not blasting this crappy outfit to smithereens verbally, but now, it's time. 

Alright - so why so serious?

This is Harley Quinn. She's a former psychiatrist turned felon when she fell for the Joker. Notice how she's dressed like a harlequin? She's also got a red/black theme with diamonds... does it remind you of a playing card or a Joker's Wild casino?

Now, it's common place these days for Miss. Quinn to have a new costume for every new gig she has. I remember reading an interview with Jim Lee who was talking about how coooool it'd be if she had a new costume in every issue and I was sitting there like... do you even read comics? She already does!

Comparison chart of costume changes. 

Anyway, the reason I brought up the diamond playing card thing is that someone saw this character (or her game counterparts/or her new fifty-poo mutation/or her solo comic shitstorm/or ... whatever) and thought "how can I bring this character into, like, the now?" The answer? A baseball diamond. 

Yeah... a baseball diamond. Of course. Sports jacket, Adidas heels, carrying a bat and always chewing gum? What else is she meant to be? 

Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad - The Characterisation

Alright, everyone else on the internet has had their say - now it's my turn.

***SPOILERS in case you actually care***

Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad.

"Now you're playing Harley, I want you to picture your vagina as a clown car..."

We will just talk about her for now, as the stupidity of the whole movie thing cannot be contained to one post.

To be fair, a lot of the reviews that I've read have slammed the movie itself, and then went on to praise Harley Quinn's actress Margot Robbie, Deadshot's actor Will Smith and Amanda Waller's Viola Davis for saving what could be saved of the cheesy, lame, popcorn flick.

"But the trailers were so promising!"

So -  one thing to ask ourselves is... was Margot Robbie in fact worthy of the praise?
Another - is this actually Harley Quinn?

Honestly, I've only seen a few of her movies. Even though I'm Australian, I avoid both soaps Neighbours (that she was on) and it's beachy counterpart Home and Away like the plague on wheels.
She was good in Focus - alongside Will Smith and I saw her in a bit part in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot where she was frankly a backstabbing bitch.

THE CHARACTERISATION

I've been told she was great in the Wolf on Wall Street so good for her! Because of this I went in with an open mind when I watched the Suicide Squad film, but if I hadn't been aware that she was supposed to be Harley Quinn, I would have not known otherwise. People keep saying that she killed it as Harley Quinn in this role but in my opinion.. there were a few bit parts that resonated with me as Harley Quinn and the rest was just over-sexualised, generic,  unfunny bullshit.

It kinda reminds me of all the group or quartet sort of shows you see growing up - where there are so many boys and usually only one girl. It's her job to be a lot of roles because we just can't have too many main female characters, ya'know. So she ends up being among other things - the love interest, the sex symbol, the ditz, the brainiac, the "mom" or if we're very lucky, a strong female character.

Belonging is fun!

Retro Review: Harley Quinn #6!

HARLEY QUINN #6 - WHO WANTS TO ROB A MILLIONAIRE

COVER DATE: May, 2001

WRITER: Karl Kesel 

PENCILER(s): Terry Dodson 

INKER(s): Rachel Dodson; Wayne Faucher 

COLORS: Alex Sinclair 

LETTERS: Ken Lopez 

EDITOR(s): Matt Idelson 

COVER: Rachel Dodson; Terry Dodson

Ahh, Harley Quinn issue 6... also famous for appearing in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back!

Wait, not that one...

There we go! To the top left behind Jay's sweet tresses. Of course, this being a movie I went to as a young teen not knowing it was mostly drug and dick jokes, I was not at that time a Harley Quinn fan. I became a Jay and Silent Bob fan though! Anyway, my point is it was a nice little Easter Egg for me as I was expanding my personal fan base.

Retro Review: Harley Quinn #5!

HARLEY QUINN #5 - LARGER THAN LIFE

COVER DATE: April, 2001

WRITER: Karl Kesel 

PENCILER(s): Terry Dodson 

INKER(s): Rachel Dodson 

COLORS: Alex Sinclair 

LETTERS: Ken Lopez 

EDITOR(s): Matt Idelson 

COVER: Terry Dodson 

We open with Bo and Surley - the hired security personal sent by Jack Happi to capture Harley Quinn. After spending all day doing the rounds, they're surprised in their office by Dr. Carrie Chispazo - the former FBI profiler assigned to help them. They hadn't heard from Carrie since they last met at the Cartwright's - but she's been busy working. 

Ten points to you dear reader - if you were able to read that without the Backstreet Boys song getting all up in your head. I love Carrie's layout - full profile of Harley, mug shots of her  and Joker, evidence of the hyena bust out, Lester's body, Two-Face's arrest, BFF Poison Ivy, Harley's asylum staff ID.... I can't quite make out the top right photo but who cares because Carrie has a Pac-Man computer.. or maybe a Pac-Mac? 

Bo and Surley resent the intrusion of Chispazo - being a two man team who started up together and don't wish to spread the reward money three ways. Chispazo reminds them that to get rid of her, they need to complete the job and work with her to collar their jesterey quarry. 

They start a mind map profile of Harley, putting out what they each know and providing this issue's narration. 

Supanova 2013

So the Gold Coast Supanova Pop Culture convention has been and gone, and to the delight of a super
Harley Quinn fan like myself - I got to meet Rachel and Terry Dodson, the husband and wife inker/artist team from the official Harley Quinn run!

I also got my Harley Quinn issues #1 and #2 signed by both of them - I wanted to bring all the issues I had but then I thought that it could be pushing our tentative friendship, and also several labour violations. So I kindly settled for those two issues, and also a X-men issue where Emma Frost physically dances around Cyclops' brain in a flapper costume while every woman in his life populates the building that resides there. I like the kooky ones.

Retro Review: Harley Quinn #4!

HARLEY QUINN #4 - THE WILDE LIFE

COVER DATE: March, 2001

WRITER: Karl Kesel 

PENCILER(s): Terry Dodson 

INKER(s): Rachel Dodson 

COLORS: Alex Sinclair 

LETTERS: Ken Lopez 

EDITOR(s): Matt Idelson 

COVER: Rachel Dodson; Terry Dodson

Issue four begins with an excellent artistic opening - using her city and locale to introduce the artists, the series and the title itself. Harley is meeting Lewis from the original Joker gang - she's beginning her own gang and he's helped put the word out. As they open the doors to the meeting place however, they are greeted by none other than the narrator himself - a self proclaimed dead ringer for the Joker - LESTER WILDE. 

Retro Review: Harley Quinn #3!

HARLEY QUINN #3 - WELCOME TO THE PARTY!

COVER DATE: February, 2001

WRITER: Karl Kesel 

PENCILER(s): Terry Dodson 

INKER(s): Rachel Dodson 

COLORS: Alex Sinclair 

LETTERS: Ken Lopez 

EDITOR(s): Matt Idelson 

COVER: Rachel Dodson; Terry Dodson 

Onto issue three - which begins with Catwoman's perspective?

She's entering a bowling alley, and trapped in an elevator - going up to see what the deal is. She's suspicious and not at all expecting... 

A slumber party hosted by Harley Quinn! Their last meeting (another of my favourite Harley comics!) didn't end so well but Harley is glad Catwoman has received her invite and decided to attend. She shows her around to meet some of the guests. 

There are the hit  women known as the Body Doubles - Bonnie and Carmen who snark on bustier superheroes and don't make a positive impression on Catwoman. Next up is Hope and Mercy - otherwise known as Lex Luther's capable lackeys. Also present - Poison Ivy and Jewelee - another diamond themed villain with a comical partner. 

Retro Review - Harley Quinn #2

HARLEY QUINN #2 - A HEART BROKEN IN TWO

WRITER: Karl Kesel 

PENCILER(s): Terry Dodson 

INKER(s): Rachel Dodson 

COLORS: Alex Sinclair 

LETTERS: Ken Lopez 

EDITOR(s): Matt Idelson 

COVER: Rachel Dodson; Terry Dodson

Our second issue opens with Harley loading personalised bullets into her gun and pulling the trigger, extremely upset. Fortunately for the continuation of the series she only shoots a bust of the Joker. She is coming to terms with losing her partner and contemplating being alone as a criminal. She images what Ivy would say to her, and promptly shuts down her own cartoony imaginative construct with weed killer. 

In an act of normality, she goes to watch TV but has the worst timing ever as the channel she turns to is discussing 'men who don't love their women' and she bursts into distraught tears. An angel (Harleen Quinzel - psychiatrist) appears on her shoulder along with a devil (mini-Joker in a fetching red suit). They argue about how to motivate Harley into pulling herself together. In this case, Harley dries her tears and agrees with the Devil-Joker. 

Retro Review: Harley Quinn #1!

HARLEY QUINN #1 - A HARLEQUINN ROMANCE

Dec. 2000

WRITER: Karl Kesel 
PENCILER(s): Terry Dodson 
INKER(s): Rachel Dodson 
COLORS: Alex Sinclair 
LETTERS: Ken Lopez 
EDITOR(s): Matt Idelson 
COVER: Rachel Dodson; Terry Dodson 

This comic was so hard to find. I was still in high school when it came out and when I became a collector later on it was much harder to collect this entire series. Nonetheless, collect it I did. The Dodson's have even signed my first few issues. DC finally bought out the collected editions of this series. I admit, some stories in this series were a bit weird and the art varied from time to time but after coming back to Harley's classic series after a deluge of her new series had me about to throw the towel in collecting them (I mean, come on, she's got like 5 or 6 books now and they all come with variant covers that are currently raking in dough so hard that you'd need Bruce Wayne's fortune to keep up!) I found that I was falling in love with Harley Quinn again and I had a much better appreciation for the original comics.

Her story starts in classic BTAS style - Poison Ivy in the Slab receiving flowers (fake, naturally!) on recommendation from her psychiatric board. However, when Ivy takes out the guards bringing the gift, it's revealed that a certain red and black jumpsuit is hidden inside the pot. Yep - Harley Quinn was in disguise as Ivy and makes a quick costume change before leaping out to confront further guards.

Why does Harley Quinn have so many comic books?

At the risk of sounding like a hipster... I'm starting to think I preferred Harley Quinn when no one knew who she was.

I remember it was a great bonding activity for me and my then boyfriend (now husband) - searching for elusive comics or figurines... knowing that we may not get them, knowing that she may only be on one page in the book and probably written or drawn badly..
It was a challenge, a reward when I found stuff, it was exciting!

Now I can't even go to my local shopping centre or throw a rock without hitting something with Harley Quinn's mug on it.

For a time, I was happy. My favourite character, getting more exposure, more affordable, more collectable.
But now it's getting a bit ridiculous..

Injustice 2: Harley Quinn

Injustice: 2 is set to be released in 2017, so you know what that means! 

Thaaaat's right! You can already pre-order your Harley Quinn collectable. 

I only saw this today, but I was aware of the game imagery earlier this month and it is beautiful. 

IMHO - This is the kind of thing they should have had Harley wear in Suicide Squad.

Not only is it street smart, it's in her classic colours (well, mostly - her hair's two tone pink and blue but at least she didn't do her eye make-up in the dark) it's not a torn up crappy tee-shirt like the Injustice insurgent outfit or the movie "costume" and it looks fantastic!

The game touts that every playable character is able to be custom designed, which is nice. As you can see in the below gif, this could include short shorts with garters if you really think you need it but also a sweet jester headpiece.