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. 

We see where Harley and her gang currently are, while Bo, Surley and Chispazo work on understanding where Harley started in order to comprehend her end game. This of course takes them back to Harley's backstory as a psychiatrist working at Arkham Aslyum. When Jeremiah Arkham comments on how good her grades were and how commended she is, Harley quips how much a little blackmail will get you. As soon as she's hired, she's onto business and asking when she can meet the Joker. 

Meanwhile in present day, the gang have arrived at their next score and are meeting Brad - the newest Quinntet. He's an employee at the Finger Warehouse which is basically a warehouse for oversized items. Buster isn't impressed with Harley's indecision regarding the crime while Nix quickly overcomes his reservations when he realises there could be treasure in one of these super sized items. 

Chispazo has recovered the initial interview tape with the Joker that Harley hid. It explains how Harley later told everyone it was the Joker that changed her name but the video clearly shows it was her becoming Harley Quinn in an attempt to connect with the Joker. 

It works, and piques the Joker's interest - causing him to react in a way we rarely see. 

We are then shown the actual incarceration of Harley in the asylum she once worked at, something that's usually skimmed over. She unnerves Jeremiah by showing that even though she's crazy, she's still a button pushing psychiatrist, getting under his skin by pointing out he's afraid of understanding his inmates to the point that he'll also be turned insane. 

The page showing the criminally insane duo's rise to underworld power then segues into Harley in present day in a wistful, contemplative and then an 'ugh, what was I thinking' mood. I really like this easy transition, and again Harley's expressions says it all without speech-bubble exposition. It's a nice throw back to classic Harley and Joker art/memorabilia. 

The team are just getting into Harley's powers, increased by Poison Ivy, when their police radio scanner advises them of a break in at the Finger Warehouse. They rightly assume it's Harley due to her theatrical nature and race off to investigate. 

This leads to one of my favourite scenes in this issue - it's just classic, simple physical comedy and it cracks me up every time I read it! It's also highly effective, scattering the trio. Harley easily runs rings around them on their first outing - They don't work together well as they haven't worked out their action plan. Chispazo's overthinking Harley's behaviour, Bo hesitates too much and doesn't follow through. Surley does a bit better when he apprehends Brad but manages to upset the local GCPD. Harley again scarpers with her gang, leaving the newest Quinntet to take the fall.

They've wrangled her souvenir - a helmet that reminds her of her college days. She finds she has to assert some dead eyed dominance over Nix who is angry about not having made (or stolen, rather) some cash. Harley attempts to pay the gang out her secret blackmail stash, but finds that Catwoman has taken it all from the slumber party. You can see all of Harley's tricks of the trade - sticky string, grenade gum, oversized mallet, etc. Her combination number is 36, 24, 34 which I now know are female body measurements. But never to fear, she's already got her next target in place. 

The Finger Warehouse was a bit of genius, you always gotta wonder where all the larger than life criminals keep their over large wares. It's nice seeing Harley's past explored in a not always so in your face way - for example the transition from past to present, Harley stealing a memento of her past while the trio of investigators decide to look into that college past as well. Harley is not a ruthless criminal mastermind so the tensions between certain gang member and Harley herself are interesting because they clearly don't have the same goals.