HARLEY QUINN #7: GODS AND MOBSTERS
This issue opens with a re-cap, as told by a cute little fourth wall breaking (before it became the De Rigour thing) Harley Quinn bouncing around the scene of real Harley Quinn and The Riddler fleeing for their lives as Big Barda comes crashing down around them during their accidental double heist of Wayne Manor.
The one page spread split into several panels along with Li'l Harley narrating gives the impression that time has actually scratched it's own record and stopped briefly. Very cinematic.
Oracle - AKA former Batgirl Barbara Gordon realises what a bad, long, terrible, no good night it's going to be after she realises that a) she's working blind since Margo's security hi-jinks show empty hallways, b) Big Barda cares little for vanquished baby grand pianos and c) not only is the Riddler causing havoc but Harley Quinn is there too.
Riddler overhears Barda's acknowledgement of a secret passage and jumps for nerdy joy. He starts monologue-ing out of nerdy joy too and doesn't realise that Harley is atop the chandelier - also spying on the scene.
The Quinntets voice their frustrations about hearing the same Riddler gang jokes and flee the scene, stumbling across Margo's dead body and the love of Kenny's life, a hench wench named Quelle. Wait, wasn't she mingling in the crowd at Bruce's charity bash?
Barda interrupts, but Harley offers a bargain plea - leave my goons alone and we'll help stop Riddler from finding the secret passage!
Meanwhile our old investigative friends Surley, Bo and Chispazo are looking up the head of psychiatry at Gotham State University to enquire about a certain past student.
In the Wayne Library, Riddler makes an awful mess for poor Alfred as he makes severalguesses ingenious conclusions about which aisle holds the secret. Harley dashes in and continues her little act, culminating in her tricking the Riddler into confronting Barda and having her gang try to shoot them all down while they're trapped.
The unlucky fifth Quinntet shirt claims another victim, Riddler discovers Harley's ruse, Kenny and Quelle hit it off and an sneaky pair of Riddler thugs end up taking themselves out while trying to switch sides.
Nix has a hard time dealing with the fact that there could be no loot in this heist despite the fact that Harley is trying to guide her gang to freedom with minimal bloodshed. Barda is there to put the kibosh on that though!
Oracle snaps to attention when she overhears 'grandfather clock' and realises where everyone is. Barda gets the authorisation to use whatever means necessary, unfortunately she uses this part after being flash blinded by Harley Quinn.
Harley and her gang of Quinntets make a run for it as part of the mansion collapses.
I just love Brucie's no chill neighbours here. Given they are in another mansion but close enough to hear the explosion - I once upon thought that they were kinda rude and uncaring but now I realise just how much noise they would get from their rich as balls neighbour on the regular.
And so it is with deadpan normality that Kaffir calls the cops and his wife worries about Bruce's Monet.
Back at the university we get a foreshadowing about what happened to Harleen's first boyfriend and if it was the beginning of her criminal career.
Meanwhile, New God Barda emerges victorious with the Riddler's gang in custody and THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK IS SAFE!
I like seeing all the shots of the Quinntets at their hideout.
Going into this series we are given signs that Harley isn't exactly built out to be a mobster. Yes, she ran lead on Joker's gang in issue one and did it really successfully, but as she points out to Nixon here.. crime just isn't enough motivation for her.
Nixon is antagonistic enough as it is but when you think of it from his point of view, he IS here to be a criminal. He WANTS to pull jobs and score rich. So while not a direct focal point of the story line just yet, there is definitely tension in the gang and it may be Harley Quinn's undoing in the end.
In my opinion, this is much better entertainment than the current 'Gang of Harley's' that Vol 2 Hardly Quinn runs. Granted, they're not actually villains as such but just variant colour clone stereotypes and follow her like sheep. I couldn't tell them apart or point out a personality trait of any of them if you asked me and gave me a guide sheet to do it with. OH WAIT.
Seriously, it's great that the never really seen again Coach tells us these facts because they never. ever. come up. again. or are even relevant. At all. But it's cool because these heroic figures are choosing to stand behind Hardly - a noted killer and all around self obsessed neurotic psychotic - instead of actually carving their own path and doing some real good like they say they want to do?
Guys, when we say we want diversity in comics we don't mean shove them all in at the same time as foot notes..sheesh.
By comparison, this one issue of Harley Quinn has a Jewish main character, a French villain, Muslim neighbours, a female warrior who was at her introduction one of the first examples of role reversals in comics, and a black character who is a character as opposed to a black stereotype.
True, none of these are main roles but none of them feel shoe horned in or that they are just there BECAUSE diversity.
So this one issue continues the heist story from the previous comic, throws in another super villain team up, sets up clever foreshadowing with the detectives looking into Harley's past and of course, the Quinntet unrest. As well as that, you have the usual gorgeous art from the Dodson team - the original (and better) husband and wife team to work on Harley Quinn - actual humour, a view into Harley's mindset (if the Riddler admits your smarts, you know you're good, and Harley ran rings around him to lead him into a trap) and the destruction of Wayne Manor.
The conclusion leads us to the next issue.. and Harley getting lead easily into another trap.
Oracle - AKA former Batgirl Barbara Gordon realises what a bad, long, terrible, no good night it's going to be after she realises that a) she's working blind since Margo's security hi-jinks show empty hallways, b) Big Barda cares little for vanquished baby grand pianos and c) not only is the Riddler causing havoc but Harley Quinn is there too.
Riddler overhears Barda's acknowledgement of a secret passage and jumps for nerdy joy. He starts monologue-ing out of nerdy joy too and doesn't realise that Harley is atop the chandelier - also spying on the scene.
The Quinntets voice their frustrations about hearing the same Riddler gang jokes and flee the scene, stumbling across Margo's dead body and the love of Kenny's life, a hench wench named Quelle. Wait, wasn't she mingling in the crowd at Bruce's charity bash?
Barda interrupts, but Harley offers a bargain plea - leave my goons alone and we'll help stop Riddler from finding the secret passage!
Meanwhile our old investigative friends Surley, Bo and Chispazo are looking up the head of psychiatry at Gotham State University to enquire about a certain past student.
In the Wayne Library, Riddler makes an awful mess for poor Alfred as he makes several
Nix has a hard time dealing with the fact that there could be no loot in this heist despite the fact that Harley is trying to guide her gang to freedom with minimal bloodshed. Barda is there to put the kibosh on that though!
Oracle snaps to attention when she overhears 'grandfather clock' and realises where everyone is. Barda gets the authorisation to use whatever means necessary, unfortunately she uses this part after being flash blinded by Harley Quinn.
I just love Brucie's no chill neighbours here. Given they are in another mansion but close enough to hear the explosion - I once upon thought that they were kinda rude and uncaring but now I realise just how much noise they would get from their rich as balls neighbour on the regular.
And so it is with deadpan normality that Kaffir calls the cops and his wife worries about Bruce's Monet.
Back at the university we get a foreshadowing about what happened to Harleen's first boyfriend and if it was the beginning of her criminal career.
Meanwhile, New God Barda emerges victorious with the Riddler's gang in custody and THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK IS SAFE!
I like seeing all the shots of the Quinntets at their hideout.
Going into this series we are given signs that Harley isn't exactly built out to be a mobster. Yes, she ran lead on Joker's gang in issue one and did it really successfully, but as she points out to Nixon here.. crime just isn't enough motivation for her.
Nixon is antagonistic enough as it is but when you think of it from his point of view, he IS here to be a criminal. He WANTS to pull jobs and score rich. So while not a direct focal point of the story line just yet, there is definitely tension in the gang and it may be Harley Quinn's undoing in the end.
In my opinion, this is much better entertainment than the current 'Gang of Harley's' that Vol 2 Hardly Quinn runs. Granted, they're not actually villains as such but just variant colour clone stereotypes and follow her like sheep. I couldn't tell them apart or point out a personality trait of any of them if you asked me and gave me a guide sheet to do it with. OH WAIT.
 |
| More like Gang of Exposition! |
Guys, when we say we want diversity in comics we don't mean shove them all in at the same time as foot notes..sheesh.
By comparison, this one issue of Harley Quinn has a Jewish main character, a French villain, Muslim neighbours, a female warrior who was at her introduction one of the first examples of role reversals in comics, and a black character who is a character as opposed to a black stereotype.
True, none of these are main roles but none of them feel shoe horned in or that they are just there BECAUSE diversity.
So this one issue continues the heist story from the previous comic, throws in another super villain team up, sets up clever foreshadowing with the detectives looking into Harley's past and of course, the Quinntet unrest. As well as that, you have the usual gorgeous art from the Dodson team - the original (and better) husband and wife team to work on Harley Quinn - actual humour, a view into Harley's mindset (if the Riddler admits your smarts, you know you're good, and Harley ran rings around him to lead him into a trap) and the destruction of Wayne Manor.
The conclusion leads us to the next issue.. and Harley getting lead easily into another trap.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Play nice or play dead! Harley Quinn's rules!