Retro Review: Harley Quinn #9! Quintessence Pt 1

Shop Til You're Dropped!

Aug 2001

When we last left Harley, she was preparing to go shopping to blow off steam from her encounter with her old college professor. This issue is set to take place straight away and I love the cover. The hyenas look both goofy and threatening, there's appropriate foreshadowing and a bunch of different crowds coming after her while she shops nonchalantly.

This is a thing she does.

As well as the awesome cover, the first page is a recap that's done in a unique nursery rhyme style  while the art is reminiscent of Punch and Judy's style.

Harley's found a nice purse in her browsing but hits a slight hitch when the cashier recognises the name on the credit cards matches the dead fellow on the news.

Before she can provide her other method of payment, she's spotted by some goons (love how they have to have two pictures - one as Dr. Quinzel and one as Harley Quinn to identify the blonde holding a gun to a cashier while her hyenas look on.)

She dispatches them easily with a variety of fashion and shopping puns and also gag weapons.









Poor cashier man is in shock but the random attack isn't going to ruin Harley's day! Even if the bag she wanted proved to be useless in case of a fun fight. Nope, no way!

I'm going to point out that Harley has taken out two hit-people, and threatened a shop assistant but has not killed anyone.
Compare this to her current series where she's so 'independent' she can do all her own killing without a single joke.

Here she's just minding her own business, walking her pets, supporting her local economy and singing the praises of her town even if it smells bad and people keep attacking her.







Dodging the Molotov cocktail and the advances of an overly enthusiastic group of gun nuts, Harley is forces to  quick change into her work outfit.

Meanwhile the news broadcast about the rampage on Radio Drive grabs the attention of both Bo's team and the Quinntets.

This is a really smart way to show the parallels of both teams and their reactions to the event and their inner group conflicts.

Plus it saves a lot of pages so we can get back to the action.

Speaking of action, Harley's had to take her business to the Gotham Galleria since Radio Drive is out of the question. The news believe that she's destroying the place along with her hench-people but Chispazo thinks she's shopping.






The duo enter the mall and quickly find out that all sorts of deadbeats have come out of the woodwork to try and cash in on the bounty.

Harley spots them and gets distracted playing matchmaker, like Chispazo thought she would in the last issue. Unfortunately, this lack of attention lets a skeevy skateboarder stab her from behind.

Luckily for her, the Quinntets make their appearance and shoot him from behind - once with a gun and once with a verbal BURN.

They've found Harley but not by following the trail of destruction but by running into an old buddy of Kenny Two-Bear's  - Matches Malone.

Matches Malone has impressed Kenny with his street intel and ability to squeeze out of tricky situations better than Batman. Hmm.


Harley offers Matches a job on her team and the group split up to get back to their hideout. Harley's confident she can beat everyone back to HQ HQ but Nixon thinks someone else may find her before she does.

"Big man! Beating up on an imaginary construct!"

Harley does beat the team back but she's in a bad way. As she walks inside the HQ HQ/Ho-Ho-Home/Hi-de-Hi-de-Hideout/Hahacienda, she's leaving a blood trail and we also see her inner demon (Joker) and angel (Harleen) come back to offer advice and fight between themselves.

Which is hilarious, and so appropriate.

As she hits the switch to activate the secret entrance, Harley tries to ascertain what the weird smell is but her imaginary constructs are too busy fighting to let her concentrate..












It's another Batvillain-cameo - Killer Croc!

Which is kinda what her subconscious was trying to tell her but in the least helpful way possible.

It's okay, she'll talk to them about that later on.

She manages to get a blow in and flip away, using her locale to her advantage but Croc manages to pull her legs from under her when she pauses to and uses her as a bowling ball, knocking her out.

To be continued!

This issue is an excellent romp, showcasing Harley's athleticism, witty banter and her casual attitude to her life. We also see part of her craziness showcased but in such a way that it's not ha ha ha crazy person lol so crazy but more how she actually lives normally with these voices in her life. 

As well as that, we see how important love is to her, to the point where she'd put herself at risk to achieve it herself or to help others get there. 

The only questions I'm left with is a) where did Bud and Lou get to after the weekend warrior weenies beat-down? and b) why did skateboard dude with the 'tude/punk who sunk slice her arm?

Probably not the best way to take her down. 

I liked seeing Matches infiltrate his way into the gang in order to see what Harley is planning.

I also really enjoyed watching Harley trying to shop and getting frustrated with, and therefore kicking the various butts of bounty hunters, ninjas, gun nuts, thuggish skateboarders, a Mortal Kombat reject and what appears to be the main trio from the Matrix.