DC Universe Harley Quinn #51

First things first, while I appreciate a retro cover like the first one here, I don't know what is going on with Harley's pose at all, she looks so out of place and wrong. Tiny Trump hands, her hips are apparently out of orbit with the rest of her and her face.. doesn't seem to match what she's saying. Now, even if she's talking sarcastically.. why does she look depressed?

Also.. why does she need a belt saying who she is when DC's new tag line for Harley is basically "YOU KNOW WHO SHE IS!"

The second cover is better, as usual. They're still putting her with Joker props though. To ship, or not to ship? That's what DC needs to ask themselves.


The art is sooooo much better in this series now. The writing... for me, it's yet to be amazing but it's already better than the last lot of idiots. That's partially why I'm doing another DCU review - because I can actually stomach this schlock now.

Starting off with an out of control vehicle - okay well the pedestrians it's veering towards are for the most part in continuity.. except when the older guy falls down and changes places with the blue jean boy - it's stopped by Captain Triumph who is immediately mistaken for nearly every other male superhero out there.

The older guy - demands to know who the hell this guy who saved him is. Well, I suppose that's the New Yorker in him coming out? Not 'Oh, thanks for saving my clumsy ass' but 'Wait... you're... who the hell ARE you?'

Ya know what would have been better? Having this guy - who's old enough to be in the demographic to remember this guy - remember this guy instead of having Captain Triumph do his hero spiel.

Now he destroys the out of control driver's car and uses part of the bumper to wrap around the driver to punish him while he waits for the police. He also assumes smart phones are the work of his evil nemesis (is he wrong, though?) and destroys some stuff out of confusion. 

Meanwhile we have Harley looking into her wardrobe talking to her classic outfit while her mom barges in and tells her how much she hates it. Yeah.. not everyone's down with the skintight clown but it's kinda annoying how mom's fine with her daughter wearing red/black and pink/purple at the same time while sporting pink/blue dip dye with matching ridiculous eye shadow. 

Is Harley mom living with Harley now? At least we have some recognition that Harley had a criminal past.. I was never sure what Harley's parents knew about her during the Conner/Palmiotti nightmare. Or if the whole Suicide Squad thing existed as far as they knew? Plus, everyone seems cool that their daughter is deathly white? 

I don't even know why Harley has a wardrobe. She always wears the same thing anyway. Which, mom doesn't comment on. Doesn't sound like any parent I know. 

Turns out that the clown suit is synonymous with crime now. Even though Harley's committed just as many atrocities in her roller derby outfit but hey, what do I know? Harley heads out to have a coffee with her mom while simultaneously casing a bank for a robbery. Oh, in her new outfit. Just saying. Mom is still eerily silent about that. 

What's also weird is that Harley's flashback to her 'fun' good old days are apparently just the one time Joker robbed a bank to get a bottle of wine to share with her? Just violence, no humour, a mundane crime but an amazing thigh gap on Joker? I mean, is this what people think of when they try to imagine pre-52 Harley Quinn, or any Joker relating to her? 

Just this random mushy version of Joker and a violent love interest? Never mind Joker wouldn't go out with a plan unless he had a really good joke or needed money. Never mind that he wasn't really into Harley more than half of the time. I feel like this is something that was probably in the scrapped Suicide Squad movie script and recycled here?  Or, a cheap shill for their 'Harley loves Joker' comic. 

 Or both. Whatever. 

Harley's mom tries to get all tough saying she'll shiv a clown in the arse if she could only sharpen this butter knife - boy, you've sure turned a page from the Jewish mom stereotype pushed on us before, haven't ya? But you only married a criminal, you don't have any experience with the Joker.

Harley has a nice moment of introspection where she's concerned she can't hack it in civilian life, but then Harley's mom has to go and Harley's mom it all up. 'You're the best person at being yourself when it counts.' What the actual F does that mean? That didn't answer Harley's question, it didn't say she was a good person or that she'd do fine.. she just said she can be the best Harleen when she needs to be a Harleen. Is there someone else out there that can do her better the rest of the time??? Eh, probably. This whole thing kinda glosses over that she's clearly not being Harleen though. 

Anyway, here's Triumph the Wonder Man jumping into the middle of the street - and somehow still has amazingly white pants - then he gets shot by some SWAT people - who can't puncture his clothes - then he runs off yelling about his brother, justice, and getting home. Hey, who hasn't been there. 

Harley is still amazed at this guy and wanting to know who he is - decides to break the fourth wall again and get the continuity cops involved instead of say.. reading the news. Now.. didn't we JUST have a comic about why she shouldn't be breaking the fourth wall? Oh yeah we did... 

.....................IT WAS LAST ISSUE. 

But sure, let's get Jonni DC back out here so she can make the exact same joke about 'Dan and Jim' again then harp on about some stupid Legion flight rings. Harley's like whatever, fix your own continuity mess but gets schooled by her mom, hard. 

I was just thinking the artist made her look younger in the Prelude to the Wedding issue and here she looks older ... but is still pretty immature. 

If you want to argue that classic Harley was a criminal, you can at least appreciate that she would at least try to fix the messes that she made, not try to skive out of it. 

The only reason I'm not super mad at the Jonni DC cameo is that it was pretty short and contained this scene. 

Donna Troy is severely screwed by DC reboots.. and lack of chairs. 

Harley could probably use an intervention like this herself! 

So Harley goes off and finds Triumph the Wonder Dude, takes him into the sewers and then back out again so they can go on carny rides after dark. Triumph the Expositional Wonder gives a sob story about how he's lost in time and alone but Harley gives him nothing but grief, rejecting any clown predecessors (lady, you ain't even the first of your name!) then calls him boring, mad and annoyed that he's not taking her help ... which he wouldn't even need if she hadn't screwed up continuity in the last issue. 

She decides, like most versions of Harley in the world today, that a costume change will fix everything. She goes Bombshell... because it's vaguely from his era? It doesn't look as good with her pasty white/grey toned skin as it does with her previous skin tone.

Actually... how is this not creating even more continuity problems? Bombshells is an entirely different universe! AND where was she even keeping that costume?! AAArgh!

 A game of baseball, a sped up Merry-Go-Round and punching fascists.. wait, were there just people walking around Coney Island dressed like that? Are they punching actual fascists or people re-enacting scenes in a movie or as part of a drama club?

.... Well, that made no sense. Back to stuffing their faces.

Harley is still keen on not actually 'helping' helping Triumph the Wonder Bra, and is trying to convince him to be happy where he is instead of where he should be. The clincher is when she actually opens her mouth and says that soon Triumph will be thanking her for trapping him in present day Coney Island. 

First point; has anyone thanked anyone for that?

Second point; What an idiot. She just had to hold out for a little bit longer but she couldn't resist opening her mouth. 

Triumph the Wish Fulfillment man then strangles Harley Quinn. 

The Short End of the Jester Schtick

Like, what is his problem? Sheesh.

Well, at least the comic is readable now the old crew is gone. Harley is much less of a jerk, she speaks better English and her red nosed reindeer isn't as painfully obvious. She's still insensitive to others needs, which she never used to be, and still acts like a bratty child at times. 

I wasn't fond of Harley's mom dissing the old costume. I can understand where she's coming from, but they could have worded it better. It made it seem like she was just pushing the point as to why Harley doesn't wear her  classic threads anymore in favour of her new hot pants instead of saying something like 'When you wear that, it reminds me of what you went through with Joker'. 

That to me, would be better. At least Harley looked back fondly on that costume, and didn't stand over it grinding it up like some statues I know of. 

Anyway, I don't know much about Captain Triumph but I think he was handled well. He didn't come off as a stereo-typically lost in time fella, just someone who was lost and had lost, he was sad and confused. 

This issue did well without cramming in Harley's Usual Gang of Idiots and as I said earlier, I think the art is sooooo much better. 

Wotta Comedian!

Harley: Did you see 'im school those cops? Unreal!

Harley's mom: Yes, dear. I saw his butt, too. You don't see me talking over the movie about it. 

Jonni DC: I need YOU to take care of him. Just... get him indoors and don't let him leave until I get there! And above all, don't make anything worse!

Harley: Sure sure whatever uh-huh nice butt yep.

Mayor: ..as befits the station of my office, as the mayor I hereby bestow upon you this notation of excellence for, uh... um... meme... excellence? Are you freakin' kidding me?

Pawn 12: You're in checkmate, fool! I've been waiting to say that for months!

Harley: Lessee... where can I find a boogie woogie bugle boy.... there's gotta be one around here somewhere...Uh, hey, whassamata? Ya don't like bugles?