Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti may be the two best casting choices for Harley Quinn ever. Since Harley’s heartbreaking appearance in Death of the Family, the first lady of Joker Town has been given a new lease on life. She’s footloose and fancy-free. Quinn is her own woman and, more importantly, she’s still crazy a shithouse rat. Conner and Palmiotti have the same kind of love of chaos and fun that Harley does, which is why Harley Quinn #1 is so much damn fun.
Quinn has fled Gotham for the quiet, softer world of New York City. An old patient died and left her a whole building, right smack dab in the middle of Coney Island. Packing up everything the Joker didn’t destroy onto her Harley Chopper, the sexiest thing to hit cosplay since Wonder Woman takes to the open road. Naturally, her first few minutes in NYC are fraught with peril, and laughs. The laughs come from a Media Yuppie hipster too busy gabbing in his phone to notice he’s dragging his depressed dog. Sad animals make Harley go BOOM, so naturally she frees the dog and drags the owner down the street by his neck.
The peril comes from a hit man dressed like a Nazi with a skull mask who attempts to shoot down Lady Quinn. Bad idea. Instead of a rich, full bounty, said hit man gets his head caved in by the biggest mallet since Gallagher. From there, Harley Quinn moves into her new digs, which comes with a heftier price than you’d think. Harley has responsibilities now, forcing her to don a wig, some make up, a few normal outfits, and get a job. She’s back to being a shrink. Good. What could possibly go wrong there?
Outside of the spot-on pacing, snappy dialogue, and solid page-to-page excitement, Harley Quinn #1 rules for two other reasons. First, Harley joins a roller derby league. My fiancée is on the Cincinnati Roller Girls, so it’s always nice to see the derby love. Conner and Palmiotti orchestrate a more brutal tryout than I’ve ever seen, but it’s still awesome to see Harley fire up some derby violence. The second reason? Harley’s new best friend in the apartment is Danzig. Well, no, not actually Danzig, the character’s name is Big Tony (which rules), but he’s obviously Danzig, down to the see through mesh shirt, the skull belt buckle, his hair, his size and his build. Clearly, one or both of these writers loves them some Danzig.
Art wise, Harley Quinn is a bum out for only one reason. Neither Conner nor Palmiotti are penciling the issue. Chad Hardin does a great job, but when you see the Palmiotti/Conner name, it’s impossible not to want to see their bombastic art style. Still, Hardin pays great tribute to Quinn. He matches the energy of his writers in every panel. Harley is bigger than life, and Hardin makes sure to draw her that way. Once I got over my P&C withdrawal, I enjoyed Hardin’s work very much.
Harley Quinn #1 gives new life to the character, and does it with as loud a party as the creative team can muster.
(4.5 Story, 4 Art)
