Surely, She Jests.

Harley Quinn (aka Harlequin, aka Dr. Harleen Quinzel) is one of my favorite DC characters because she's so colorful and off-the-wall.  She's a former psychiatrist who turns to crime and falls in love with the Joker.  What a concept!  A love interest for Joker?  Who'd have ever thought anyone could fall in love with a pasty whackjob like him?  It was a bizarre love story 50 years in the making. 

I wasn't reading comics when Harley was given her first solo monthly series from 2001-2003, but I was fortunate to have been around when Gotham City Sirens was published from 2009-2011, a series starring Harley, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman.  It was a decent series and it humanized Harley, showing us her friendship/kinship with other women, especially her closeness to Pamela (Poison Ivy).  It also portrayed her as in between a hero and a villain, much like Catwoman. 

Unfortunately, there seems to have been a lot of inconsistency in developing Harley's character/personality over the years.  With DC Comics' New 52 reboot, Harley has another new, more violent personality; she's a member of the Suicide Squad; and she's wearing a much different costume.  She's also a lot more methodical and serious, which is kind of disappointing because her goofiness, innocence, and naivety were her biggest appealing qualities and what set her apart from other villainesses.  And, although I like the idea of her new costume, I think it could be a lot less skimpy/slutty.  Her former costume was head-to-toe covering, which seemed a little silly (like her), but the slutty look is a bit too extreme, too.  She's not Harley anymore, and she doesn't have that personality that would make me think she'd fall in love with the Joker.  

Now, in late 2013, Harley is being given a chance at a second solo monthly series.   DC Comics recently released Harley Quinn #0.  What should have been an origin story was kind of a throwaway issue.  It featured Harley breaking the fourth wall (like John Byrne successfully did with She-Hulk back in the 1980s) and going from scene to scene, but there didn't feel like there was any flow or story whatsoever.  It was basically a showcase for different artists.  A multitude of artists contributed to the issue, with the supposed hunt for a permanent artist for the series. Why Amanda Conner (one of the co-writers) doesn't illustrate it, I have no idea.  She did an AMAZING job with Before Watchmen's Silk Spectre, and it's evident from her cover art that she could produce a beautiful Harley Quinn comic. 

Anyway, I look forward to reading Harley's misadventures in her own comic outside of Suicide Squad, but I hope the zero issue wasn't any indication of how future issues will be.  Harley and her readers deserve better. 

This Joker's No Joke

After Batman's lame reboot in DC's New 52 with the never-ending Court of Owls saga, they followed it up with one of the best Batman stories ever: "Death of the Family."  Yes, it mimicked the original late 1980s "Death in the Family" title to try to grab some headlines and piggyback on that popular story's sales, but we'll forgive DC for that cheap marketing tactic.  

"Death of the Family" gave us the New 52 version of the Joker.  And he is freakin' scary.  How scary is he?  He removed his own face and then loosely reattached it.  And with every issue, the reattached face decomposed more and more as it barely clung to him, tied only with strings, with flies buzzing around the decayed skin.  Twisted!  

The story involved Joker haunting the entire Batman family of superheroes, including Robin, Red Robin, Nightwing, Red Hood, Catwoman, and Batgirl (alas, no Batwoman), and the stories ran into their own individual titles.  This is the story DC should have rebooted the Batman series with, but I can see why they'd save it in their back pocket. 

I was a little disappointed in reading the conclusion of the storyline in Batman #17.  I thought, "That's it?"  However, after a closer second reading, I appreciated it more.  It established an interesting (new) bond between Batman and Joker, and delved a bit more deeply into the Joker's past than ever before.  Joker's still up to his games all in the name of dark humor, but they're much more serious and deadly.  And I like it.  This Joker is extremely psychotic, making him all the more interesting.  I'd love to see even more character development with this new Joker.  

All in all, DC did a fantastic job with the entire "Death of the Family" storyline in Batman, including all of the related titles.  I hope they collect all 23 issues in one chronological graphic novel.  That would make for one fantastic gift.  

I give DC an "A" for effort and an "A" for content, and it almost makes up for the ongoing Owls saga (know when to quit!).  Let's hope the next time we see the Joker, he's paired with the new, darker Harley Quinn (aka Harlequin). 

Joking Around With Lex Luthor

Action Comics #897

I recently read Action Comics #897, where Lex Luthor is headlining until the milestone 900th issue when Superman is supposed to return to the title. 

In Luthor's quest for the Black Lantern energy (see: Blackest Night), he has to visit Batman's arch-nemesis, The Joker, in prison.  What results brings out the best of Joker.  He's comical, yet cunning.  He's a smart-ass, yet sedate.  He's not the maniacal Joker we're used to seeing in the Bat titles.  Paul Cornell writes the Joker as if he has a real sense of humor, a trait sorely lacking in other Joker appearances.  He is not only The Joker, he's a joker.  After reading this interpretation of the Clown Prince of Crime, I would love to see a mini-series featuring the Joker, with Paul on writing chores.  

A Mediocre Joker

In The Joker graphic novel, we meet minor criminal Jonny Frost. He loses his girlfriend and joins Joker's gang, giving us a story from his viewpoint of what it's like to be side-by-side with this madman.  Although not specifically labeled, the graphic novel seems to take place in an "Elseworlds" universe. It doesn't take place in the regular DC Universe.  Regular Batman villains appear as slight variations of themselves: Harley Quinn is a killer stripper, Killer Croc is just a large man with alligator-type skin, and the Riddler is a feeble, crippled man who uses a question mark-shaped cane to walk. The Joker himself resembles Heath Ledger's silver screen version.

I liked the concept of this graphic novel, but the story didn't really draw me in that much, despite spot-on craziness from the Joker himself.  Usually when comic book stories are chosen to be placed in graphic novels rather than in a regular comic book, they're meant to be epic. Take, for example, The Killing Joke.  Unfortunately, that's where The Joker fails.  I guess I was expecting to get inside the mind of the Joker himself.  Some of the recent Joker's Asylum comic book stories have been much better.  They're better written, and have better artwork.

And, speaking of, most of the illustrations in The Joker appear like rough sketches rather than completed artwork. The characters have too many jagged edges for my taste. Ironically, some of the panels are a lot more detailed and beautifully illustrated. It seems as though the artist couldn't be bothered to do the rest of the graphic novel in a similar style. When I'm paying over $10 for a single story/issue in a hardcover format, I guess I expect a bit more effort put into it. Again, see Brian Bolland's flawless art in The Killing Joke. 

Skip The Joker graphic novel and head straight for the Joker's Asylum stories. You'll get much more value for your dollar.