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.
Another DC Comics' villains month has come and gone. After DC Comics' Faces of Evil concept disappointed me in 2009, I had low expectations for the latest villains month event/gimmick in September 2013. Then came all the hype and positive reviews for the 3-D lenticular covers, the news of their limited availability, and the mad dash to collect them all, even if it meant spending ten to one-hundred times their "value" on eBay (see The Joker's Daughter #1).
Fortunately, all of mine came pre-ordered, so I wasn't involved with all of the hair-pulling and name-calling. My monthly shipment comics arrived at the end of September, and I was mesmerized by the covers. They really were pretty awesome. I've almost finished reading all of them and all I have to say is that their beauty is only skin deep. Some are origin stories. Some are present-day stories. Pretty much all of them, though, have been average storytelling. There was no consistency or cohesiveness to them. It would have been better if they were either (a) all origin stories set in the past or (b) all set in the present-day New 52 world. The only good thing about them is that there has been some decent artwork from artists I've never heard of before.
Two of the most interesting villains issues I've read so far have been Poison Ivy #1 and Killer Croc #1. Both are set in present day with flashbacks to when they were young. Both present terrible events in their childhoods that give us insight into why they've become the villains they are today. I felt sympathetic toward them; the events humanized them. Additionally, the Poison Ivy comic did something very creative with its flashbacks. It presented the art with an old-timey look in pastel colors. This is the kind of comic I'd love to see blossom into a regular series, as it really gives us an in-depth look into the life of Pamela Isley.
Conversely, my most anticipated read, The Joker's Daughter #1, was a complete letdown, thanks mostly in part to writer Ann Nocenti's inability to actually, um, write. Nocenti's already killed Green Arrow, Katana, and Catwoman for me. So, let's give her another title and see what else she can fuck up. Does she have some sort of blackmail against DC Comics' Powers-That-Be that keeps landing her regular gigs? What should have been an introduction to a new, reinvented, creepy character just turned out to be a big, convoluted mess. Don't just take my word for it, though.
Maybe one year DC will actually get a Villains Month right. What a wonderful month it would be to have dazzling covers mixed with well-written stories and terrific artwork. But, seriously, why limit it to a month? Shouldn't we always get these things for our hard-earned dollars? With the abundance of untapped talent that's out there, why waste time on spotty storytelling and crappy art?
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| 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.
What's a good example of a marketing gimmick? DC Comics' Faces of Evil. I was excited about this "event" when I read about it coming. I thought it was a great idea to have each comic in the DC Universe focus on one of its more prominent villains and truly give us "The DCU from the villains' point of view." I've read several of the issues on the checklist and...I'm not impressed with the gimmick. And what a "gimmick" it is. Let me give you the definition of "gimmick" from Wikipedia:
"In marketing language, a gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries. However, the special feature is typically thought to be of little relevance or use. Thus, a gimmick is a special feature for the sake of having a special feature. In marketing, product gimmicks are sometimes considered mere novelties, and not really that relevant to the product's functioning, sometimes even earning negative connotations."
Faces of Evil is a gimmick. It's not relevant and earned a negative connotation in my (comic) book. Why, you ask? The premise promised stories told from the point of the view of the villain. They weren't. The covers featured villains against a black background. One would think that the issue would actually contain that villain for more than a panel or two. They didn't.
Wonder Woman #28 - features The Cheetah baring her claws. The Cheetah doesn't show up until the END of the comic and even then is in only about two panels. The rest of the comic shows Wonder Woman getting dolled up in warrior armor, enlisting her white gorilla friends and the former and current Wonder Girls, and going off to do battle with the green faceless creature that beat her up in the previous issue. How is that a Faces of Evil comic, you ask? I don't know. You tell me.
Green Lantern #37 - features an angry Red Lantern by the name of Laira on its cover. The issue turns out to be mainly about the battle with Atrocitus, the supposed head of the Red Lanterns. And, no, the story isn't told from his viewpoint either. (And don't even get me started about this new rainbow of Lanterns out there in the universe. Or the fact that the Green Lantern Corps can't stay in their own comic and have to bleed over into Green Lantern as well. Green Lantern = singular. Green Lantern Corps = plural.)
Batman #685 - features Catwoman holding a giant (and presumably stolen) diamond. Now, I LOVE Catwoman as a character. However, didn't DC just cancel her comic? And now they're making her the main focus of this Batman issue? Her own series could have been extended a couple of issues for this storyline and given a lesser known Batman villain (who's never had his/her own comic) a little spotlight.
Birds of Prey #126 - features the --yawn-- villainous Calculator. Sadly, this BOP comic really was about the Calculator in its penultimate issue. Readers already clamor that they're tired of seeing the Calculator in Birds of Prey, so what does DC do? They devote an entire issue to him. Right before they end the series. Way to go out with a whimper. Maybe this comic should have read "Feces of Evil" instead.
Faces of Evil? Concept = A+. Follow-through? D-.
As I started getting back into comic books after a 15-year sabbatical, I recall seeing Salvation Run
in the comic book store, but skipped over it until halfway through the series when I finally realized what it was actually about (since the title was NOT a dead giveaway). I then picked up back issues and followed the series through its end. I'm not sure how sales were for Salvation Run but, in my opinion, it might have done better with a clearer title. But I digress...
The idea that a large number of DC Comics villains were sent to a "prison planet" intrigued me, as it recalled Marvel Comics' Secret Wars
back in the 1980s. Plus, I do love mustache-twirling villains (what would a hero be without a villain?) and its rare that a villain is the star of a comic book series. While Salvation Run was just "okay," I did discover that DC had put out another comic about villains a couple of years previous called -- what else? -- Villains United
. I picked up all the back issues (because I do loves me some villains!), despite not being incredibly thrilled with the line-up other than Cheshire, whom I've always liked as a character since my 1980s New Teen Titans
days. Immediately, I was drawn in by Gail Simone's storytelling and character development. Further, I discovered that the storylines were very adult-oriented and "spoke to me," if you will. The old Batman villain (and Catwoman knockoff) Catman is now hot and sexy? Cheshire flirts with him, they fall into bed, and have a child together? 
A new Ragdoll has a twisted sense of humor and is seemingly in love with a Parademon from Apokolips who looks after his welfare? Vandal Savage has a daughter code-named Scandal who's a lesbian and partnered with fellow teammate Knockout who's also from Apokolips? The also now-sexy Deadshot is caught in bed with Knockout as Scandal walks in on them?! SCANDALOUS! I love it! These are not your 1980s comics characters! And suddenly, I'm in love with all these minor characters I didn't know I could instantly love!
I voraciously devoured every issue featuring the Secret Six that I could get my hands on (including their appearances in Birds of Prey
). I was a bit disappointed that the Parademon was taken away from us too soon because I loved the twisted chemistry between he and Ragdoll, but I was grateful for Simone to bring on the equally twisted "new" Mad Hatter. And then I was pleasantly elated when Ragdoll disposed of him by pushing him off a cliff because, truly, one eccentric person in the group is enough. 
Losing Knockout to death in Birds of Prey was a bit sad...but quickly gotten over. She always seemed generic and disposable to me whereas a few of the other Secret Sixers are certainly not.
So, with all that said, it's not difficult to guess that I am full of anticipation for the new ongoing Secret Six series featuring Gail Simone's writing. I wish it (and her) much success as I want to continue to read where the future takes some of my newfound favorite characters month after month after month. And, it goes with saying, that I look forward to many future sexual (and sometimes bizarre) escapades of the Six.
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. 
