Review:
Twenty-five years after Harley Quinn's grand debut (in a 1992 episode of Batman: The Animated Series), eighteen years after successfully jumping media from TV series to comic books en route to becoming one of the most famous and popular anti-heroes of DC and with her own title, in 2017 Harley Quinn jumped back into animated TV series with her very own show.
Season Two's finale saw her interrupt the wedding of Poison Ivy and Kite Man. In a cross-blending promotion, DC spun off a 6-issue limited series comic run, bridging seasons two and three. Writer Tee Franklin takes our leading ladies on a Thelma-and-Louise-style romp of a road trip, but with more sex and way more violence.
Commissioner Gordon pursues them in an OCD-fueled blind rage, oblivious to the collateral damage to innocent people or his own life and sanity. Battles versus Hush, Clayface, Vixen and other members of the Justice League follow in rapid succession. Cameos by Catwoman, Nightwing and Batman add to the name recognition. Intimate scenes popping up in bedrooms, bathrooms, moving vehicles. It all adds up to a wild ride with plenty of noisy chaos.
But the furor and humour are tempered throughout by Ivy's endless introspection, confusion, perhaps even clinical depression. You'd think Harley, with her PhD in Psychology, would have more to offer than a lover's patience and commitment, as important as those things are in their relationship.
Franklin writes what she knows, weaving in many reflections of her own experience as a Black, queer, disabled, and reportedly autistic comic writer. All of those elements play a role in this jam-packed series. But importantly, those traits are never the focus, they are just the realities with which the supporting characters must deal. It adds up to a great display of diverse representation, possibly a portfolio for participating in DC's annual pride publications.
The visuals are recognizably reflecting the styles of the animated series, albeit with some small stylistic differences. Ivy's face is stretched even longer; Harley's is even rounder, and so on. But the strong similarities point to the deep reliance throughout the series on ties and connections to the TV show. The volume of references, in-jokes and events is off-putting to readers not familiar with the source material.
The result is a book that confuses on one level and fails in its marketing task on another; it may be awesome for existing viewers of the show but is unlikely to draw in new ones. It is a missed opportunity and, as a result, the story itself misses the mark. The moments of loud, kinetic chaos and of affection between our leads could have been so much more fun, but they wind up buried under the disjointed leaps, in-jokes and oppressive ennui.
Description:
Hey, do you wanna see Harley and Ivy go on a road trip and make out??? Picking up directly from the cliffhanger ending of Harley Quinn: The Animated Series, Harley and Ivy are on the run in a Thelma-and-Louise journey, it's all here!
Harley and Ivy on the road trip of the century! Following the wedding disaster of the decade, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy end up on the run from Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD! But as fun as all that sounds, Ivy still worries over leaving Kite Man at the altar... Luckily, Harley's got the perfect scheme to shake her out of her wedding-day blues!
This incredible volume is packed to the brim containing Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour #1-6!
Collects: Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour #1-6
Authors: Tee Franklin
Artists: Max Sarin
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Aug. 29, 2023
Parental Rating: Mature
ISBN: 978-1779520401
Pages: 144 pages
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