HARLEY QUINN #4 (REVIEW)

Harley Quinn #4

Writer: Jimmy Palmiotti
           Amanda Conner

Artist: Stephanie Roux

Cover: Amanda Conner





The Rundown:
Story begins with Harley covering her bleached white skin with some flesh toned make-up while getting ready for her new job at the nursing home. On her way out she bumps into Tony and they work out a deal where he builds something for Harley, she will let him live rent free for four months. At the nursing home, Harley is having a session with a lady named Mrs Rubenstein, who is telling Harls about how her family never comes visit her. Ever the softy, Harley is choked up a bit by the story. Harley has her next appointments rescheduled to later tonight and proceeds to leave the nursing home.
At a home in the suburbs, a young boy is playing video games and his father is in the basement playing with his train set, while the wife and mother is holding a "Pleasure Party" showing off various "toys" to her female companions. Harley Quinn crashes the party, through the wall riding a bulldozer, and then proceeds to roughly bind the family. She then throws them in the trunk of a car before driving off. While making a stop at a diner to grab herself a meal, Harley is confronted by yet another assassin looking to cash in on the bounty of HQ's head. Before stabbing him in the heart with her fork, she learns that is "Bubba" who set this all up because of her botching a job she was hired to do for him.

Later on, Harley arrives to the the roller derby late, missing her teams game. After asking how she could make it up to her teammates, one sarcastically says crippling the team that beat them would do the trick, HQ takes her seriously and proceeds to run the other team down with her car before driving off. The thumping noise reminds her of the "junk in the trunk". While at the end of a pier, Harley proceeds to tell the family about what Mrs. Rubenstein told her, as she proceeds to kick the son and wife of the edge. She allows the husband to speak and he informs her that they do visit his mother and it is due to her Alzheimer's that she doesn't remember the visits. Harley quickly realizes her mistake, having forgotten to read her patients files. She unties the man, who attempts to save his family from drowning, diving head first of the edge. Turns out it was low tide, and the family is on the beach below safe and sound.
Back at the nursing home, Harley's rescheduled appointment shows up, a man named Sy Borgman. Who informs her that he knows who she really is and how she got the job here. He also tells her about his younger days when he was named Syborg and worked for the Government. He and the country needs her help to finally finish his mission. Harley Quinn agrees to help the old man out as the story ends.


The Review:
Another issue keeping with Harley being a light amongst a dark DC Comics universe. She may be a villain, she is still a bubbly, big heart gal who just happens to be crazy as hell, and has a definite mean streak if provoked. Jimmy and Amanda delivered exactly that, and the innuendos were quite funny and well done. As really, only adults reading the "Pleasure Party" panels really had an idea of what was for sale. Very much like 60's Batman television show was. It may have been just me, but also keeping with the origin of Harley and how gullible she is with her patients and their stories, and seemed to be a reference to her relationship with The Joker. I am hoping this "Bubba" character turns out to be either a bigger named villain or if it is a new character, then someone who is displayed as one and not some throwaway bad guy. Series is only five issues deep, but would like to see Harley develop her own little section within DC Comics. Her own villains for sure. I did like the swerve involving her "killing" the family when she dumps them off the end of the pier. I get more than I prefer in the "child killing" depictions in AMC's The Walking Dead.
The art wasn't great, but it was extremely far from being bad. The story didn't really depict the need for more dramatic panels, and did okay with what action there was. I did like the roller skate being the only thing we see from Harley's retribution for missing the game. I also liked the "Pleasure Party" panels art wise also, as Roux could have went other places in the "toy" department. It was again very much like how things were with 60's Batman television.
Overall, it was a good issue. It has set-up the next issue nicely, with my being a bit intrigued by the retro-cyborg, Syborg. Really like how even Harley's bad girl moments come across as more funny and lighter toned, as people are right, DCU is a dark place, which I like, but comic books like this make for a great break from it. Although it is nice to see her on her own and it is still early, there needs to be more characters either making appearances like they did with Ivy so far.

Stay Nerdy!