Harley Quinn #47 – Sam Humphries, Writer; John Timms, Artist; Gabe Eltaeb, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: The “Hammer Harleen” arc comes to a close in Harley Quinn #47, a little quicker than I expected. The concept of Harley as a Female Fury trying to acclimate to life on the brutal planet of Apokalips is a great one with a lot of potential, but I assume Humphries wanted to tell a tight story and get on to other things before he wore out his welcome. There are far worse strategies, and this three-issue arc has been a lot of fun. When we last left off, Harley’s attempted rebellion against Granny Goodness has gone ff very badly, and she’s been sent for re-education by Bernadeth. This mainly consists of extensive physical and psychological torture, but what the Furies haven’t counted on is that Harley is REALLY messed up in the head. This torture is probably a rough Saturday night for her, and so she’s not easy to break. Her cellmate, Petite Tina – who Harley had helped to capture earlier in the arc – isn’t quite as resilient, so she’s not doing all that great. Although there’s a significant distrust between the former rivals, they eventually form an alliance out of necessity.
Once the breakout happens, the issue kicks into high gear. Humphries has done a lot of satire and offbeat comedy before, which makes him a good fit for Harley’s title – but he’s also a great sci-fi writer, and so he cuts loose with the action as Harley and Granny Goodness face off for the fate of the lowlies of Apokalips and the macguffin that will power her massively destructive weapon. The character of Petite Tina, who started out as little more than a joke based on her name and size, becomes a far more poignant character this issue and her story of rebellion becomes one of the issue’s best subplots. There’s a lot happening fast towards the end of the issue, including the introduction of possibly the only character crazy enough to keep up with Harley on an adventure – Lobo. The addition of Tina to the series’ regular cast – and her arrival on Earth to hang out on Coney Island – promises to be a lot of fun. The end of the issue has a huge cliffhanger that threatens to upend Harley’s whole status quo, and possibly lead to the upcoming continuity chaos we’ve been promised. This continues to be the best Harley run in a while.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
