Harley Quinn/Gossamer #1 – Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Sholly Fisch, Writers; Pier Brito, Dave Alvarez, Artists; Paul Mounts, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: One of the biggest events of this wave of specials is that iconic Harley Quinn writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner are returning to the character for one last adventure. That it’s a team-up with giant fuzzy space monster Gossamer somehow doesn’t even really seem unusual, given the usual absurdity that Harley gets up to in her title. And that’s both this issue’s greatest strength and greatest weakness – it barely feels like a crossover. It’s an oversized, top-notch issue of Harley Quinn that just happens to feature some Looney Tunes characters. The story begins with a massive storm bearing down on Coney Island, and Harley and all her friends prepping for the disaster. Surprisingly, in the middle of this is some really sweet Harley/Ivy romance. Can we have Palmiotti and Conner come back to do a Harley/Ivy wedding special? Also, loved the Black Label name-drop. While picking up the next morning after the storm, Harley comes across some debris on the beach. She opens up the oversized ACME crate, and out pops a giant fuzzy monster who takes a liking to Harley.
Unlike many of the other specials this week, there’s no big crisis or battle in this issue. Harley takes Gossamer home, tries to figure out where he came from, and has a bunch of misadventures involving him mistaking one of her dogs for a hot dog (his trademark favorite food). The action picks up a lot when a giant robot attacks Harley’s apartment building seemingly in search of her. She instantly assumes Joker is behind the attack, and she and Gossamer chase after him in the middle of Joker menacing a tied-up but completely unconcerned Batman. After that battle, the truth behind the giant robot is revealed and Harley pays a surprising visit to space to meet with Gossamer’s creator. This is essentially an issue about Harley trying to return someone’s stray pet, and it works very well. It even sets up a potential plot point for future Harley issues. The backup, written by Sholly Fisch of Scooby Doo Team-Up, focuses more on classic Looney Tunes chaos as Harley breaks into a mad scientist’s lair just as he unleashes Gossamer, and lots of explosions plague everyone involved. It’s funny, but sort of pales compared to the main story. Fans of the regular Looney Tunes comic should enjoy it.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
