Harley Quinn #14 – Stephanie Phillips, Writer; Riley Rossmo, Artist; Ivan Plascencia, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Harley Quinn in prison shouldn’t be a big shocker—after all, she does commit a lot of crimes. But this is her first time in the joint since she officially switched over to the side of the angels, and we know that she’s in there after being framed for murders of mobsters committed by the masked Verdict. While she’s professing her innocence to anyone who’ll listen, even her best friend Kevin has his doubts—after all, there are pictures of her slaughtering everyone in the place and taking their eyes. Making things worse, Harley is an even bigger target in prison now that she’s flipped sides. Many powerful gangsters want a piece of her, and they know how to rile her up by taunting her about her last fight with Punchline. Sure enough, it’s not long before she’s involved in a massive prison brawl, and there are signs that being incarcerated might be pulling her back to her bad old ways.
The good news is, she’s not the only one who knows she didn’t do it. Murders are still being committed, even with Harley behind bars, and Batwoman is on the case. Riley Rossmo’s art style is a little strange on Kate—her hair and costume are even more billowy than usual—but that’s because she’s not a character who 100% fits into Harley’s bizarre world. Once she confronts Verdict on the rooftop and the villain gets away, she knows she has to find out the truth—and that means breaking Harley out of prison. While this issue’s story is a little standard, some of the subplots—particularly involving Kevin and his new girlfriend—are a lot more intriguing. The ending has Kate rescuing Harley from prison, meaning we’re about to get the most chaotic team-up between two LGBT heroines we’ve ever seen. This may be a bit of a transition issue, but it’s one that delivers in action and laughs.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
