Harley Quinn #27 – Stephanie Phillips, Writer; Matteo Lolli, David Baldeon, Artists; Rain Beredo, Colorists
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Stephanie Phillips is wrapping up her run on Harley Quinn this issue, with a big multiversal showdown as Harley takes on a character nicknamed “The Harley Who Laughs.” Officially called “Harley Unchained,” this deranged killer from a darker world has cut her way through the Multiverse, trying to eliminate her doppelgangers—and Harley’s only been able to survive by teaming up with Old Lady Harley and other residents of the Multiverse. But for all that, it’s been hard to shake the villain, and she has them on the ropes—until Harley asks her one simple question. There’s one thing every Harley has in common, except one—so she asks “Where’s your Ivy?” The attempt to save the day through the power of love is deliberately campy, something Harley lampshades as she finally gets to break the fourth wall. With the pages counting down to a final goodbye, it makes sense Harley finally gets to be a little wacky.
Phillips has done a more grounded take on Harley than the past few writers, focusing on her as a vigilante and psychologist, but she’s never lost touch with Harley’s chaotic nature. I wish Kevin had a little more to do in this issue, but Phillips gave him a good focus last issue and I’m hoping he’ll be used more in upcoming runs too. There really is no more quintessentially Harley way to end a run than to have the character invade another world in the multiverse to rescue someone else’s girlfriend, and it’s a lot of fun. But ending the run this way also nicely pays homage to the fact that Harley and Ivy have become one of the truly indispensable couples in the DCU, along with Clark and Lois. Everyone wants them together, to the point where there really is no second choice for either of them, and we’ve already seen their reunion in Poison Ivy. That makes this issue feel a bit out of sync, but still a great finale to Phillips’ run.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
