Multiversity: Harley Screws Up The DCU #1 – Frank Tieri, Writer; Logan Faerber, Artist
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: Frank Tieri has written a lot of Harley comics over the years, maybe second only to Palmiotti and Conner, so it makes sense that DC calls on him for what promises to be the most ridiculous Harley comic in a while. From the start, this comic has an intensely nostalgic vibe, starting with the return of the extensive supporting cast from that run—including the Gang of Harleys, Eggsy, and Red Tool. It’s great to see the whole gang again, although I will point out that Tieri hilariously forgot that Coach is blind early in the issue. After a reunion, Harley gets a letter from an eccentric mad scientist and heads to the abandoned lair he left her—and finds a mysterious machine that claims to be able to travel in time. There’s a button, so naturally she presses it without a second thought—and winds up in a mysterious new world that seems to have been conquered by Starro, with everyone turned into a zombie hive-mind.
From there, Harley meets a mysterious post-apocalyptic warrior whose identity is not exactly hard to decipher, and learns that apparently her time-travel machinations led to a world without heroes—and the only way to restore the world is to go back and recreate the origins of the world’s most famous heroes. It’s a funny concept, but it’s written rather broadly and the humor seems to go out of the story a bit once she arrives in the new world. This story also has the misfortune of arriving around the same time as Stephanie Phillips’ final Harley story, where she encounters dark versions of herself from around the multiverse—and teams up with a Tieri character, Old Lady Harley! It’s an odd coincidence and one that doesn’t help this series feel fresh, but it does deliver some good action and a few fun little tributes to the runs that helped Harley become one of the DCU’s mainstays.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
