Harley Quinn #38 – Tini Howard, Writer; Natacha Bustos, Artist; Nick Filardi, Colorist; Brandt & Stein, Backup Writer/Artists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Harley is back on Earth after a multiverse adventure that may have gone on a bit too long, and it’s clear that this is where Tini Howard’s strengths lie—this issue is a ton of fun. It’s Harley’s birthday, but she’s still reeling after the chaos she encountered in the cosmos—so Ivy and her large supporting cast have to throw her a surprise party. This leads to a lot of great visual gags, but also some serious discussion about what comes next for Harley as she decides she might want to return to some of her past loves—villainy and psychology. Both come into play when she encounters some old associates of her, the Body Doubles, and these two ’90s chaos agents take her along on a raid against a particularly odious and corrupt rich guy and his yacht. It’s a fun back-to-basics issue, but also ends with the arrival of another big player in the Gotham crime scene.
Then there’s the backup by Brandt and Stein, which is a largely silent comic focused on physical comedy as Harley and Kite-Man go to war. This takes a lot of inspiration from two sources—Looney Tunes and Spy vs. Spy—and is packed full of great visual gags and constant chaos. More of these two creators, please.
Power Girl #7 – Leah Williams, Writer; Marguerite Sauvage, Artist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: After a sci-fi driven arc to kick the title off, Power Girl has pivoted to fantasy—as the villain who Streaky defeated two issues ago has now invaded and quickly conquered a fantasy kingdom, transporting victims to it via a video game. Supergirl and Power Girl have entered in search of the missing girls, and found themselves depowered and out of their element. It’s an intriguing setup, made all the more so by the uniquely cartoony art by Marguerite Sauvage, more stylized than her usual fare. This whole issue feels vaguely over-the-top and funny, despite there being some surprisingly high-stakes plots worked in here. There are some great visuals as well, plus some surprisingly good jokes that poke fun at many of the, ahem, tropes about Power Girl. This title will be shifting its tone dramatically again next month for the House of Brainiac story, so this was a great breather.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
