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unladylike's review against another edition
2.0
Wherein DC tries to out-Deadpool Deadpool and ruins what could have been a brilliant book with both humour AND depth.
I became excited and nervous while reading the first issue of Harley Quinn. The gimmick in that opening issue is that Harley has to help pick the artist for her own comic book, so every two pages it changes entirely to another (mostly) well-known artist. They each get their turn to break the fourth wall, spin HQ like a psychotic top, and see where she lands before getting pulled off-stage. The issue goes on a really long time, and it made me wonder if the rest of the series would be as painfully unsustainable. Unfortunately, it is.
The gimmick of switching artists is of course stopped, but the spinning top routine continues to cycle through.
1. Harley is given a suitable building and has to maintain it.
2. Harley goes to her new job at a retirement home, which sparks brief missions.
3. Harley goes to play with her no-holds-barred roller derby team.
4. Harley comes home, interacts with her constantly growing cast of supporting characters.
5. Repeat.
And all through this, there are corny, not-funny jokes that only reminded me of my least enjoyable experiences reading Deadpool. I actually quit reading after the first 4 or so issues because it went from fun to boring so fast and showed no signs of redeeming itself. I wanted Harley Quinn to do amazing things, but Conner and Palmiotti get stuck in a rut and don't even know it.
Maybe certain New Yorkers would get a kick out of this? (The various NYC voices and references are loud and frequent.) Maybe people who love Deadpool?
I became excited and nervous while reading the first issue of Harley Quinn. The gimmick in that opening issue is that Harley has to help pick the artist for her own comic book, so every two pages it changes entirely to another (mostly) well-known artist. They each get their turn to break the fourth wall, spin HQ like a psychotic top, and see where she lands before getting pulled off-stage. The issue goes on a really long time, and it made me wonder if the rest of the series would be as painfully unsustainable. Unfortunately, it is.
The gimmick of switching artists is of course stopped, but the spinning top routine continues to cycle through.
1. Harley is given a suitable building and has to maintain it.
2. Harley goes to her new job at a retirement home, which sparks brief missions.
3. Harley goes to play with her no-holds-barred roller derby team.
4. Harley comes home, interacts with her constantly growing cast of supporting characters.
5. Repeat.
And all through this, there are corny, not-funny jokes that only reminded me of my least enjoyable experiences reading Deadpool. I actually quit reading after the first 4 or so issues because it went from fun to boring so fast and showed no signs of redeeming itself. I wanted Harley Quinn to do amazing things, but Conner and Palmiotti get stuck in a rut and don't even know it.
Maybe certain New Yorkers would get a kick out of this? (The various NYC voices and references are loud and frequent.) Maybe people who love Deadpool?
gaymoonreader's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really good start to the series! The artwork was so beautiful and colorful, the writing was great and so funny, and I really felt like this was a different interpretation of Harley Quinn. She is more of an antihero in this series. She does all the wrong things for all the right reasons and I just love seeing this little group of people become like a family to her.
I also just love how much Poison Ivy is in this because they are goals. I love these two together so much! Overall, I think it was solid start to this series and I can’t wait to read the next volume!
I also just love how much Poison Ivy is in this because they are goals. I love these two together so much! Overall, I think it was solid start to this series and I can’t wait to read the next volume!
theduchess93's review against another edition
2.0
Why did I actually finish this? And why am I continuing the series?? Damn my completionist compulsions.
love_luci's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
murphyc1's review against another edition
5.0
I have read comic books quite literally all of my life. It is difficult for me to express just how important or influential comics have been in my life. That being said, I am very aware of the tropes and narrative limitations of the American comic book. Therefore, I absolutely loved this first volume of the New 52 "Harley Quinn" series. Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti deliver a quirky, fun, and, most importantly, surprising series of misadventures in these first eight issues of their acclaimed and beloved run on the character. I am not a fan of the New 52 era of DC Comics, to put it mildly, but now, a decade on, I'm revisiting some of the best offerings from this controversial period in the publishing history of DC. Harley Quinn vol.1 is a storytelling home-run!