Detective Comics 23.2
Special “Villains Month” Title: Harley Quinn 1
Matt Kindt, Neil Googe
Forever Evil Crossover
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
This Detective Comics (really more of a Suicide Squad lead-in) tie-in to Villains Month and the events of Forever Evil was exactly what you would expect from a story featuring Harley Quinn as the main character: Fun. Matt Kindt has proven that he not only can write Deadshot (last week’s Justice League of America 7.1), but now he’s proven that he can also write good old Harley. I can’t wait to see what he does with his upcoming run on Suicide Squad, starting next month. I would also like to address the artwork of Neil Googe, who definitely grew on me more and more as I read the issue. When I first opened the pages, I was a bit hesitant (not being familiar with the artist’s work before this issue). But by the end of the comic, I loved it. He really captured a lot of emotions and gave it a much needed cartoony feel.
The issue, much like that of the Deadshot solo feature last week, focuses on telling two stories in one. We get one part Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s origin and one part Harley Quinn’s new lease on life. Getting her origin retold is always fun because, much like that of the Joker, it’s so sick and twisted yet always presented in such a lighthearted manner. The flashback sequences are where Googe’s art really shines. It’s stories like this that prove that Harley does in fact deserve her own regular ongoing series, which will thankfully be starting up any month now. And the fact that her and Deadshot are continuing their on-again/off-again romance was an amazing choice for Kindt to keep going. I like her craziness and her unpredictable nature balancing out with his ultra-sanity and sociopathic predictability. The fact that they are free to do whatever they want but choose to save Amanda Waller and put the Suicide Squad back together (Deadshot for money, Harley for Deadshot) is further proof that they are so much more complex than anyone gives them credit for. And there’s nothing better in comics (or any fiction, for that matter) than character complexity. Which Kindt has proven that he certainly gets.
It’s well worth the extra dollar for the awesome cover. I would also like to add that this cover connects to the Batman 23.1 (Joker) cover, for those who are wondering, which is kind of neat. It’s pretty much a mirror image (and the same cover artist), so that’s an added bonus for those of you who are into that sort of Easter Egg stuff. All in all, the only complaint I have with the issue is that it was too short. I would have actually liked another five-to-ten pages leading up to her team-up with Deadshot. As it is, it serves its purpose (leading into the next story), but it does seem a little “tacked on” at the end. But don’t get me wrong, this is still a stellar issue in just about every way imaginable. Do yourself a favor and go pick it up before your local comic shop sells out. Because believe me, it will.
My Rating: 4.5/5
Really thought this book was terrible. Suicide Squad was looking up with Kot under Kindt it will plummet he has shown how he fails to understand Harley and gave Deadshot an origin that was so cliche it was unbearable.