Harley Quinn #6 is serving up FIRE! Harley and her band are undercover and on the hunt for Purple Satin and their malevolent puppet master. While Red Tool tries to keep Harley on task, Eggy worries about her safety as she embarks on a mayhem fueled night out with Purple Satin.

Harley’s carving her way through the rock underground of New York City, looking for the brutal criminals who hurt someone she cared about…unfortunately for Harley, one of the crooks in question has fallen in mad love with her.

The punk rock persona is a perfect fit for Harley and she seems in her element, the anarchy of the scene works in tandem with the ball of chaos that Harley is. Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti give us some rock and roll moments like Harley beating up a person on stage and the antics ramp us as the crowd clamors for more. Harley is in her element and going all out and has found a way to stay true to herself and get the job done.

Conner and Palmiotti serve up some serious realness in issue #6 of Harley Quinn. They manage to keep the story moving and stay true to the parts of Harley that we all love. She’s all about agency, being in control of herself and doing what Harley wants with whom Harley wants. There is no shame in her bisexual encounter nor complacency to let Purple Satin’s male lead singer have his way with her. Harley makes it very clear throughout this issue that she’s in control and no one male or female will put her in her place. I loved every bit of the story, there was never a dull moment and it fit in with arc we are currently in.

John Timms‘ artwork is on point and puts detail in places that I didn’t even know that detail could be in!  From the bright 80’s pop inspired Warhol panels, to the dark, mysterious, and ominous hiding in shadow mystery folks and sidebars, to the old school comic throwback flashbacks to Arkham, his art was on point and flawless! Timm’s art felt like another piece of the story and helped to tie everything together nicely.

Overall this issue will give you life and suck you back into the world of Harley Quinn. It serves to take the bitter taste out of readers mouth for the uncertain direction that it felt like Harley’s character was taking, especially in the new 52s. This new path  stays in line with the Harley as her own woman and an entity in love with but, separate from the Joker. The issue expands on the Rebirth of the Harley brand and although fleeting we get a glimpse at her and Red Tool and how their relationship is evolving. We also get to see a story line progress and make sense. Issue #6 continues to do right by Harley and it deserves attention.

Story: Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti Art: John Timms
Story: 9.8 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.6 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Like Los Angeles didn’t have enough problems with DC Comics moving in, now Harley Quinn is determined to take over Tinseltown! She’s an overnight entertainment sensation, but will the industry survive Harley’s fifteen minutes of fame?

For those who have seen my reviews of past issues of Harley Quinn, or comics that feature her in a main role, will know I’m not really into the character a whole lot. I tend to not find the comics funny, it’s just not my type of humor. So, that should mean a lot when I saw, I was seriously entertained by the comic.

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, the comic takes Harley cross-country with scenes playing off of her recent road trip special. That starts it all off, and had me smirking, as it’s a self-reference in a way I find funny. The whole story has her tracking down a kidnap victim in Hollywood, and of course things go off the rails. The jokes at times come out of nowhere and feel random and absurd. It’s the humor I enjoy. The difference to me is much less reliance on gutter humor and jokes that aim for the lowest common denominator. Humor I don’t enjoy as much as I’ve gotten older.

The art by John Timms is fantastic. He captures that zany events really well and add in the coloring, it all comes together in a visual feast. I really like Timms’ style which I’m not quite sure how to describe it really. It almost feels like a blending of traditional superhero styles and more of a cartoon style too. Whatever, it works really well.

I haven’t been a fan of the issue I’ve previously read, but I really enjoy this one. Here’s hoping this is more of what I should expect so I can keep on digging it. A solid issue that dials some over the top things down, but leaves just enough to keep us on our toes.

Story: Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner Art: John Timms
Story: 8 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review