Harleen, Criminal Sanity

New comics!

Gotham City: Year One 1

Slam Bradley gets into the middle of the kidnapping of the baby Helen Wayne during the 1960s.  It’s a straight up noir mystery.  As always, a good start by Tom King, this time with Phil Hester on art.

Batman: Beyond the White Knight 5

The whole alter ego switching places with the main personality thing was weird when it was the Joker in previous series.  It’s just as strange here with Jack Napier in Bruce Wayne’s head.  I think Sean Murphy’s firmly on the diminishing returns curve now with the White Knight series, but it’s still good enough for me to stay on, at least for the duration of this arc.  

Human Target 7 

It’s back after a short hiatus, yay!  This is still one of King’s best series, and he’s doing it all through mood.  He and Greg Smallwood have created something perfect here.  

That dress shirt look.  So hot.

Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity 1-8

A crime thriller reimagining of the Harley/Joker relationship, complete with creative serial killer murder scenes and psychological cat-and-mouse back and forths. 

I’m so happy that Kami Garcia didn’t go with the expected “Harley is seduced by Joker” ending.  Looking at my past reviews, it seems like that’s all I was really hoping for with every issue.  Mission accomplished, I guess.  

The part where Harley lets Joker go still makes no sense to me.  If she wanted to kill him, she should have just done it.  If she wanted to send him to jail, she should have told the cops.  If she wanted to catch him in the act, she was criminally inept at it.  It’s a really clumsy way of setting up a disappointing final confrontation.  

Still, I really liked the original take on the dynamic.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Harleen 1-3

Stjepan Sejic is a comic-creating god.  He’s got some of the loveliest art out there, and everything he writes is top notch.  The only problem is that he’s got so many ideas that he can’t stay with one for long, moving between them as inspiration dictates.  It’s frustrating in that I want to know what happens for all of them, but if this is how he stays fresh and keeps everything good, I’ll happily live with that trade off.  

Unlike Criminal Sanity, this is a flat out retelling of the Harley Quinn origin story.  But it’s so exquisitely done that I dare say it surpasses even the original Mad Love by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini.  Harley’s fall is slow, inevitable, and all the more tragic because Sejic really takes the time to make her a relatable, likable protagonist.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good