…this silence feels even more terrifying….and then it comes, a crack in the air, a sound like a massive flag fighting a gust of wind, and following it, a sinister laugh…
Keep reading for a review of Harleen #1.
(Minor spoilers below.)
I picked up this book because the art and the story are by Stjepan Sejic. That’s it, full stop. I think the character of Harley Quinn is perfectly fine, I’ve just never been a huge fan. But I’ve been counting down the days till I could get my hands on this issue.
The art alone is worth the price of the book. The attention to detail is just staggering. I love how he paints hair, landscapes, the folds in clothes, the contours of faces, the shading, the shadows, the gradients, all of it. I’d find myself getting distracted by the city lights outside the bar window and oh my goodness the city lights: at one point Harleen is walking through downtown Gotham, and the skyline just blew me away. All that meticulous detail and effort, and sometimes the view only lasts one panel.
Stjepan always finds something interesting to do with the viewpoint of each panel; sometimes you’re looking up at the characters so you can see the night sky behind them, sometimes you’re looking down from the gates of Arkham so you can see Harleen’s shadow turn into a Harlequin, sometimes you’re looking at someone through the fish-eye lens of a peephole. The “camera” is always moving.
There’s several splash pages where the arrangement of the panels matches up with what’s happening in the action. When the Joker points a gun at her, they’re both frozen on either side of the page, but there’s a whole series of small panels that run through the page as her life flashes before her eyes. (It was a neat way to get a quick back story on her too.) And when she’s interviewing the Arkham inmates one by one, the panels are scattered like (and merged with) the photos on her desk, each panel skewed and tilted like the people she’s interviewing. It’s beautiful and clever at the same time.
As for the story, it’s based on a series he did on his DeviantArt account (since removed? My old links aren’t working, but I’m sure it’s so the story wouldn’t be spoiled ahead of press time. A very nice write-up of it is here.) The original strip came from his fascination with the Harley/Joker relationship, and I’m really glad he gets to explore it further.
The traditional version of Harleen turning into Harley always felt a little unsatisfying to me. She was his therapist, she became fascinated by him, she became obsessed with him, she went completely off the rails and boom, Harley Quinn. I’m exaggerating, it’s more complicated than that (the protectiveness she feels towards him after Batman beats him up is an interesting wrinkle) but it always seemed like a bit of a leap to me, from respected doctor to half-crazy henchman.
For anyone who didn’t read Stjepan’s original comic, this story is taking its time with that transition, and the aftermath. And it’s not starting from a place of detached observation, or even clinical interest. She’s terrified of him. (Though even at her most terrified there’s something about him she can’t turn away from.)
The whole They Hate Each Other So Much They Eventually Fall In Love trope is an old one, but this is going to be more than that. (Though if I’m being honest that’s not a trope I’ve ever had a problem with; it can be deliciously satisfying if done right.)
I’m sure everyone in Gotham knows how dangerous the Joker is, but Harleen met him face to face when he threatened to kill her for a laugh. After that she got to witness a beautifully brutal fight between him and the Batman, and now she’s got a healthy dose of PTSD and constant nightmares. She’s managing to keep up with her research job, but the sleepless nights and self medicating is going to catch up with her.
The relationships in the issue are fun, particularly because Stjepan’s always been good with a sarcastic bit of dialogue, like when she and her friend talk about her presentation that she thought had gone badly.
“It’s a scientific symposium, I wasn’t gonna explain criminal psychology with hand puppets!”
“Harley! They are money people! You bring the whole puppet show if needed. ‘This is Stab Me Elmo and he needs serious therapy…'”
Or when Harvey Dent starts to explain, in detail, why Harleen shouldn’t be studying the Arkham criminals.
Mr. Dent, I’m sure this little speech goes on for a while longer, but since I spend most of my time these days listening to the self-aggrandizing ideologies of patients in Arkham, I’d rather not do it here as well. Could you get to the point?
She also makes a very good point about two-headed coins that I’d never thought of before.
This first issue flew by, and it was doing the groundwork of introducing us to everybody and setting the scene. As good as it was, I can’t wait to see the other two issues.
I think it’s amazing that three years after he writes and draws a Harley series for fun, he gets to publish three 60-page comics of it professionally. He really deserves it, and it’s really, really good. (And not to get off topic, but if he gets to publish this story, does that mean there’s hope for that Wonder Woman/Lara Croft series he keeps teasing us with? Because I’d read that book/watch that movie/buy that game.)
