In this review of Harley Quinn #36, Harley and Ivy have relationship talks betwixt battles with The Brother Eye.
Harley Quinn #36
Writer: Tini Howard
Artist and Main Cover: Sweeney Boo
Variant Covers: Jenny Frison, Derrick Chew, Marguerite Sauvage, Steve Beach
Release Date: January 23, 2024
Story #1: “Soup, Salad, or Death?!”
Synopsis (Spoilers Ahead):
Harley Quinn #36 begins as Harley is battling the Brother Eyes when she answers a call from Ivy who conveys her trust in Harley. Bud and Lou tell Harley to go after Kevin and she complies, bringing Lux along. As they enter the multiways, Lux explains to Harley that she can use their Option Optics to find him. In order to locate Kevin, Harley needs to answer the questions posed by the goggles the way that he would. Harley answers three questions correctly and they find Kevin.
They keep moving through the multiways and find Harley’s students, all infected with the omac-virus and hence Brother Eyes. Lux has an idea – to go home to Earth-Prime. The Brother Eyed-students follow them. Lux rushes off to recruit help, leaving Harley and Kevin behind. Harley reasons with the Brother Eyed-students, requesting and receiving permission to visit Ivy before further combat ensues. Harley and Ivy talk earnestly and kiss. The Brother Eye grows impatient.
Harley stalks out in Gotham and confronts The Brother Eyes; she demands to know what they want with her. They answer that because she has such experience with trauma, they wish to understand how to transform suffering into power. Harley scoffs. Lux returns with no heroes but only Rogues like Kite Man, Killer Moth, and Huge Strange. Harley is underwhelmed and rings Ivy who stands with her to face The Brother Eyes.
Analysis:
In this book, Howard flogs the arc relentlessly towards its conclusion. The many twists in the story often feel forced. For example, The Brother Eye has been relentlessly chasing after Harley for many pages now; why would they suddenly relent to permit her to visit Ivy? The explanation that “The Brother Eye wishes it had a girlfriend” is neither funny nor cute but feels almost disrespectful to a readership that has been patiently allowing Howard to jump literally all over the multiverse to tell a story about Harley.
More importantly, why does Harley tell Ivy that she needs to confront The Brother Eye by herself only to ring Ivy for assistance moments later? There’s no explanation for why Harley would eschew Ivy’s offer to help in the first place and it feels wildly inconsistent with the emphasis in the dialogue that Ivy trusts Harley. Ivy trusts Harley, we get it – it’s explicitly mentioned twice and could have been much more effective with a subtle hand. But subtlety is in short supply in Howard’s writing.
Harley Quinn #36 is improved by artist Sweeney Boo’s return, and her punky, colorful Harley leaps off the page. Although it is Jorge Jiménez who is illustrating the best Harley in DC right now, Boo’s style is incredibly well-suited for Harley and it’s a relief to have her back on the book.
Images courtesy of DC Comics
Story #2: “Harley the Barbarian,” by writer Alexis Quasarano and artist Steve Beach
Synopsis:
Harley is a barbarian a la Conan. Huntress joins Harley to help on her quest, set for her by Ivy. Harley defeats the snarling horde and wakes up just before she kisses Ivy.
Analysis:
Reprinted from the review of Harley Quinn #34:
“The book neither needs nor benefits from a backup, and the Dreaming Condition is now over 400 years old (Descartes’ Meditations!). It can of course accommodate a great story but that’s not really possible in a backup and as usual it adds nothing to the main story.”
The above notwithstanding, I liked this backup. The writing is genuinely funny, Huntress is always a plus, and Steve Beach’s luminous colors and fairy-tale aesthetic fit the story well.
Final Thoughts:
We are back in Gotham, but the narrative is bloated and breathless.
Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with an advanced copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
