In this review of Harley Quinn #66, everything is going “Bad Seeds” crazy in Throatcutter Hill as Harley tries to protect her friends and neighbors from an onslaught of aggressive plant life. Also, it looks like Convoy, the Entruckulated Man has made a new friend.
Harley Quinn #66 main cover by Bailie Rosenlund (DC Comics)
HARLEY QUINN #66
Written by ELLIOTT KALAN
Art by CARLOS OLIVARES
Main Cover: BAILIE ROSENLUND
Variant Covers: DAVID NAKAYAMA, TERRY DODSON, DERRICK CHEW, MATTIA DE IULIS
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 9/23/26
This review contains spoilers
Harley Quinn #66 begins as Harley spends some downtime with her landlady Mrs. Grimaldi and she suddenly decides that all she wants in life is to get Poison Ivy back. First though, Harley must contend with Ivy’s attack on the neighborhood. Harley ventures outside just as the power goes out (Ivy!) and takes off courtesy of Batquinn’s grapnel launcher (long story).
Harley’s quest is thwarted as she rescues a neighborhood couple who are suffering from complications due to the toxic air. Luckily, superpowered Chicken Fingers arrives and whisks the couple away to safety. More neighborhood people need her help and soon after, the Gunbuddies (and Convoy) round up the citizens to take them to safety. Meanwhile, Harley encounter Dolores, who was forced to kill a loved one during the Deconspirator arc and blames herself.
Harley and Dolores are attacked by the NKVDemon, a Russian assassin who wants to collect the bounty on Harley. Harley and Dolores climb a giant beanstalk but the NKVDemon grabs Harley threatens her with bodily harm. Dolores risks her life and knocks the NKVDemon off and Harley saves her. Harley gives Dolores a quick therapy session as the pair arrives at Althea Klang’s building to join the other Throatcutter Hill refugees.
Harley Quinn #66 ends as Harley and Althea have a little heart-to-heart before Harley swings off to find Ivy.
Analysis
Harley Quinn #66 is another entertaining romp through Harley’s heightened reality and her weird Throatcutter Hill neighborhood. As expected, Harley’s quest to find Poison Ivy is repeatedly thwarted by the needs of her strange but endearing neighbors. Writer Elliot Kalan crafts another enjoyable installment which includes the introduction of yet another oddball nemesis, this time the NKVDemon, a little-known Russian operative looking to cash in on Vandal Savage’s million-dollar bounty on Batman allies.
At the same time, Kalan also taps into Harley’s anti-hero humanity as she rescues her friends and neighbors while counseling Dolores over her recent trauma, sidelining her own wants for the needs of others. While the Quinntellect aspect of Harley’s brain has gone silent, Harley still needs to deal with the fallout from the violent actions of Batquinn.
Kalan’s script and pacing are engaging as always, however, given that this is part of a massive Batman crossover, too much emphasis is given to Harley’s continuing story. For longtime readers of this run, Harley Quinn #66 ticks off all of the boxes with Harley’s out of the box approach, her neighborhood and a new wannabe member of her growing rogue’s gallery.
Any reader of the “Bad Seeds” crossover might find this installment baffling and not new reader friendly, which is too bad as the title is a delight. Love that Convoy gets his first fan that is interested in his tragic backstory.
Carlos Olivares nails the story beats and visuals in Harley Quinn #66 (as usual), with a dazzling array of expressive faces, dramatic panel angles, mind-boggling acrobatics and thrilling panel-to-panel sequences that are dramatic, humorous and thrilling.
Final Thoughts
Harley Quinn #66 works better as a continuation of the series’ various ongoing storylines with more of the enjoyable Throatcutter Hill chaos and characters, but the issue suffers as part of the overall “Bad Seeds” crossover. Despite Harley’s intention to find Poison Ivy and potentially stop the terraforming of Gotham City, the issue is too dense for new readers as an introduction for anyone reading the entire crossover. (For fans of this run: a 4.1 rating).
