It’s time for Harley’s final confrontation with Hugo Strange, with both former psychologists going head to head, trading insults and insights. With some last minute tricks up her sleeve, Harley’s putting a major dampener on Strange’s plans…but this fight is far from over in Harley Quinn #5. Written by Stephanie Phillips, drawn by Riley Rossmo, colored by Ivan Placencia and lettered by AndWorld Designs.
With this issue, we come to what feels like a good final act for what’s essentially a Harley Quinn reboot. Our hero has found her groove, and takes her fight to the Big Bad, saving the day with the exact kind of goofy panache she’s known for. The Harley we’ve seen the past few issues has been seriously lacking self-confidence, but she’s starting to feel a lot like her old self again as she uses every trick in her book to save her clowns from Strange’s clutches.
Much like the Grundy cliffhanger resolution last issue, instead of Harley facing grave danger, we see her comfortably seated opposite a villain, calmly discussing psychology in her own unique way. Granted, she’s in cuffs, but that’s really more of a minor inconvenience for someone as resourceful as Harley Quinn.
And she is resourceful. When this series began, it felt like it was a step back for the character. Her confidence was broken, her sense of purpose lost, her competency dwarfed by the ultra-coolness of Batman. The Harley Quinn in this issue feels a lot more in line with the one we’ve been more familiar with in recent years. Unflappable in the face of intimidation, master plans in her back pocket and ready to spring into action mixing silliness with knockout effectiveness when she needs it.
She’s so in control of the situation, in fact, that it makes the meta-narration a little jarring. We’re apparently meant to think that this is a low point for Harley, the fall in her hero’s journey. No one’s ever mistaken her a hero – and no reader of this comic could honestly mistake the situation they see her in as one that’s genuinely threatening.
This issue is all about walking roughshod over Hugo Strange’s dignity. From a flashback of one of his defeats at the hands of Batman, to Harley’s insults, to the effortless way she disposes of him and rescues her friends from his facility. Strange wasn’t really set up to be an intimidating villain – just a dark mirror to Harley’s new path to redemption. Having rebuilt her confidence at the end of last issue, Strange has no real purpose. All that’s left is a joke, and Harley hits that punchline (no, not that Punchline) pretty hard before heading out.
It’s a simple, fun issue, bridging the opening arc with what’s to come. Even the art is more muted – there’s all the hyper-stylized dynamism in the action that sets this art team apart, but not much in the way of the innovation we’ve seen in previous issues.
It’s the future issues that I’m now intrigued by. Hugo appears to have been working for an even bigger villain – so what is this Keepsake’s deal? More than that though, I want to see more of Harley’s attempts at rehabilitating her group of former clowns, especially now she’s found her mojo again.
It’s not just Harley, though – this book feels like it’s settled into its groove, now, and it feels like it’s all warmed up. What comes ahead, I think, is where the series might really get a chance to get going, and I’m looking forward to it.
Armaan is obsessed with the way stories are told. From video games to theater, TTRPGs to comics, he has written for, and about, them all. He will not stop, actually; believe us, we've tried.
