Luke Fox’s experiments with Element X and the ongoing Dark Crisis have given birth to a monstrosity that’s come home to roost. Forced to face his own mistakes, it’s up to Luke to figure out who he truly is — and whether or not that’s someone who can save the day. Harley Quinn #21 is written by Stephanie Phillips, drawn by Simone Buonfantino, colored by Romulo Fajardo Jr. and lettered by AndWorld Design.
With this issue, Harley Quinn drops all pretense and almost fully becomes a Luke Fox book, as the narrative captions are handed over to him. It’s a strange direction for the book to take, given how Luke has never been a major Harley Quinn supporting character before, and there’s little indication he’ll be in the book after. Is the book shooting its shot for a Luke-led Suicide Squad XX spinoff, or just taking a departure for the heck of it? Impossible to say for sure, but it’s a fun read either way!
The awakened Element X has taken possession of a number of soldiers and seems intent on hunting Luke down — though its purpose is less than clear. Honestly, aside from a few pop culture references thrown in, Element X doesn’t make for a very compelling villain — but visually, it’s a real treat. A mass of grey putty reaching out for everything, raging with the dual, warped faces of Grundy and Lashina, its tendrils possessing soldier minions left and right. It feels appropriately unstoppable, and relentless. Buonfantino makes it a real force of nature, topped with malicious glee.
I’ll give the book this though — even with a protagonist switch, it stays on its running theme of identity. Harley’s been trying to escape one identity and forge a new one from the beginning of this comic, only for her past mistakes to come haunt her in new ways. Luke Fox is going through the same. It’s not a question that works entirely in this context — while figuring out one’s identity has always been something that’s empowered superheroes, the book doesn’t very effectively convey just how that helps here.
Whether or not the question works in context of the story overall, it does lead us to some great individual moments in the issue. Luke’s new — there’s no way of avoiding it — fox-like costume looks great, a step away from his dissatisfying Batwing persona, saving the day as someone new. Harle, finally stepping up in her own comic to offer advice to him about figuring out who he wants to be. It’s a quiet scene, it’s touching, and Luke displays a lot more respect for Harley than most people who encounter her do — even Batman. This is something I hope to see more of with Harley Quinn stories — the rest of the DC community learning to take her seriously despite her compulsive zaniness.
With Luke Fox a little more centered, he leans in to what he does best: his science. Quick upgrades for everyone on the team – or, at least, everyone on the team who’s left – including the giant mechanical hammer we’ve seen Harley wield on the covers since the beginning of this arc. A few upgrades for the others as well, who change right into their costumes. The Suicide Squad XX the covers have been teasing.
It took until last issue for this arc to hit its stride, and now that we’re here, the initial two issues feel like a wasted amount of setup. It’s hard to complain about the time, though, given that this series has been coming out a book a week. Still, I wish we could have gotten here faster, because now that everyone’s geared up and there are stakes worth being invested in? I’m finally excited about what’s coming next.
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.
