Harley Quinn Issue 66 is published by DC Comics, written by Elliott Kalan, art by Carlos Oliveras, Colors by Marissa Louise, and letters by Lucas Gattoni.
This is Part One of Week Five of the Batman: Bad Seeds event. Harley has to get to Poison Ivy, but her neighborhood is being torn apart.
This issue shares a similar concept with many others in this crossover. Harley has to cross a plant-addled city to get to a location. However, Harley Quinn Issue 66 has some unique concepts that make it stand out. For one, Harley is directly trying to get to Ivy, who is the source of all the attacks and floral outbreaks in the city; the other aspect is the chaos that comes with a Harley comic, which adds much more comedy.
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Harley Quinn Issue 66 has a frenetic energy, moving laterally toward the center of the city. Much of this run on Harley has been shed to provide some clarity, but the characters that have been created remain clear. These become key to the story, lively figures within Harley’s attempt to cross the city.
While Quinn is desperate to reach a certain chlorokinetic Mayor of Gotham City, the citizens of Cutthroat Hill need her help. It’s an annoying tether for Harley, keeping her from leaving and helping.
Each micro story within this larger one has terrific pace, humor, and energy, with ferocious fights in many of them that combine comedy with therapy and a very intriguing narrative.
What always seems to be the case in Harley Quinn comics is the ecosystem they create. Harley is relatively new to headlining her own comic and being a hero. And Kaplan has done a superb job of carving out a corner of Gotham for Harley to thrive in with a whole selection of supporting cast members.
Some of these are heroes, meaning it isn’t just Harley fighting to protect the citizens. It’s a frantic introduction for those who have just joined the series, but it reveals more than enough about their personalities.
Likewise, Harley is superbly written in Harley Quinn Issue 66, with so much depth to her actions and dialogue. She is hilarious and a motor-mouth, which brings a lot of exposition with it that flows brilliantly. Even without prior knowledge of the series, we learn about the characters and how Harley views them.
There are also a myriad of feelings toward Ivy. Fear, love, concern, and many more thoughts towards Harley’s love. She often gets annoyed and exasperated by those asking for help, but she just can’t resist leaping in to save them. She’s still a great therapist, actively trying to help one of her neighbors with counseling and to save her life. And she’s also tough, fierce, and phenomenally resilient as a fighter.
The art is absolutely sensational in Harley Quinn Issue 66. The frenetic energy mentioned earlier comes through in the art. Harley is moving from the start, and the momentum is phenomenal. She can run, leap, fight, and use her own version of the Bat-line. She doesn’t have her mallet in this issue, so the acrobatic, athletic nature of Harley’s movement is key to how she fights.
Oliveras’ design of Harley is incredible. She looks very tall, and both her eyes and hair are big. This means that she takes up a lot of the panels inside Harley Quinn Issue 66. She’s wonderfully expressive and reactive. The movements look so fluid and exciting, with fight scenes that are visceral, intense, and at times hilarious.
The color is terrific too. It’s interesting how Harley’s palette has altered over time. In the wake of Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey as movies, Quinn spent a long time with the colored tips of her hair. Now, the blond remains, but there is a brown underlayer. There is red in her costume, but also a lot of purple. Whatever color she wears, the darkened sky around her makes sure Harley always stands out. The lettering is very clear and easy to read.
Harley Quinn Issue 66 brings a Harley-specific spin to the crossover. It really feels unique to her comic and personality when she steps onto the street. The characters are zanier, and there is a combination of Harley’s past and present.
She has a deeper, more intense connection to Ivy than to anyone else in the city, but she also has a responsibility to the streets she has been protecting. This comic brings those into conflict in a fantastically frantic and intense look that is exhilarating.
Harley Quinn Issue 66 is available now wherever comics are sold.
Harley Quinn Issue 66
TL;DR
Harley Quinn Issue 66 brings a Harley-specific spin to the crossover. It really feels unique to her comic and personality when she steps onto the street. The characters are zanier, and there is a combination of Harley’s past and present.
