Harley Quinn #54: This Ain’t Funny Anymore

Part two of the ‘Minor Disasters’ arc sees some very dramatic developments for both Harley Quinn and her recent online popularity. After a particularly volatile video was “accidentally” uploaded showing Harley going after her own fans, it looks like her world is about to come crashing down. This moment gave writer Sam Humphries a chance to show some motherly insight, which has worked uniquely well for the series so far. Then, in maybe the most shocking part of the story, it turns out that her fans only love her more for it.

The creative team so far has managed to keep Harley whimsical while still bringing her humanity towards the surface, but this issue remains focused on the latter. These moments are followed by a scene involving Major Disaster scolding his daughter, Minor Disaster, which mirrors the previous mother-centric sequences interestingly. Overall, the issue sees Harley dropping the wild antics and unpredictable behavior in favor of more typical superhero tropes. As a fan, I wanted to see a bit more whimsy and maybe even a darker twist or plot element.

While I understand the emotional cues present are part of a larger character development occurring throughout several issues, this one in particular just seems to miss the mark in capturing some of the best parts of Harley Quinn. The artwork from Lucas Werneck has moments of brilliance, but there are also a few questionable depictions of Harley. These are minor issues *wink* though, and hopefully it will just get better from here.

Harley Quinn #54 has drama, action and a happy ending, but it just seems to be missing something. Harley’s family coming home for the holidays might be just what the series needs to ramp up the enjoyment factor though!