Harley Quinn #66: Admire My Magnificence, Peons!

Well, here it is. We’ve finally reached the conclusion to the surprisingly epic arc “The Trials of Harley Quinn”, which ultimately centered around the loss of one of the most important people in Harley’s life…her mother.

Harley Quinn #66 is, in every sense of the word, a finale. It wraps up the rather lengthy arc with an emotional look into who Harley is and how she reacts to such severe loss. Through the spectacle of random and deadly trials and classic Harley humor, we find a dark story that crawls its way into the psyche of the character. We explore how she copes with reality in her own unique way, and because of this, the arc feels like a success.

This issue is one of the least new reader friendly issues I’ve read in quite some time. The creative team makes very little attempts to catch readers up, instead taking every last available panel to delve into the relationship of Harley and her Mom and set up the truly terrifying though of what comes next…

A normal life.

As scary as it may seem, we find Harley Quinn in a new place right now that is hopefully for the best. Especially considering the “Year of the Villain” (-mandated) tie-in that is coming up. She is undoubtedly included in the plans for the “YOTV”, but what role could she possibly play? The comics Harley tucked in her bag will surely give some insight!

Harley Quinn #66 is an emotional deep-dive into both her relationships and her ability to cope with reality, pushing the character in interesting new directions. However, it wouldn’t be nearly as successful without the artistic direction from Sami Basri, Hi-Fi, and Dave Sharpe. The visuals are both powerful and memorable, especially during the touching last few moments between Harley and her mom. The faces they make as they attempt to say goodbye stir genuine laughter in such a grim moment, all to their credit. It’s these moments that really make this book worthwhile.

Overall, while this has been one of the best arcs yet in the Harley Quinn ongoing series post-Rebirth, I am really excited to see what’s next for the character after the “YOTV” tie-in. This is going to be a must buy trade paperback when it inevitably arrives, so be on the lookout for the “Trials of Harley Quinn!”