Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red #2: Gotham’s Fashion Icon

The second issue of the digital release of Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red brings a sense of fashion to comics as Harley and Catwoman hit the runway! It’s quite a departure from the first issue in the series and shows just how much range the character has with a wildly different story that is arguably just as successful as the first.

There’s no doubt about it, Andolfo is an absolute star in this issue. Not unlike Seijic in the first issue, the writing and artwork come from Andolfo, helping to establish a firm creative vision that is concise and ultimately a lot of fun. Using Harley as a fashion icon is something that other creatives have touched on slightly, but never really gone in so heavily as this. It works wonderfully with her characterization and Catwoman offsets the wackiness with a stern sensibility to make for an enjoyable dynamic.

The story isn’t revolutionary, but the artwork will absolutely impress. Andolfo brings an immediately recognizable flair to the issue that works well with the theme. All of the different looks from the fashion icons are stunning and help to inject some excitement into the issue. The twist might not be all that surprising, but the real fun of the issue isn’t in the heist, it’s in the struggle with Harley’s status as an influencer.

The short one-shot type stories work really well in the digital lineup and so far, both of the issues in the series have been remarkably memorable so I’m excited for what’s to come. I thought it would be difficult to follow up on Seijic’s work in issue #1, but issue #2 brings a totally different approach for an equally awesome experience. While Hill’s lettering was a bit hit and miss for me with some of the stylistic decisions, it’s truly an excellently executed story.

Some may think a story surrounding fashion in Gotham won’t carry a large enough impact, but it’s difficult to deny how well done this issue is. Harley feels spot on and the runway suits her in an odd sort of way. If you can get passed the lack of “universe-ending consequences” that often come in comics and just enjoy a fun little story about a side of Harley we don’t see often, this one is undoubtedly worth the money. There are fun nods to lore like a certain beaver making an appearance, but it’s perfect for someone who just wants to pick up a Harley book and have fun. I have no doubt we will be seeing a lot of these looks posted all over social media!