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whatchareadingheather's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.75
I would have liked maybe 1 or 2 parts that showed Harley and Ivy’s romantic relationship, but otherwise this collection gives us a long range of Harley adventures to enjoy. A great introduction to the character for those who’ve only seen Harley on the big or small screen.
libreroaming's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Goodreads giveaways for an honest review.
For lots of kids "Batman: the Animated Series" was their first real introduction to the DC universe. And the red and blacked diamond acrobat, Harley Quinn, fit as naturally into the story as anything else revolving around the adventures of a crime fighting superhero who dressed up as a bat. Most people didn't know she was created solely for the cartoon, or what a unique thing it was to have her jump from animation stills to comic panels in the regular DC Universe because she really was that popular.
Twenty five years later all those kids get to feel that much older, but also get a consolation prize in the shape of a hardcover edition detailing the character's many incarnations: "Harley Quinn: a Celebration of 25 Years." Now her popularity is second only to Wonder Woman's, with her appearance in a blockbuster movie, rebooted cartoons, video games, and merchandise. She's far and away DC's biggest modern character so it makes sense to capitalize on it with a newly released hardcover of her greatest (giant mallet) hits.
The good news is if you give this to a curious Harley Quinn fan who is just getting into the character, this collection doesn't ostracize newcomers the way others do with their convoluted histories and issues that spend half their time referring to universe wide events. (Flash, I am basically calling out the Flash books for this). The book separates the three major incarnations into their own phases: BtAS era Harley, Harley Quinn who crossed over into the greater DC Universe circa-No Man's Land, and nu52 Harley (with the most recent and slightly different permutation based off Margot Robbie's "Suicide Squad" Harley shoved in the last one).
If you were hoping to get an intricate history of the character like you might find in one of the major DC legacy hero retrospectives, the extras are sparse and just enough to lead readers into the comics themselves. They don't pull long interviews from creators or people connected to the character, it's a showcase for the comic collection and any added information, like pointing out she appeared in TV's "Birds of Prey" and the "Suicide Squad" movie, is short trivia. The great news is the selection of the comics used to showcase her as a character is stronger than other anthologies, so as long as you're here for the stories you'll be okay missing out on behind-the-scenes stuff.
The first section, "1992-Present: An Animated Character," is by far the strongest in terms of self-contained stories with perfect art and a clear emphasis on Harley as a character. "Batman: the Animated Series" comics had a rich source material to draw from. In fact, one of the issues, "The Harley and the Ivy," was reproduced on an episode called "Holiday Knights." The other Christmas issue (yes, there are two, and both are notable for pointing out that Harley is Jewish she just really likes Christmas stuff too) has the famous panel that first breached the whole Harley and Ivy thing...
Barbara Gordon knows what's up
Speaking of, this anthology is great for fans of Harley and Ivy, as she is the character who shares the spotlight with her the most. Despite being the Joker's girlfriend/ex-girlfriend/target practice of the moment, he is most often used as a catalyst to send her into a whirling dervish of chaos that Batman and friends must either stop or somehow convince her twisted logic to assist them. This works for me because this allows most of the stories to center on her, which is the main point and where you get the most interesting dynamics.
The second part, "Harley Gets Real: 1999-2010," is a little more uneven both in writing and art but I would consider it a range from excellent to mostly okay. Co-creator Paul Dini introduces her to the greater DC universe in a one shot that is very self-contained as it regards her origin, her twisted relationship with the Joker, her first meeting with Ivy, all wrapped up in a neat little bow that gives a big nod to the source material they were adapting her from. Short of shoving the mini-series "Mad Love" into the pages, you get a clear idea of her motives, immediately establishing her relationships, and with no pesky cliffhangers or confusion to the greater DC world. The two issues from Harley's self-titled series put her front and center and the art by Amanda Conner is expressive and more realistic than the cartoon styled art in the previous part.
The two less than amazing stories in this section are Winick's "Harley and Ivy: Love on the Lam" and Loeb's "At the Opera." "Love on the Lam" isn't as strong because the collection started with two superior Harley and Ivy capers before it, but would still be worth reading as an entertaining caper and for this panel:
"Hush Part Six: At the Opera" is the one that feels most like an issue plucked out of a convoluted story arc that weak character anthologies suffer from. Here, Harley is more an obstacle for Batman to overcome than a character in her own right. Considering its title, you can tell this comic issue was more preoccupied with other matters and it ends on a cliffhanger that no other part of the anthology mentions because it has nothing to do with Harley Quinn. But at least Jim Lee's artwork is gorgeous to look at.
The nu52 section, "Harley Reborn: 2011-Present," is the least successful of the three parts. I'll fully admit part of my lacklust response is that it's just Not My Thing to have a charming comedic villain casually torture-murdering people on panel because now they can do that and be Edgy and Cool(TM), but if it means I'll somehow manage to survive. I don't mind dark stories, however the tonal shift compared to the other issues seemed too out of place, too juvenile tryhard, and actually lessened her tragedy because Harley's insane perkiness and optimism as she follows after a complete monster is much more effective in the kids' comics than what they were trying to pull in the "Suicide Squad" issues.
But Conner's "Harley's Little Black Book #1" has Harley trying to team up with Wonder Woman so it redeems itself handily from the introductory two issues of "Suicide Squad." Here, this Harley is still a little more grungy and PG-13, but closer to the chaotic character who can walk the tightrope of grinning villainy without being too offputting or cruel. Her unabashed fangirling of Diana is almost Deadpool-esque (not strange, considering he had the same kind of meteoric rise from obscurity to being Everywhere in Marvel's stable). The last story, "Full Mental Jacket," is from the Rebirth era of DC and showcases a Margot Robbie-esque Harley Quinn dealing with the inner conflict of her madness that ends the collection on a more somber note. It's short and leaves the future trajectory of the Harley Quinn character up in the air.
So, I would say a 4.5 out of 5 because it's well curated and truly focuses on the character. If you already have all the Harley Quinn appearances, this collection won't offer you anything new except for a pretty hardcover to store it in. But for the casual fan who only knew one version of her, or the one just seeking to explore the character's history, or someone seeking out good female led graphic novels, or the complete neophyte who asks "who is this?" person this is a well selected and well made collection to start.
For lots of kids "Batman: the Animated Series" was their first real introduction to the DC universe. And the red and blacked diamond acrobat, Harley Quinn, fit as naturally into the story as anything else revolving around the adventures of a crime fighting superhero who dressed up as a bat. Most people didn't know she was created solely for the cartoon, or what a unique thing it was to have her jump from animation stills to comic panels in the regular DC Universe because she really was that popular.
Twenty five years later all those kids get to feel that much older, but also get a consolation prize in the shape of a hardcover edition detailing the character's many incarnations: "Harley Quinn: a Celebration of 25 Years." Now her popularity is second only to Wonder Woman's, with her appearance in a blockbuster movie, rebooted cartoons, video games, and merchandise. She's far and away DC's biggest modern character so it makes sense to capitalize on it with a newly released hardcover of her greatest (giant mallet) hits.
The good news is if you give this to a curious Harley Quinn fan who is just getting into the character, this collection doesn't ostracize newcomers the way others do with their convoluted histories and issues that spend half their time referring to universe wide events. (Flash, I am basically calling out the Flash books for this). The book separates the three major incarnations into their own phases: BtAS era Harley, Harley Quinn who crossed over into the greater DC Universe circa-No Man's Land, and nu52 Harley (with the most recent and slightly different permutation based off Margot Robbie's "Suicide Squad" Harley shoved in the last one).
If you were hoping to get an intricate history of the character like you might find in one of the major DC legacy hero retrospectives, the extras are sparse and just enough to lead readers into the comics themselves. They don't pull long interviews from creators or people connected to the character, it's a showcase for the comic collection and any added information, like pointing out she appeared in TV's "Birds of Prey" and the "Suicide Squad" movie, is short trivia. The great news is the selection of the comics used to showcase her as a character is stronger than other anthologies, so as long as you're here for the stories you'll be okay missing out on behind-the-scenes stuff.
The first section, "1992-Present: An Animated Character," is by far the strongest in terms of self-contained stories with perfect art and a clear emphasis on Harley as a character. "Batman: the Animated Series" comics had a rich source material to draw from. In fact, one of the issues, "The Harley and the Ivy," was reproduced on an episode called "Holiday Knights." The other Christmas issue (yes, there are two, and both are notable for pointing out that Harley is Jewish she just really likes Christmas stuff too) has the famous panel that first breached the whole Harley and Ivy thing...
Barbara Gordon knows what's up
Speaking of, this anthology is great for fans of Harley and Ivy, as she is the character who shares the spotlight with her the most. Despite being the Joker's girlfriend/ex-girlfriend/target practice of the moment, he is most often used as a catalyst to send her into a whirling dervish of chaos that Batman and friends must either stop or somehow convince her twisted logic to assist them.
Spoiler
For example, "The Most Important Day of the Year" has Harley off on a Valentine's Day crime spree to find Joker in time for a "romantic" dinner, which is only stopped once Batman informs Harley he's put the Joker back in Arkham and she goes back quietly to join him.The second part, "Harley Gets Real: 1999-2010," is a little more uneven both in writing and art but I would consider it a range from excellent to mostly okay. Co-creator Paul Dini introduces her to the greater DC universe in a one shot that is very self-contained as it regards her origin, her twisted relationship with the Joker, her first meeting with Ivy, all wrapped up in a neat little bow that gives a big nod to the source material they were adapting her from. Short of shoving the mini-series "Mad Love" into the pages, you get a clear idea of her motives, immediately establishing her relationships, and with no pesky cliffhangers or confusion to the greater DC world. The two issues from Harley's self-titled series put her front and center and the art by Amanda Conner is expressive and more realistic than the cartoon styled art in the previous part.
The two less than amazing stories in this section are Winick's "Harley and Ivy: Love on the Lam" and Loeb's "At the Opera." "Love on the Lam" isn't as strong because the collection started with two superior Harley and Ivy capers before it, but would still be worth reading as an entertaining caper and for this panel:
"Hush Part Six: At the Opera" is the one that feels most like an issue plucked out of a convoluted story arc that weak character anthologies suffer from. Here, Harley is more an obstacle for Batman to overcome than a character in her own right. Considering its title, you can tell this comic issue was more preoccupied with other matters and it ends on a cliffhanger that no other part of the anthology mentions because it has nothing to do with Harley Quinn. But at least Jim Lee's artwork is gorgeous to look at.
The nu52 section, "Harley Reborn: 2011-Present," is the least successful of the three parts. I'll fully admit part of my lacklust response is that it's just Not My Thing to have a charming comedic villain casually torture-murdering people on panel because now they can do that and be Edgy and Cool(TM), but if it means
Spoiler
I don't have to see another story where Harley is straddling Deadshot while putting the skinned face of the Joker over his mask to try and work out her abandonment issues,But Conner's "Harley's Little Black Book #1" has Harley trying to team up with Wonder Woman so it redeems itself handily from the introductory two issues of "Suicide Squad." Here, this Harley is still a little more grungy and PG-13, but closer to the chaotic character who can walk the tightrope of grinning villainy without being too offputting or cruel. Her unabashed fangirling of Diana is almost Deadpool-esque (not strange, considering he had the same kind of meteoric rise from obscurity to being Everywhere in Marvel's stable). The last story, "Full Mental Jacket," is from the Rebirth era of DC and showcases a Margot Robbie-esque Harley Quinn dealing with the inner conflict of her madness that ends the collection on a more somber note. It's short and leaves the future trajectory of the Harley Quinn character up in the air.
So, I would say a 4.5 out of 5 because it's well curated and truly focuses on the character. If you already have all the Harley Quinn appearances, this collection won't offer you anything new except for a pretty hardcover to store it in. But for the casual fan who only knew one version of her, or the one just seeking to explore the character's history, or someone seeking out good female led graphic novels, or the complete neophyte who asks "who is this?" person this is a well selected and well made collection to start.
lillygabriella's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
5.0
An excellent selection of stories featuring the indomitable Harley Quinn. I like the Harley&Ivey stories best.
caitlinjanel92's review
5.0
Harley Quinn Fans will love
I loved reading all these Harley Quinn comics. The best of the best! I love anything Harley Quinn so I knew I had to buy this!
I loved reading all these Harley Quinn comics. The best of the best! I love anything Harley Quinn so I knew I had to buy this!
keigotakami's review against another edition
5.0
I had read most of these comics before but it was so nice seeing a lot of my faves together in one big collection celebrating my favorite girl.
But another thing that has to be said is the fact, that most of these comics show how terrible the Joker has been to Harley and yet people still want a relationship like theirs and ships them together?? Honestly, you're either a fake fan or you're just terrible idk what to tell you
But another thing that has to be said is the fact, that most of these comics show how terrible the Joker has been to Harley and yet people still want a relationship like theirs and ships them together?? Honestly, you're either a fake fan or you're just terrible idk what to tell you
lovewitch's review against another edition
5.0
''Someday i really oughta go back and pick up on the therapy gig.''
My fave psychotic clown. What a legend. A fashion icon. Fuck Joker.
My fave psychotic clown. What a legend. A fashion icon. Fuck Joker.
booksandcecilia's review against another edition
4.0
The tale of Harley Quinn, from the animated series to her blond hair with blue and pink tips. I think all of the stories are outtakes from other comics of Harley, but it gave a good overview of her character. Some of the stories I really liked, but other was really really really creepy.
libra17's review against another edition
3.0
To be fair, this is a decent collection to the character of Harley Quinn in DC comics. However, it is a collection to Harley Quinn as adapted into the comics from Batman the Animated Series, a cartoon that she was created for. BTAS Harley is undoubtedly the best version of this character in existence, which pretty much everything since has tried to copy and not quite managed. With that in mind, the 25 years collection is okay, but for the best presentations of the character to date go watch the BTAS episodes.
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