Harley Quinn Vol. 5: The Joker's Last Laugh

by Jimmy Palmiotti

MAD LOVE!Mason Macabre is more than just Harley Quinn’s neighbor in
her new Coney Island digs—he just might be the man of her dreams. But to
save his life, she’ll have to face the clown of her nightmares! With
Harley and her gang of merry maidens battling to keep innocents out of the
crossfire of her enemies’ latest vendetta, Mason’s been whisked away
to the one place our hellacious heroine never wanted to set foot in again:
Arkham Asylum. Inside its horrific halls, Mason is at the tender mercy of none
other than the Joker—and Harley and the Clown Prince of Crime have had the
mother of all bad break-ups.Will she and the madman who helped make her what she
is kiss and make up long enough for her new beau to escape with his life? Or
this time will the joke be on Harley Quinn for good? It’s the reunion
you’ve been waiting for! Courtesy of acclaimed creative team Amanda Conner
and Jimmy Palmiotti, HARLEY QUINN VOL. 5: THE JOKER’S LAST LAUGH proves
that when it comes to true love, Harley’s not joking around! Collects
issues #22-25 of the ongoing series and the special issue HARLEY QUINN: BE
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.

• ISBN10: 1401271995
• ISBN13: 9781401271992
• Publish Date: 24 January 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 10 January 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: DC Comics
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 144
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781401271992

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

This was probably one of my favorite Harley Quinn issues from New 52. The title raised certain expectations in my mind, and it didn’t disappoint (thankfully!). I loved the artwork, as per usual. The humor is spot-on and very much what I’ve come to expect from Harley and her crew.




There are two reasons I loved this volume so much: how Harley handled the Mason issue, and the Joker interaction (and namesake of the volume). I’ve been a huge fan of the change in Joker and Harley’s relationship, so I’m likely a bit biased here. I’ve just been desperate for an update and more confrontation on that side.
I’ll discuss my two favorite events in the order they came up. First is the Mason issue. Somebody was out to have Harley’s new sort-of-boyfriend killed, and obviously Harley wasn’t going to stand for that. She made a couple of (decent) attempts at helping Mason out, but in the end learned that she had to let him go and solve things on his own (with a little help from one of the good guys). It showed a lot of growth on Harley’s part.
Now the Mason plot was pretty directly the cause of Harley seeing the Joker again (Mason having been transferred to Arkham despite him totally not being a high enough threat for that). When sabotaging her relationship with Mason didn’t work (by trying to poison the guy’s opinion of her), he moved on to taunting Harley. Not the best move on his part, as it caused Harley to decide that they needed to have it out once and for all. Her intention was to talk, but the Joker is insanely (no pun indented…ok a little bit intended) good at pushing people’s buttons to get what he wants. Ultimately though Harley won, but in the moral sense - she’s now held to the same level as Batman (where the Joker would prefer that she killed him than leave him). So achievement unlocked?
The remaining members of the Harley Gang are starting to get fleshed out a bit more. I originally thought I wouldn’t like Harvey (he appeared very stereotyped at first) but with a few background details and more interaction with him…he’s growing on me. I’m fond of Coach too. Here’s hoping if the Gang sticks around they’ll spend more time with the rest of them as well.
As per usual I loved the Ivy appearances (if you’re read my past reviews you’ll know I’m holding out for an Ivy solo comic). Her relationship status with Harley was a little less subtle this volume, but I’m ok with that. Other characters have started to figure it out as well, so there are some more direct comments on it. Her concern about Harley possibly seeing the Joker again was sweet – and also totally valid.
There’s another one shot comic in the end of this volume. It isn’t one of my favorites, though I’ll admit it is funny. Basically Harley finds a genie and abuses her wishes in ways that only Harley could. Need I say more?
I can’t wait to see what volume 6 (Black, White and Red All Over) brings us! From there I’ll be binging my way through Harley Quinn Rebirth. Should be fun (and a little bit crazy!).


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks