Harley Quinn Volume 4 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner

Harley Quinn Volume 4

by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner

Harley Quinn’s got her own definition of family. The gang of misfits, weirdos and two-fisted freaks she’s assembled in her Brooklyn crash pad are all the family a reformed psychotic super-villain could ask for, ya know?
 
But that’s all about to change. The Mistress of Mayhem is about to face the biggest shock she’s seen in years…a visit from her parents.
 
That’s right, folks—Mr. and Mrs. Quinzel are in town to take a bite of the Big Apple and meet their li’l monster’s new crew, from her gal-pal Poison Ivy to her super-friend Power Girl and more. And since “alternative lifestyle” barely begins to describe the vida loca that Harley’s livin’, our bat-wielding bombshell’s more than a little mortified.
 
But it turns out the crazy apple doesn’t fall far from the twisted tree. Harley’s mom and pop have quite a few skeletons in their own closet and no shortage of tricks up their sleeves. And before Harley’s big birthday blowout, every secret’s about to come out!
 
Harley Quinn super team Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner continue their classic run on one of the most iconic—and ironic—heroines in comics with HARLEY QUINN VOL. 4: SURPRISE, SURPRISE. Collects lead stories from #22-27 and the full HARLEY QUINN 25th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1, where the industry’s top talents—including her co-creator, Paul Dini—salute the one and only Harley!

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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3 1/2 Stars.

Surprise Surprise continues the fun of the Harley Quinn Rebirth series. You could technically jump in here (or anyway else) and get a feel for things, but you would be missing out on a lot of the events and context. This volume has issues 22 through 27, as well as the Harley Quinn 25th Anniversary Special. I’m not going to lie; it’s hard to believe that our little Harley has been around that long. Man does time fly.



So this probably wasn’t my favorite of the Harley Quinn volumes; mostly because the plot is a little on the scattered side. We’ve got the visit from her parents, the Penguin dilemma, the party, plus all the short stories in the Anniversary special. I know Harley is pretty much the embodiment of chaos…but a structured plot is always appreciated!
I’ll confess it was cute to see Harley’s parents. I’ve always wondered what they know, and exactly how much of the truth she’s been telling them over the years. I mean, I’m sure they’ve seen her running around on TV as Harley (no doubt they’d be able to recognize her), so the makeup routine to look ‘normal’ is probably not needed (they maybe they think the Harley tone is the makeup color?). Her parents seem pretty cool on the whole, though I think they should still be more worried/concerned about the Joker than they seem to be. There’s no way they don’t know who is or how bad he can be (and even if they thought her calling her now-ex by the name ‘Joker’ was a joke, again surely they saw them on TV while running one of their escapades?).
Anyway, moving on; Harley gets a surprise birthday party (a month before her actual birthday party) courtesy of all of her new friends and family (though I think it was originally Red Tool’s idea?). It’s a cute, fun plot on the whole. The highlight is their canonization of Harley and Ivy’s relationship (they’ve been dancing around that subject and teasing the fans for far too long). So if you’ve been growing frustrated with that point (I know a lot of people who feel like that), then you’ll be happy to know they actually did something about it.
I couldn’t really sink my teeth into any of the short stories included in the anniversary special. It could have been because the change of art styles threw me (that always happens to me, I hate it), or it could be I didn’t like the lack of structure that followed a pretty loose plot. More likely it was the combination of the two. So while these stories are funny, I wouldn’t say any of them were worth writing home about.
On the whole if you’re looking for an easy and quick read that’ll make you snort; Harley Quinn is always a good option for you. Sometimes the plot gets heavier of course, but not this particular volume. So you’re safe to indulge in the absurdity of it all.


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

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 7 February, 2018: Finished reading
  • 7 February, 2018: Reviewed