Review: Harley Quinn Vol. 1- Die Laughing

Quick Summary

Pros: The arcs in this collection are almost all interesting and compelling. The arcs are also different from one another in a way that helps the volume as a whole. The humor keeps things fun. The artwork looks good, especially in the final few chapters.

Cons: One chapter has a mediocre story and mediocre art.

Overall: Solid storytelling and satisfying visuals make this a worthwhile entry in Harley’s Quinn’s journey. This collection presents several story arcs that are interesting on their own. However, they are enhanced even further by the charm and humor the characters bring to them. Not every story here is a winner but the vast majority of them are successful. In general, this is a solid place for new or old fans to consider jumping in on Harley’s adventures.

Story

The first volume in the Rebirth Harley Quinn series maintains most of the positives from the last volume of the New 52 series (Review) but also introduces some changes. Harley Quinn Vol. 1: Die Laughing, by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, continues to send Harley on zany adventures focused on comedic situations. However, these adventures are structured better and have a clever level of diversity to them. This creates a collection that is more compelling to experience, with the exception of one lackluster chapter. In addition, the comic’s approach to humor remains at the level it was in the last volume of the New 52 series (Review), which is a good sign for the comic. All in all, this is a solid start to Harley’s Rebirth adventures.

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As discussed above, one of the most striking features in Die Laughing is the shift from inconsequential and seemingly random story arcs to ones that appear to be more developed. Each of this volume’s arcs has a definite start and end point, usually with a short tease at some point in an earlier arc. This works out better than previous collections, which would often have seemingly pressing arcs interrupted by fun but not that pressing diversions.

This shift also has the added effect of producing stories with a nice level of diversity. The volume opens with an arc about an alien virus starting a zombie outbreak. This arc is mostly focused on the straightforward style action and suspense one would expect from a zombie thriller. Then, the collection moves on to a quick chapter about scam phone calls, which still contains over-the-top action but also contains more social commentary. Finally, the volume closes by having Harley and her crew go undercover as a punk rock band in order to gather evidence on a group of criminals. This arc has less action but makes up for it with fun espionage. By the end of the collection, readers have had a chance to see Harley and her team in a variety of neat situations.

In addition, Die Laughing continues with the improved level of humor that was present in its immediate predecessor (Review). This means that, although there are still moments of ridiculous gross-out humor, most of the jokes through this collection have more universal appeal. 

The only real dip when it comes to the quality of the storytelling occurs in the chapter about scam phone calls. While the rest of the volume is pretty clever when it comes to the way in which the heroes fight their enemies, this one is not. It essentially has Harley and a member of her gang threaten the villains, fight the villains, and fix their problem. The entire experience is action-packed but, ultimately, pretty forgettable.

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Art

The artwork in Die Laughing mostly continues the satisfying level of quality from the New 52 series. This means that visuals from Chad Hardin, John Timms, and, newcomer, Bret Blevins continue to make Harley and her diverse cast of supporting characters look good. This can be seen in the characteristic approach to over-the-top action or in the well-structured layouts. The artwork in this collection is particularly enjoyable in the final few chapters, mostly drawn by John Timms. Here, Timms gets even more creative by detailing new outfits, new locations, and a generally new, albeit temporary, aesthetic for the comic.

The only noticeable downswing in visual quality comes from a single chapter by Joseph Michael Linsner. Though there are some solid moments within this chapter, the overall level of quality is lower than the rest of the collection. This makes the transition into and out of this chapter feel weird in a way that interrupts the flow of the series.

Continuity

Harley Quinn Vol. 1: Die Laughing is the first volume in the Harley Quinn Rebirth series. This series is a direct continuation of the Harley Quinn New 52 series, which ended in Harley Quinn Vol. 6: Black, White and Red All Over (Review). However, this volume recaps many elements from that series in its first chapter.

The story here continues in Harley Quinn Vol. 2: Joker Loves Harley.

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Jimm Salabim’s origin is explained in Harley Quinn: Be Careful What You Wish For, collected in Harley Quinn Vol. 5: The Joker’s Last Laugh (Review).
• Harley Quinn’s connection to the Suicide Squad (Reading Order) is briefly mentioned. This connection began in Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Kicked in the Teeth (Review). 
• Harley mentions her time in space. This time is detailed in Harley Quinn and Power Girl (Review).