Review: Harley Quinn Vol. 2- Joker Loves Harley

Quick Summary

Pros: Harley’s relationships with the people around her lead to several meaningful scenes. In most places, the comedy works out well. Joker’s presence injects some satisfying suspense into a typically lighthearted series. The artwork looks great and matches the tone of the story.

Cons: The humor, in the first few chapters, may be a bit too over-the-top for some readers.

Overall: This is another seriously positive entry in the Harley Quinn series. It features several examples of Harley Quinn’s ability to blend humor with wholesomeness in a way that works for the story. However, this time around, it also tosses some suspense into the mix, for a story that is captivating all the way through. There are a few places where the jokes are less appealing but, for the most part, this collection is great. Any fan of Harley Quinn should make sure to read this book.

Story

Harley Quinn Vol. 2: Joker Loves Harley, by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, continues the appeal of the Harley Quinn Rebirth series. Half of the collection is as silly and fun as ever but still manages to find time for a few emotional moments. The other half uses Joker to bring some suspense to the series, changing things up and doing it in a successful way. My only complaint with this collection is that the humor in the opening chapters is a bit too unrestrained and ridiculous, though some fans may enjoy this approach. Overall, this is a solid comic and an affirmation of the quality in the Rebirth era of Harley’s adventures.

(spoilers start here)

Joker Loves Harley, for better or worse, starts out pretty silly. Harley and Ivy go to the Bahamas to relax and spend time with a few of Harley’s friends. Since these friends just happen to live in a nudist colony, the majority of this vacation ends up revolving around sex jokes. For me, this was a bit too much, but I could see other readers enjoying the comedy.

However, these opening chapters also find some time to get emotional as well. The vacation gives Harley and Ivy a chance to talk about their unique relationship. The struggle between their love for each other and well-thought-out decision to stay separate is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. Shortly after, Harley can also be seen flexing her commitment to charity, as she saves a local business and has a heart-to-heart with a homeless man.

Then, the “Joker” shows up. The Joker-centric chapters are some of the most tense and exciting chapters in the entire Harley Quinn series. His simple conversations with Harley and Red Tool are particularly suspenseful, as it seems like he could lash out and kill or severely injure them at any moment.

These chapters get even more interesting as it is revealed that this “Joker” is not the real Joker but is one of Harley’s stalkers, from a previous story. It is a realization that shows how sick the real Joker can be and one that reaffirms how tragic mental health issues can impact everyone.

Finally, the collection closes with a Christmas chapter. This is a fun and silly romp through Harley’s obsession with Santa Claus. The ridiculousness of this chapter also works well as a nice change of pace after the Joker-centric chapters before it.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Joker Loves Harley contains the satisfying level of quality that has existed across multiple Harley Quinn volumes. The bulk of the visuals, in this collection, come from Chad Hardin and John Timms, both of whom have plenty of familiarity with this series. Their work captures the wild nature of this comic well and looks creative while doing so. In particular, I enjoyed Timms’ work on Joker, which I felt matched the silly but sinister personality of this character. This artwork is all further enhanced by Alex Sinclair’s bright and attractive colors.

Joker Loves Harley is then further enhanced by several excellent appearances from guest artists. Andrew Robinson’s flashback scene is a dark change of pace that captures the serious nature of this flashback. Meanwhile, Michael Kaluta’s hallucination scene is an incredibly imaginative trip that would honestly be worthwhile on its own, no matter what is happening in the story. Finally, Moritat’s work on the Christmas issue matches the madcap presentation of that particular story. These guest appearances are all solid and contribute to the visual appeal of this book.

Continuity

Harley Quinn Vol. 2: Joker Loves Harley continues the story from Harley Quinn Vol. 1: Die Laughing (Review).

The story here continues in Harley Quinn Vol. 3: Red Meat.

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Harley mentions that Batman helped get a friend of hers in witness protection. This happened in Harley Quinn Vol. 2 #26, collected in Harley Quinn Vol. 5: The Joker’s Last Laugh (Review).
• Harley’s last encounter with Bertha is shown in Harley Quinn Vol. 2 #8, collected in Harley Quinn Vol. 1: Hot in the City (Review).
• Harley’s stalker was last seen in Harley Quinn Vol. 2 #9, collected in Harley Quinn Vol. 2: Power Outage (Review).
• Harley’s last encounter with the Joker is mentioned a number of times. This encounter is detailed in Harley Quinn Vol. 2 #26, collected in Harley Quinn Vol. 5: The Joker’s Last Laugh (Review).