Review: Harley Quinn Vol. 5- The Joker’s Last Laugh

Quick Summary

Pros: The majority of the comic is compelling and entertaining. The main narrative hits on some of the best emotions and character development the series has seen thus far. The artwork looks good and suits the book well.

Cons: The Be Careful What You Wish For special issue is lackluster.

Overall: This is a memorable and enjoyable addition to the Harley Quinn series. The collection innovates by spending more energy than usual on creating meaningful character moments and emotions, which make a more compelling narrative. This is then enhanced with some solid humor and the comic’s always-appealing visuals. In the end, this is a volume for anyone who has enjoyed the previous volumes or anyone looking for a more emotionally-driven Harley Quinn story.

Story

Harley Quinn Vol. 5: The Joker’s Last Laugh, by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, is a solid comic and one of the better entries in the Harley Quinn series. It crafts a narrative that has Harley overcome demons from her past, fight outrageous villains, and even face off against the Joker. This adventure holds attention well and presents a slightly more enjoyable version of the humor that has been present throughout this series. The only downside is that one of the chapters ends up being a bit too over-the-top. However, as a whole, this collection is very enjoyable.

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Right from the start, The Joker’s Last Laugh hits the right notes. The book’s comedy is still over-the-top and ridiculous but comes across less abrasive. It feels similar to how it did back in Vol. 3 (Review), in that it relies more on absurdity than gross-out humor. In some ways, this entire adventure feels like an adult version of a Looney Toons episode, with Harley taking on the role of Bugs Bunny.

However, The Joker’s Last Laugh really improves upon its predecessors when it comes to crafting a compelling narrative. This volume has Harley resolve an old conflict, amp up her conflict with the Mayor, and even resolve the problems that have been haunting her boyfriend for a while. It feels like real progression is taking place and this makes everything more interesting to watch. Though previous volumes had interesting plotlines, this one grabbed and held my attention more firmly than before.

In addition, The Joker’s Last Laugh handles emotions well. As the title implies, this collection contains an altercation between Harley and the Joker. The comic builds up this altercation and then executes it very well. It shows that Harley still has some unresolved and unexplainable feelings for her ex-boyfriend but she is intelligent enough to recognize how destructive these feelings can be. When this is seen against her feelings for the man currently in her life, the impact is even more obvious.

Unfortunately, the volume closes with a somewhat disappointing final chapter. The Be Careful What You Wish For special issue has Harley jump from one situation to the next, driven forward by a magic genie she happened to find. The entire journey is even more over-the-top than usual and takes the madcap nature of this series to the extreme. The issue is unique in a zany sort of way but, in my opinion, was just a little too much.

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Art

Like the majority of the Harley Quinn series, the artwork in The Joker’s Last Laugh looks good and matches the tone of the comic. Chad Hardin’s work here is as dynamic and energetic as ever, allowing battles to play out in a way that makes the comic even more fun. However, his creativity is even more apparent than usual. This volume has cleverly designed outfits, neat locations, and some gorgeous views of a few cities. Though it was sad to see a Harley Quinn volume without artwork from John Timms, I felt that Hardin’s more grounded style worked better with the more emotional subject matter in this book.

Continuity

Harley Quinn Vol. 5: The Joker’s Last Laugh continues the story from Harley Quinn Vol. 4: A Call to Arms (Review).

The story here continues in Harley Quinn Vol. 6: Black, White and Red All Over (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• This volume references a death in Harley Quinn Vol. 1: Hot in the City (Review).
• Joker’s appearance here does not exactly correlate with the rest of his New 52 appearances, as he is not in Arkham Asylum in this era. However, the Harley Quinn series is rather loose when it comes to continuity so this inconsistency fits with the theme of the series.