Harleen appreciation topix (there will be spoilers)

[Gotham citizen]

I'm sorry but I didn't like Harleen, because I was hoping it was a comic focuses on the past of Harleen, who she was before to start to work at the Arkham Asilum and why that past created the premises so that Harleen became Harley, telling the part where Joker seduces Harleen, transforming her in Harley Queen, in the last chapter of the title; a little bit like the movie Joker (but not so violent because Harleen's past isn't the same of Arthur), which is totally focused on the life of Arthur Fleck, where Joker appears only in the last twenty minutes of the movie.
I'm not saying it isn't a good book (Sejic art made me always crazy), simply it isn't my cup of tea.

[kjn]

I'm sorry but I didn't like Harleen, because I was hoping it was a comic focuses on the past of Harleen, who she was before to start to work at the Arkham Asilum and why that past created the premises so that Harleen became Harley, telling the part where Joker seduces Harleen, transforming her in Harley Queen, in the last chapter of the title; a little bit like the movie Joker (but not so violent because Harleen's past isn't the same of Arthur), which is totally focused on the life of Arthur Fleck, where Joker appears only in the last twenty minutes of the movie.
I'm not saying it isn't a good book (Sejic art made me always crazy), simply it isn't my cup of tea.

Enjoyment is of course deeply subjective, but I think your criticism misses the mark a bit. Harleen is AFAIK the first real look at the character of Harleen Quinzel—as opposed to Harley Quinn—we have had. She was barely a character in Mad Love, and the one we get in Criminal Sanity is just barely outlined right now, and arguably rather different from the way Harleen has been set up in the past.

[nebezial]

I'm sorry but I didn't like Harleen, because I was hoping it was a comic focuses on the past of Harleen, who she was before to start to work at the Arkham Asilum and why that past created the premises so that Harleen became Harley, telling the part where Joker seduces Harleen, transforming her in Harley Queen, in the last chapter of the title; a little bit like the movie Joker (but not so violent because Harleen's past isn't the same of Arthur), which is totally focused on the life of Arthur Fleck, where Joker appears only in the last twenty minutes of the movie.
I'm not saying it isn't a good book (Sejic art made me always crazy), simply it isn't my cup of tea.

perfectly understandable no book ever has been everyone's cup of tea, but i got many pots brewing so sooner or later we'll meet again

[Gotham citizen]

Enjoyment is of course deeply subjective, but I think your criticism misses the mark a bit. Harleen is AFAIK the first real look at the character of Harleen Quinzel—as opposed to Harley Quinn—we have had. She was barely a character in Mad Love, and the one we get in Criminal Sanity is just barely outlined right now, and arguably rather different from the way Harleen has been set up in the past.

I understand that, but after having see Joker I started to think how write a similar story, but about Harleen and just in that moment I saw the book Harleen, so I approached the book having already in my mind a very clear and detailed idea of the story I wanted read; we can say Harleen start at the middle of where I would started.

perfectly understandable no book ever has been everyone's cup of tea, but i got many pots brewing so sooner or later we'll meet again

Well, you and your wife already brewed some good "cup of tea" for me, like Artifacts, Ravine and Bloodstain.

[gordonm]

Beautiful artwork (I've been a fan of Sejic ever since his Top Cow days - one of the artists who truly "got" Jackie Estacado) but I'm still really unsure how I feel about the story. I was hoping for a more varied take on Harleen's downfall while this of course has proven to be more traditional. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate it's high quality storytelling, just not the story I was hoping for.

[kjn]

Preview for Harleen #3

Two comments: Stjepan Sejic is one of those comics artists who is well aware of the difference between sexual and sensual. And however handsome Joker is here, he is extremely creepy.

ETA @gordonm: In a way, I think it's a plus that this story hews so closely to the classic take in its broad strokes. One of Sejic's quirks as a storyteller is to heap on too much complexity into the plot, and this way he avoids that problem. It also gives a better scope for doing a character study of Harley Quinn, who far too often only is handled as a villanious manic pixie dream girl.

[Arnoldoaad]

this was a really hot day for comics with Justice League, King's Batman and Doomsday Clock ending that I almost forgot that this came out

so I read it and It was great
I thought it was pretty obvious for everyone on how Joker has been manipulating Harley but it also ends with the comment of Alfred(who is always right) of both looking "Crazy for one another"
and it genuelly hits the mark that maybe he does love Harley

What I am most impress with this book was not just Harley and Joker but also Two-Face
this is the best Two-Face story in years, it isnt better than The Long Halloween but it comes close to me as an origin for him as well

[kjn]

Another impressive issue.

Some small amusing but human details, like the "productive conversation". The observation I had about Batman putting Harleen into Joker's path was also made explicit. The conversation between Alfred and Batman also is another clear callback to Mad Love, though the different placement at the end of the tale rather than the beginning again serves to underscore that this is told as Harleen's story about Harley, not Batman's story about them. It also makes for a more morally conflicted and fallible Batman, something which often is missing.

Not sure I like the Bride of Frankenstein appearance for Poison Ivy, but Harleen's and her few interactions are also rather pregnant. One gets the feeling Ivy had nearly forgotten how to feel gratitude. And her line "you're only truly saved if you leave this place" carries plenty of hidden meanings.

Poor Bronson, though I was fairly sure he wouldn't survive the story.

Another little detail is the way Harleen shows the similarity between the names Harley and Harvey, and then smears them out to her final joke.

One other thing is the way that even though this is a story with a lot of flashbacks and time skips, the narrative is always clear. That's harder to do than it looks.

[RD155]

Wow. I’m relatively new to the world of DC. Been mostly a Marvel guy through out. However, this and Batman/Superman are probably the best things I’m reading now. Harleen absolutely stuck the landing. I mean it’s hard to keep readers engaged when they essentially know how everything is going to turn out. Even with that I couldn’t turn away. Enough can’t be said about the artwork as well. I can’t recall an art style blending in so seamlessly with writing like they’ve done here.

All in all I hate to see this end but a classic as far as I’m concerned and a great take on her backstory.

[kjn]

Note that Stjepan Sejic envisioned this as a nine-parter story with three distinct arcs that could be published independently. I think I heard somewhere that he said the first arc would be Silence of the Lambs, the second Bonnie and Clyde, and the third Thelma and Louise (but with a different ending). I also believe he has a Poison Ivy story to pitch as a followup, if this one works out.

Which it certainly seems to do. I only hope DC makes sure that Sejic and the comics shops gets enough lead time with deliveries that the next arc doesn't run into delays, like this one did.

This story is a great example that you don't need to pitch new plots all the time. Getting the characters across is more important than telling a "new" story. In fact I think the decision to revisit many of the beats and pieces from Mad Love helped to ground the plot and keep it simple, allowing the character work to come to the front. All the important pieces happens in Harleen's mind anyway, and this is probably the first real look we have had at that.

[nebezial]

yes, harleen has been envisioned as a sort of a life story of harley, divided in 3 major storyarcs

in a very brief description i pitched these to dc as

arc1- silence of the lambs
arc2- bonnie and clyde
arc 3 thelma and louise

while these descriptions aren't completely on point they served as a simple shorthand description for the overall tale of harleen. idea was to have this kind of an all encompassing tale showing her decline, the complex nature of her relationships, and showing her as a complex and extremely flawed protagonist of her own story. alongside that an in continuity isley book is planned kinda doing the same with poison ivy

[Stryfe8]

yes, harleen has been envisioned as a sort of a life story of harley, divided in 3 major storyarcs

in a very brief description i pitched these to dc as

arc1- silence of the lambs
arc2- bonnie and clyde
arc 3 thelma and louise

while these descriptions aren't completely on point they served as a simple shorthand description for the overall tale of harleen. idea was to have this kind of an all encompassing tale showing her decline, the complex nature of her relationships, and showing her as a complex and extremely flawed protagonist of her own story. alongside that an in continuity isley book is planned kinda doing the same with poison ivy

planned.... also approved?? (please please please say yes)

[kjn]

Stjepan Sejic has posted some of the frames he made during the development of Harleen over on twitter.

funfact, initial idea was to make it a black and white book but i got a way with colors so.... they wanted the books in full color. not a bad choice in hindsight XD

harleen-concept1.jpg

ETA: Crappy upload quality, better quality over at twitter.

[HandofPrometheus]

Harley has been annoying me these past few years but this story was so damn good. Art was beautiful and the writing was very good.

I love the Harley and Two-Face comparison which was handled well because I never thought of their names being similar and making a connection between the two was brilliant.

[Vakanai]

Do we have the numbers on how well this book has done financially? I want to know the likelihood of getting the other books Sejic talked about earlier, because this was really great and I absolutely want a follow up. It isn't quite up there with the likes of Year One or Long Halloween, but it easily fits into the next tier classics like the Man Who Laughs, Prey, and the Monster Men to name a few.