Harleen appreciation topix (there will be spoilers)

[kjn]

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.

Per Comichron (not the entire story, but the piece of the story we get):

Issue ranking / dollar rank ordered
Harleen #1 11 / 4 84,785 + 5,202
Harleen #2 23 / 7 65,720
Harleen #3 14 / 7 59,501

Add digital sales and other non-Diamond channels, and it's a really solid seller. Given this, and reaction from critics and fans, DC ought to be doing their damned best to negotiate with Sejic to get the next two volumes out ASAP (I doubt volume 2 will arrive that much quicker, but they can probably shorten the wait for volume 3). I hope Sejic gets decent royalties, too.

[Vakanai]

Per Comichron (not the entire story, but the piece of the story we get):

Issue ranking / dollar rank ordered
Harleen #1 11 / 4 84,785 + 5,202
Harleen #2 23 / 7 65,720
Harleen #3 14 / 7 59,501

Add digital sales and other non-Diamond channels, and it's a really solid seller. Given this, and reaction from critics and fans, DC ought to be doing their damned best to negotiate with Sejic to get the next two volumes out ASAP (I doubt volume 2 will arrive that much quicker, but they can probably shorten the wait for volume 3). I hope Sejic gets decent royalties, too.

That's great, glad to see it's a solid seller as well as a solid story. Definitely looking forward to volume 2 asap.

Volume 2 is the lead up and break up with Joker, and 3 is her finding her "true true" as it were with Ivy right?

Wasn't there also mention of a Ivy origin or solo or something?

[kjn]

Yes. (It's on the previous page.)

[Vakanai]

Yes. (It's on the previous page.)

Ha, knew I read it somewhere, thanks.

[Powertool]

The first volume of Harleen perfectly sticked the landing, as far as I'm concerned.

In fact, perhaps it sticked the landing a little too perfectly.

At this point I don't know if I want to read volumes 2 and 3, since the story of Dr. Quinzell's road to perdition was so compelling that I'm perfectly fine with it ending the way it did, with Harley barely even remembering her previous life before giving in to the madness. It's morbid, it's disquieting and it pleases me.

I don't know, perhaps Mr. Sejic will be able to catch lightning in a bottle twice in a row, but for the moment I feel satisfied with volume 1 (let alone that I'm not a big fan of Poison Ivy, so her being heavily involved in the next chapters is not all that appealing for me).

[Marvel Wars]

(let alone that I'm not a big fan of Poison Ivy, so her being heavily involved in the next chapters is not all that appealing for me).

She is really not.
The character that have a big role is Harvey Dent.

[kjn]

The first volume of Harleen perfectly sticked the landing, as far as I'm concerned.

In fact, perhaps it sticked the landing a little too perfectly.

At this point I don't know if I want to read volumes 2 and 3, since the story of Dr. Quinzell's road to perdition was so compelling that I'm perfectly fine with it ending the way it did, with Harley barely even remembering her previous life before giving in to the madness. It's morbid, it's disquieting and it pleases me.

I don't know, perhaps Mr. Sejic will be able to catch lightning in a bottle twice in a row, but for the moment I feel satisfied with volume 1 (let alone that I'm not a big fan of Poison Ivy, so her being heavily involved in the next chapters is not all that appealing for me).

She is really not.
The character that have a big role is Harvey Dent.

From what I can tell from Sejic's plans, the second arc ("Bonnie and Clyde") will be primarily about Joker and Harley Quinn. Ivy will probably play an important but secondary role there, just as Harvey Dent did in this first arc, but I'm not sure how he exactly will develop how Ivy and Harley meet again, or how long and in which way the breakup between Joker and Harley will happen.

Some of the works in progress that Sejic has posted over on his twitter makes me think that the relation between Harley and Ivy will develop over a longer time and far more gradually than is the case in e.g. the DCAU, and I'll be interested to see how he handles the narrative segue from arc 2 to arc 3.

[Vakanai]

She is really not.
The character that have a big role is Harvey Dent.

The next chapters he said - Harvey Dent had a big role in the previous chapters, but in upcoming volumes Ivy will have more of a role.

Personally I like Ivy and her dynamic with Harley, but to each their own.

[Marvel Wars]

Oh ok I didn't know that the first three issues were considered as volume 1.
I thought he was saying he had read issue 1 but not 2 and 3.

[Powertool]

From what I can tell from Sejic's plans, the second arc ("Bonnie and Clyde") will be primarily about Joker and Harley Quinn. Ivy will probably play an important but secondary role there, just as Harvey Dent did in this first arc, but I'm not sure how he exactly will develop how Ivy and Harley meet again, or how long and in which way the breakup between Joker and Harley will happen.

Some of the works in progress that Sejic has posted over on his twitter makes me think that the relation between Harley and Ivy will develop over a longer time and far more gradually than is the case in e.g. the DCAU, and I'll be interested to see how he handles the narrative segue from arc 2 to arc 3.

This. Also he wrote that the third volume would be kinda "Thelma & Louise"-themed and that should say a lot about the role Poison Ivy will have in it.

Oh ok I didn't know that the first three issues were considered as volume 1.
I thought he was saying he had read issue 1 but not 2 and 3.

Don't worry, mistakes happen.

[kjn]

This. Also he wrote that the third volume would be kinda "Thelma & Louise"-themed and that should say a lot about the role Poison Ivy will have in it.

Though on looking back on what I wrote, I think I was rather unclear about some of my thoughts. So here are a few things.

For starters, I'm fairly sure that DC and Sejic already has a contract in place for the follow-up volumes (at least arc 2), or at least are in the throes of finalising one. Sejic might appear goofy on twitter, but I also think he has a firmer grasp of the business side of publishing than most creators, and we know he takes scheduling very seriously. At the same time, I think the Black Label marketers have realised that the plethora of announced projects that failed to materialise or are severely delayed has hurt the brand. Better to keep quiet until things are ready to publish.

Another is that in comparison with other recent Harley Quinn stories (like Criminal Sanity), Harleen offers a re-imagining of the character that both is radical and fits within the greater DC universe. As such, I think there is a chance that this will become the Harley Quinn story, the one that every other creator will have to relate to when writing the character, like what Pérez did with Wonder Woman.

Now, as for where I was unclear in my previous post. This first arc was "Silence of the Lambs", next up is "Bonnie and Clyde", and then a final "Thelma and Louise". Each arc should preferably give a decent sense of closure (which is exactly what the first one managed). The "easy" solution would be for arc 2 to end with Joker kicking out Harley Quinn and she is taken under the wings of Poison Ivy (basically the events of the DCAU "Harley and Ivy" or the rocket thing from No Man's Land). But as closure goes, that wouldn't be that satisfactory (it's much more the opening of a story), and it doesn't really fit with the various story concept images that Sejic has posted over on Twitter.

Instead, I think Poison Ivy will play a rather important secondary role throughout arc 2, much like Harvey Dent did (but I imagine she will have less page time, since there is no need to include Ivy's origin story). Ivy will be Harley's connection back to humanity, as Tim Bronson was in arc 1, and the one person who is willing to fight Joker over his hold of Harley. That would fit with the concept image where Joker demands that Harley kills Ivy. But how would the switch from arc 2 to arc 3 go?

And now I think I have worked out a speculative synopsis storyline for arc 2 based on various images Sejic posted on twitter, and a possible idea for arc 3.

spoilers:

After a crime spree with Joker, Harley Quinn is captured by Batman while Joker escapes. She is taken to Arkham, where she reconnects with Ivy. After some time, Joker turns up and busts out Harley in an attempt to find Ivy (for whatever reason), and I think Harley goes into the vat around here. But Ivy and Harley continue to stay in touch, and Joker then sends out Harley to kill Ivy. Arc 3 could then be Ivy and Harley having to fight off/escape from both Joker and Batman. That would certainly fit the Thelma and Louise theme, and it would also fit the way that #1 opened with Batman as a monster. In a way, it could provide a look at Batman similar to Hiketeia by Rucka.

end of spoilers

The above outline would also get this image into its proper place:

DhKDN1BW4AA-ZkE.jpg

spoilers:

Right at the end of arc 2.

end of spoilers

[kjn]

Sejic over on Twitter:

good day today, finished writing my outline for Isley pitch, wrote my next sunstone update, drew a page and about to draw another

Why post this in the Harleen thread?

Because I'm fairly sure this means that Sejic and DC has a contract in place for the second and third Harleen arcs, and part of the ongoing negotiations there was any possible followups.

[Vakanai]

Sejic over on Twitter:



Why post this in the Harleen thread?

Because I'm fairly sure this means that Sejic and DC has a contract in place for the second and third Harleen arcs, and part of the ongoing negotiations there was any possible followups.

Hope DC greenlights that Isley pitch asap. But I think after the success of Harleen that's almost a certainty at this point. Or at least I have my fingers crossed that that is so.

[kjn]

Interview with Stjepan Sejic over at Newsarama. Includes various pieces of concept art, but I think everything of that has been published over on his twitter or on DeviantArt.

Nrama: Why do you think you were so drawn to Harley, initially?

Šejic: Simple. She is a psychiatrist who can identify her condition and is unable to take actions to change her circumstances. It is almost a body horror. Seeing yourself rebel against your own better instincts. Recognizing your wrong choices but like a gambler on a losing streak you keep hoping that next roll of the dice will get you out of that hole.

This self-destructive thread is what makes her feel so incredibly human and it makes her an immensely flawed yet interesting character to write.

But Sejic also dropped this!

Šejic: My plan is to produce Isley before the second Harleen story arc. My reasoning is two-fold.

First, I have a very cool story to tell about Harleen’s version of Poison Ivy. A truly epic tale that will be both a visual and a narrative joy. If Harleen was more of a psychological thriller. this one will be more of a blockbuster with a lot of heart.

The second reason is, I want people to truly understand the actual glorious mess that Poison Ivy is. It plays into her evolving relationship with Harley and really fleshes out her motivations.

[Vakanai]

Oh, sounds good, definitely interested in seeing Isley before her and Harley really kick it off. Definitely interested in seeing what his version of a blockbuster with heart is.