Written by Katana Collins
Art by Matteo Scalera
Published by DC Comics
At the end of the last issue, FBI agent Hector Quimby was outed as an obsessed Harley Quinn fanboy. A peek into his childhood bedroom was filled wall-to-wall with posters and memorabilia of the former “Maid of Mischief.”
Harley is perturbed, to say the least. Not sure how to handle the revelation about Hector, she turns to an imprisoned Bruce Wayne for advice.
Matteo Scalera nicely sets up this moment as the book opens with a chow time melee. The next panel shows the inmates taking a break from their skirmish to make way for Bruce Wayne carrying his lunch tray to the table.
Once Bruce takes his seat, the fighting resumes. It’s a humorous sight showing the opposite of how most forms of storytelling portray law enforcement in prison.
Katana Collins subtly hones in on Harley’s emotional sorrow during her conversation with Bruce. The love of her life is dead, and the one person who could fill that void is locked up indefinitely.
Now, Hector, who seemed like someone good for Harley, is questionable. Remarkably, Harley isn’t turned off by Hector’s reveal.
She realizes she was once obsessed with The Joker, albeit for the right reasons. She loved him and wanted to cure him.
Based on her experience, Harley is careful not to dismiss Hector until she learns why he’s so fixated with her. From what we’ve seen thus far, Hector is a good person and deserves a chance to explain himself. He’s lucky Harley is the one person who could understand such things as any other person would have been long gone.
The Producer and his motivations are fleshed out a little more, looking to fill the years-long void of crime in Gotham City. While the “Why” of it all is still in question, at least some answers start to present themselves.
Collins and Scalera’s ability to work well in tandem has improved with each issue.
I believe they’ve found their rhythm here. Harley and the GTO find The Producer, and things quickly spiral out of control. However, only Harley realizes it as she can spot supervillain chicanery a mile away. It’s obviously a trap to Harley and the reader, but the GTO can’t see it and fall victim to its machinations. Harley throws out a funny line that calls to her experience as a criminal. It was a sharp way to lighten the mood of a dire situation.
Harley and Hector are thrown into a cliffhanger situation to close out the show.
The way Collins and Scalera set it up places more emotional stakes to the conclusion than most endings that question a story’s uncertainty. It can go either way, which I can’t wait to see unfold in next month’s penultimate chapter.
Rating: B
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