A graphic novel you'll want to read over and over. Once for the story, once for the pitch-perfect Harley malapropisms, and ten times for the Normal Rockwell-inspired art. ( )

It's not the most enjoyable Harley story I've read, and the stuff it left out was a bit eh, but overall, it was a pretty great read. The art was pretty good for the most part. Character expressions were a bit eh in places, but mostly it worked. The character designs by and large were quite unique and interesting and even if I forgot names I knew who each character was in the story at a glance. The characters were quite endearing and enjoyable to read about. I love Harley and Ivy and Mama and the Queens and Ivy's parents and the two Bollywood fans we didn't see much of.

The story touches on a bunch of important issues that I think are awesome to see. However, I'm also unsure that any character in here knows what the Internet or cellphones are, which is... odd. I don't know that it's easy to talk about how even if Ivy used the Internet for her protest (or maybe gathered interest via a school FaceBook page or something), maybe given that their school is possibly mostly white and wealthy, that might not garner much interest? Although Ivy says the school is diverse, so I'm a bit confused on why it wouldn't get interest. Not that this would solve all the problems the school faces, but still. (also the fact that no one in the story seems to know what the Internet or cellphones are makes Bruce's actions extra dumb like... uh... dude, Google PayPal; also read the damn news).

I like Harley as a doctor too much to be too happy with the idea of well she was always just a really physically powerful scamp who skipped school. Her journey to become who she is in the story is still great to watch and read, and very empowering, but, well... At any rate I like how she stands up to the 'Joker' from the getgo. Harley is just such an enjoyable character in this story. Although she, you know... kind of doesn't understand white privilege at all and doesn't really confront that fact except in like... bad ways. I guess maybe that's a statement about how a lot of 'allies' confront their privilege, but don't really confront or deal with it? The way this didn't work for me is that Harley is a playful character in most if not every iteration - with trauma, don't get me wrong - but she's a doctor in most of her iterations, too. She's smart (and you don't have to be a doctor or have a degree to be smart), but in this story she just... doesn't confront the very obvious problems in front of her because books lol basically. I think? It's implied she reads sometimes anyway.

(Also why are they in a library and reading books when Ivy is complaining about I think fast food that neither of them are consuming?)

Overall, wonderful (if somewhat deeply flawed) story, pretty decent art. Stjepan Sejic's Harley origin story is pretty great, if you're looking for more Harley stuff. And apparently there's some stuff in the recent comics that are pretty good. And "Super Hero Girls" does some good stuff with her. ( )

I'm not a Batman fan, but I do love me some Mariko Tamaki.

Awesome story, beautiful artwork. This made me care about a character from a franchise I actively dislike, so good job. Heh. I would love to see more books set in this version of the Batman universe. ( )

I love this take on Harley. The drawing was amazing. The storyline kept me wanting to read more. I hope there are more books. ( )

Teen-aged Harleen Quinzel is sent to live with her grandmother in Gotham City only to discover upon arrival that grandma is dearly departed. But never fear because Harleen is taken in by Mama, a drag queen who lives in the same building as Harleen's deceased grandmother. She starts attending Gotham High where she meets Ivy, a fellow student and activist fighting against racial and gender injustices and for a stronger community that doesn't get gentrified by greedy corporations. Meanwhile, Harleen also meets a mysterious fellow calling himself the Joker, whose penchant for chaos is intriguing to the young teen. Will she join Ivy's peaceful protests or go for the Joker's more extreme measures?

This is a fun twist on the making of anti-hero Harley Quinn. True to form, Harley means the best but doesn't always go about it in the most careful of ways, opting for destruction more often than not. As more of her back story is revealed, we learn this has always been her way; her line of thought calls for a lot of retribution in getting towards fairness. I love the introduction of many beloved Bat-universe characters in unexpected ways. Ivy is so decidedly not a villain here in any way shape or form, while the Joker's true identity is revealed. The book tackles heavy social justice issues but maintains Harley's free-spirited, tongue-in-cheek tone. I didn't love at first how she kept talking about herself in the third person while telling her story, but the reasoning behind that eventually became apparent. The artwork is done extremely well and fits the story perfectly. ( )