HARLEY QUINN VOL. 6: BLACK, WHITE AND RED ALL OVER by
Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti includes costumed
vigilantes, robot battles, mobster madness, and one crazy
clown's mission to save a tree. The first half of the
book deals with the introduction of Red Tool - his
history, and his first meeting with Harley. The secondary
stories in the latter portion of the book are wildly
different from each other but are both entertaining.
HARLEY QUINN VOL. 6: BLACK, WHITE AND RED ALL OVER opens
with a delicious gothic fairytale nightmare -- which I
love -- that turns out to be just something Harley is
dreaming, because of her recent emotionally draining
adventures. I don't quite know what to make of Red Tool
in this book. At the opening of his story, I thought
maybe he was being set up to be a quirky supervillain. By
the time he actually crosses paths with Harley and her
crew, I'm not totally clear on what he wants from her. I
enjoy when a story has me a little unsure of which
direction it's going in, so Red Tool's ambiguous
motivations work for me. Red Tool makes for a bewildering
yet amusing playmate for Harley, and I enjoyed watching
them trade physical blows and sarcastic comebacks. Thrown
into this mix is a new, and morally bankrupt but
pragmatic, Chief of Police who forms an uneasy alliance
with the madcap duo. Artists Moritat and John Timms gift
this story with some truly stunning artwork. Alex
Sinclair's colors make some scenes really pop, and gives
others a beautiful dreamy quality -- like Harley's amazing
moonlit swim.
"Destroy All Mobsters" is a treat for anybody who is a
fan of the Transformers films or comics. Due to some
fallout from her recent outing with Red Tool, a mobster
is after Harley, and using a deadly zillion-ton robot to
take her out. Robots, in general, have never been
particularly fun for me but I enjoy the visual gags in
this story, and seeing a bad guy get his comeuppance.
Artist Chad Hardin alternates between a flirty Harley and
a slightly gleeful and ghoulish clown that fits the
story.
In "A Tree Blows Up Brooklyn", Harley once again takes up
the mantle of neighborhood defender -- although this time,
she's protecting her environment from big business greed
and destruction. With an assist from her friends Tony and
Poison Ivy, she looks out for the little guy. It's
stories like this that give Harley an edge over Batman
when it comes to helping people. Although she wasn't
saving anybody from a supervillain in "A Tree Blows Up
Brooklyn", she does things to enhance the quality of life
for people in her community, making her connection to
that community strong. Elsa Charretier's striking
artwork, reminiscent of "Archie" comics or that of Harley
Quinn co-creator Bruce Timm, adds a playful quality to
the story.
HARLEY QUINN VOL. 6: BLACK, WHITE AND RED ALL OVER is a
visual feast for comic fans and loads of fun. Jimmy
Palmiotti and Amanda Conner have a flair for writing
megalomaniacal loons, and they abound in HARLEY QUINN
VOL. 6: BLACK, WHITE AND RED ALL OVER. As always, I am
ravenous for the next collection of Harley Quinn stories.
Harley Quinn knows all about mad love, but she’s put all
that behind her. Now she’s an independent, butt-kicking
woman with a business that offers violence in the service
of good. But Harley is about to find out what it feels
like to be on the receiving end of some truly mad love.
His name is Red Tool, and he wants to prove his love for
Harley…by murdering people, kidnapping her and trying to
force her to marry him!
But Harley’s got even bigger problems on her plate than a
homicidal lovesick psycho who can’t feel any pain. The
mayor of New York City has decided that the
“understanding” he had with her to let her business
operate without interference came with an unannounced
expiration date…and that date is now.
Will Harley end up behind bars, or worse? Or will Red
Tool prove to be the right tool for the job?
Writers Amanda Conner (BEFORE WATCHMEN: SILK SPECTRE) and
Jimmy Palmiotti (JONAH HEX) and artists John Timms
(Deadpool) and Chad Hardin (DEMON KNIGHTS) introduce the
new character that will have Harley seeing red! Collects
HARLEY QUINN #26-30.
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