Comic Review: Harleen #1

Harleen #1

DC Comics

Writer: Stjepan Šejić

Artist: Stjepan Šejić

Harleen is the newest addition to DC’s Batm… Black Label lineup, written and drawn by superstar artist Stjepan Šejić. What is it about, you might ask? Well, it’s about Harley Quinn and Joker and a little bit about societies and maybe some rising up and stuff. Stuff we NEVER get to read about because DC is not at all obsessed with Batman and Joker and Harley… Right.

In all seriousness, though, the book might tread some familiar ground, but Šejić is trying (and succeeding) in approaching this story from a different, more mature angle. Harley’s relationship with the Joker is one full of mental and physical abuse, this is known (among comic readers, at least). All the main ongoing Harley Quinn series’ have occasionally touched and offered some thoughts on this subject, but there hasn’t been a book that has focused strictly on this destructive dynamic.

The story is told from Harleen’s POV, who is telling someone the story of how she met and fell for the Joker. To a psychiatrist, I’d assume. After a seemingly failed presentation of her research into the permanent deterioration of empathy, she has a near-fatal run-in with the Joker. Harleen is positive she’s a goner, but his decision to spare her greatly surprises her. It seems that Mister Jay is somewhat of a romantic and… That isn’t a stretch, really. Deranged criminals that live in a society can easily be described as being romantics. But I digress.

What follows next will shock you! No, I jest, it isn’t that shocking. What follows next is Harleen gets to do her research at Arkham Asylum. She slowly builds her way to a second encounter with the Joker while being plagued by horrible nightmares about him.

Right from the bat (heh), using empathy deterioration as a basis for explaining outbursts of violence and gruesome crimes is an interesting proposition. Compassion fatigue is real, after all, so this is in no way a stretch and it surely deserves deeper research. At least in the context of the story. Another character brings this theory into question later in the book, setting about an interesting philosophical debate. I hope the future issues touch on this a bit more.

As mentioned, Harleen’s POV takes centre stage.  Tons of narration boxes give us a peek in her mind. And I mean tons. The book is really, really text-heavy and there is a lot of character and world exposition happening. But Stjepan manages nicely, without the book feeling too cluttered. We get a rather good idea and feel about the characters and their world. Over-exposition is an easy trap to fall into, but Šejić doesn’t have a big problem with it.

What he does a problem with, however, is the pacing of the book. The book kinda loses steam after that introduction sequence, with Harleen’s first encounter with the Joker, and doesn’t really regain in up until the philosophical clash. Some elements of the story could have easily been trimmed down. Not totally removed, just trimmed down.

Now Stjepan Šejić is a pretty good writer, but it’s his artwork that he’s most known for. And rightfully so, since his art is spectacular. There’s a lot of texture and detail to every panel. From facial expressions to the backgrounds – everything looks fantastic. The subdued colouring greatly elevates the atmosphere of the book. There’s a saturated note thrown in the mix every now and then, adding some contrast and making certain moments pop. And it’s not just the quality of the panels that is great – the page composition is also at a high point. The two-page spread of Harleen staring down the barrel of Mister Jay’s gun, with quick flashes at her life taking up the space between them is probably my favourite part of the book. Also, Joker’s green armpit hair is GOAT.

There was, however, a… questionable choice in the presentation. A page features a series of close-ups at Harleen and various bystanders watching Batman beat-up the Joker… With those closeups forming a bat logo… A bat logo with a thick, bloody border. It really sticks out in an otherwise clean-looking book and kinda breaks the spell.

So yeah, Harleen #1 is pretty neat. It carefully walks that line between romanticising Harley’s relationship with the Joker and showing how destructive and abusive it is. And while doing this, he is (successfully) showcasing just how complex mental illness really is. I’m glad that these themes are getting more and more exposure. Looking forward to the second issue!

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