DC's Rebirth phase has been a hit and a miss amongst critics, and I'm not quite sure where this one fits in...
Harley Quinn has truly been a shining star for the DC/Batman universe, especially after her first appearance in the classic Batman: The Animated Series.It's a no-brainer that DC would give the woman her very own Rebirth comic, but is this the comic she truly deserves?
Harley, to me, is a tragic character, one that deserves the utmost respect for the position she maintains in the comic world. She was created as a symbol of domestic and emotional abuse, and she was supposed to be a warning to young women, and men, exactly what can happen when you find yourself in such a toxic place. While yes, the events surrounding her abuse are dramatized to the extreme, she is still no idol for young girls but a symbol of what to avoid. However, since the success of Suicide Squad, and many of the comics since her glorious appearance, she has become almost too sexually constructed to bare.
She has become nothing more than a baby talking sex symbol for men to leer at as she prances around in skimpy outfits. Her message, becoming utterly muddled, especially in the summer flick that has girls running around lusting over a "love" Joker and Harley's. Reading this comic made me long for the good ol' days where you were reminded frequently that Harley isn't just some random girl, she was a smart and educated woman so starved for love from others that she find it in the darkest place possible.
Yes, Harley kicks ass in this comic, but it feels empty. I almost screamed at the comic many times, longing to say, "You are better than this!"
The comic seems rushed and overstuffed with unnecessary plot points, and all in all, it just isn't that good. The writers try to make Harley badass, but all they end up doing is making her dull and dumb.
Harley isn't the sex symbol DC is trying so hard to make her...she is just a tragic and lonely woman wishing for love and trying as many ways as possible to find it and show it.
One scene in the comic that got to me particularly is one where she talks to a homeless man on the street as he talks to her about his tale of love and loss. She hugs him immediately in silence, and only offers comforting words. This scene slightly reminds me of the old Harley.
The one who could kick ass but didn't have to show her tits to do so. The woman who outsmarted Batman, beating out Mister Jay while doing so. This is a woman who is smart and is so depressingly starved for love that it should make you feel bad for her, not want to bed her.
I miss the old Harley, and I feel some of the writers do too...but I got a feeling it's going to be a long time before we even get to see the girl in the red and black jumpsuit again.
