the joker

Review: Future State Harley Quinn #1

/ Angel Young / 1 Comment

Written by Stephanie Phillips
Art by Simone Di Meo
Colors by Tamra Bonvillain
Letters by Troy Peteri

In a bold move that rocks Gotham City, the Magistrate has imprisoned Harley Quinn! The villain once known as the Scarecrow, now a pawn of the Magistrate, taps into Harley’s knowledge of Gotham’s villains and the Black Mask Gang for his own dark purposes. Crane and his bosses think they have Harley Quinn defeated and her spirit broken, but they are sorely mistaken-and Harley will have her revenge. Written by rising star writer Stephanie Phillips and drawn by fan-favorite artist Simone Di Meo, the next era of Harley Quinn begins here!

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Review: Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red – Chapter One

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Art and story: Stjepan Sejic

Lettering: Gabriela Downie

Editor: Andy Khouri

“Harleen: Red”
Resolutely defiant in the face of all of Arkham’s attempts to psychoanalyze her, Harley Quinn is suddenly compelled to reveal some of her most vulnerable thoughts – and hints of her future — when confronted with the simplest of prompts: “What does the color red mean to you?” Another stunningly beautiful story from the world of Stjepan Šejić’s bestselling HARLEEN!

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Batman: Three Jokers #1

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Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Jason Fabok

Colors by Brad Anderson

Thirty years after Batman: The Killing Joke changed comics forever, Three Jokers reexamines the myth of who, or what, The Joker is and what is at the heart of his eternal battle with Batman. New York Times bestselling writer Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok, the writer/artist team that waged the ‘Darkseid War’ in the pages of Justice League, reunite to tell the ultimate story of Batman and The Joker! After years of anticipation starting in DC Universe: Rebirth #1, the epic miniseries you’ve been waiting for is here: find out why there are three Jokers, and what that means for the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime. It’s a mystery unlike any Batman has ever faced!

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Clowning Around: A Joker Recommended Reading List

/ Angel Young / 1 Comment

Three Jokers is finally upon us! To celebrate, let’s talk about some of my top Joker recommendations. 

It’s no secret that the Joker is one of the most wildly popular villains of all time – not just in Batman, or even DC – but in comic history, and even mainstream society. He’s a frequent reoccurring main villain in Batman films, games, shows, etc. He can be portrayed cartoonish and campy, or as an anarchist, or in some cases, so close to the real, it feels eerie to think how some people are just one bad day away from madness. There’s a demand for everyone’s favorite Jester of Genocide, and entertainment is willing to provide at any opportunity.

Joker13

But less talked about in mainstream society is the comic book versions, so I’d like to share some favorites and classics, as well as some underrated or overlooked reads.

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Review: Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity Secret Files #1

/ Angel Young / 1 Comment

“In Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity by Kami Garcia, Mico Suayan and Jason Badower, Harley Quinn is hunting two serial killers: The Joker, a brutal psychopath who murdered her roommate and disappeared years ago, and the killer currently terrorizing Gotham City. Throughout the acclaimed series, Garcia has been consulting forensic psychiatrist and behavior analyst Edward Kurz, MD, to ensure the accuracy of the story and of Harley’s methodology.

In the one-shot Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity Secret Files #1, see pieces of the puzzle on Harley’s investigation board and steal a glimpse into John Kelly’s high school notebook—a book he still carries today.”

Written by Kami Garcia & forensic psychiatrist and behavior analyst Edward Kurtz, MD

Cover & interior art by David Mack and series artists Mico Suayan & Jason Badower

Additional art by Cat Staggs & Mike Mayhew

Color by Annette Kwok

Letters by Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith of Comicraft

Edited by Kristy Quinn

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Review: Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity

/ Angel Young / 1 Comment

In Gotham City, where heinous acts of violence are a daily occurence, the GCPD relies on Harley Quinn, a young forensic psychiatrist and profiler, to consult on their toughest cases. But Harley is haunted by one unsolved case—the night she discovered her roommate’s body marked with the signature of a notorious serial killer known as the Joker.

Five years later, the case remains unsolved and a new series of horrific murders occur throughout the city. As the murders escalate, Harley’s obsession with finding the depraved psychopath reponsible leads her down a dangerous path. When the past and the present finally collide, Harley has to decide how far she is willing to go—and how many lines she is willing to cross—to solve these cases once and for all.

Written by Kami Garcia

Art: Mico Suayan and Mike Mayhew

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Review: Harleen

/ Angel Young / 2 Comments

Dr. Harleen Quinzel has discovered a revolutionary cure for the madness of Gotham City—she just needs to prove it actually works. Through her studies of the criminals and sociopaths that pass through the halls of Arkham Asylum and the GCPD, Harleen is seeking to end the growing apathy among the citizens of Gotham. But with the criminal justice and mental health establishments united against her, the brilliant young psychologist must take drastic measures to save Gotham from itself.

Following an attack on the city by the villainous Joker, Harleen will come face-to-face with one of the many criminals she hopes to heal—but she will soon find herself drawn into the madness and insanity that plagues him. Witness Harleen’s first steps on a doomed quest that will launch the legendary super-villain Harley Quinn in this stunning reimagining of Harley and the Joker’s twisted and tragic love affair.

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Review: Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass

/ Angel Young / 1 Comment

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass is a coming-of-age story about choices, consequences, justice, fairness, and progress and how a weird kid from Gotham’s poorest part of town goes about defining her world for herself. From Eisner Award and Caldecott Honor-winning author Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer, Supergirl: Being Super).

Harleen is a tough, outspoken, rebellious kid who lives in a ramshackle apartment above a karaoke cabaret owned by a drag queen named MAMA. Ever since Harleen’s parents split, MAMA has been her only family. When the cabaret becomes the next victim in the wave of gentrification that’s taking over the neighborhood, Harleen gets mad.

When Harleen decides to turn her anger into action, she is faced with two choices: join Ivy, who’s campaigning to make the neighborhood a better place to live, or join The Joker, who plans to take down Gotham one corporation at a time.

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass is at once a tale of the classic Harley readers know and love, and a heartfelt story about the choices teenagers make and how they can define–or destroy–their lives.

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