Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner
Artist: John Timms
With this week’s Harley Quinn #34, we get the final chapter of Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner’s run on the character. Does it end in dramatic fashion, hilarious antics, thrilling cliffhanger or all of the above? Nope…and that’s perfectly fine.
Harley, Ivy and a few other amigos are on their way to Florida but have wound up behind bars. We get a fun rewind and see how they ended up there (it includes pirates and a karaoke bar). After a sweet reunion, they’re back on the road and hilarity ensues. More reunions. More fun. And in my FAVORITE part of the issue: it goes meta. Yep, Harley Quinn meets her makers, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner. It’s funny, charming, self-aware and makes sense. I dug it. The issue ends on a sweet note and has me looking forward to what’s coming up next.
I can’t say anything in this issue that I haven’t been saying since I started taking over reviews of this book on issue #17. Palmiotti and Conner have put such love and energy into Harley Quinn’s own comic, it’s something I never knew I wanted. She’s as sassy as ever, a firecracker, a loyal friend and has a charm that yanks you in on every page. Her supporting cast is colorful, witty and fun. The villains were threatening but displayed a great “comic booky-ness” about them. This book was just a blast to read with these creators behind it.
Conclusion
I know I should have some witty way of summarizing this issue. Instead, it’s just going to be the same words I’ve typed out the past 6 months. Harley Quinn is a fantastic book thanks immensely to Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner. Their heart, humor and emotion has poured into this character over every panel of every issue. This is a great swan song for them, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. I also don’t envy who is following them on this book.
Images courtesy of DC Entertainment