“The Original Kings of Clay”
Writer: Elliot Kalan
Artist: Mindy Lee
Colorist: Triona Farrell
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Review by: Kendra Smart
Harley Quinn #47 is upon us readers, and this time with some wisdom. But first things first, we get a delicious cover by Elizabeth Torque and Dave McCaig. The cover features Harley Quinn being served up as a side dish for the Clayface Family Reunion. It is a super fun and quirky cover with such a penchant for catching the eye with the colors and the tremendous details. But, it is time to find out what case has stumbled upon The Harley Quinn Destructive Agency this time.
The Tao Of Chicken Fingers.
Harley Quinn #47 starts off with a shopping venture for Harley and Chicken Fingers, at Delores’ expense unfortunately. As Harley boasts a bit, Chicken Fingers tries to tell her about the woes that befalls overconfidence. Harley’s internal narrative agrees with him, which only frustrates Harley into doubling down on everything being fine. Enter Dell Coleman with tales of a job for Harley, a robbery of a rival restaurant. A smooth talking salesman taking nothing but yes for an answer.
Meanwhile, Althea is having a crisis over business or pleasure being the motive for her revenge against Harley. And Althea ain’t the only one in a crisis of love. ” A prop in a game of hero/villain psycho-sexual dominance.” is what Harley defines Ricky as to his Grandmother. But everything is not as it seems, and Harley is soon facing down herself as the worst villain of them all…and that’s saying a lot in a room full of the Clayface family ready to tango with Harley.
2 Tons Of Muck Man Swinger’s Party
Ya’ll, I am really not sure where to begin with the “my review” part of this one. At every turn this team has been consistent in art but the story and the writing for Harley has been a harder one to champion for me. I tried to equate it to it being a new start and a new take, and there have been elements that I love. The inner narrator for example. Harley Quinn #47 has one of my favorite moments so far this part of the series. The final moments on the last page are utterly gripping. “Don’t do this Harley.” was an incredibly hard line to read given the intensity of the moment with Richie. It was perfect.
That said, I cannot get over this craziness with Althea. What could be coined up as an oozing bit of charm on Harley’s part, even with the added text of “It’s not the infidelity that’s the issue, it’s the ideology.”. ..just brings a grinding halt to any grace I might have had with this character. Let me explain a bit further.
Unpacking The Word Vomit
Ignoring the relationship aspect of the equation, Althea does point out the self-deprecation as a usable means to take down Harley in the future. In fact, it would be safe to say that she gets off on seeing Harls so defeated and down on herself, it turns her on. Which says a lot about this character, even with Harley flitting about with the whole Richie situation and dealing with pulling from past relationship experiences, so Joker.
But with Joker, it was shown several times over the years that once Harley was free their interactions were limited, unless specifically for a point to be proven. We see this in the television series as well as a ton of instances over the years. I mean this was a man so mad that Harley’s plan bested Bats that he threw her out of a window. And even with that stated, Althea poses to be an even worse type of nasty in Harley’s life. If that was the point to get across…point received.
Conclusion
Harley Quinn #47 had some good moments, the artwork is always fun. I even adore the wisdom of both the inner narrator for Harley, and Chicken Fingers. It added a lot to the story as a whole issue. I remain divided on the rest though. We shall have to see what unfolds in Harley Quinn #48, until then friends.
Images Provided Courtesy of DC Entertainment.
