Harley Quinn #42 Review

Writer: Frank Tieri
Artist: Mauricet
Colors: Paul Mounts

Spoilers Ahead!

I’ve been excited for this issue ever since Frank Tieri teased it on Twitter a few weeks back. It certainly lives up to expectations, delivering a fun twist on the classic “Let’s see where this superhero ends up 30 years from now” story.

There’s more Mad Max references than you can swing a decapitated head at as Harley and Red Tool go full Fury Road in the opening pages. They have to fight off inbred goat-men, not unlike the inbred Hulks in Old Man Logan. After Harley recounts what happened to everyone from the old gang, including the head of Gary Busey, she attends a fight to the deathmatch with the Gang of Harleys, who all want control of Coney Island.

Harley jumps in at the last second, and they’re no match for old Harley and her trusty bat. She puts the disembodied head of Coach in charge as she sets off again into the unknown. She’s a true Max Rockatansky.

There’s a lot of stuff that works really well in this issue. Post-apocalyptic New York looks great, and I really dig the character designs. Red Tool’s Mad Max-esque inner monologues that weren’t quite inner were fantastic, and there are all kinds of fun lines and Easter eggs. The fact that there’s a Malibu Stormy Daniels doll in the future makes me absolutely giddy.

It’s a great one-off issue that wraps up the Penguin storyline in a unique fashion while still being entertaining in its own right. And with the news that we may have to wait a while for a Mad Max: Fury Road sequel, this issue should be enough to tide people over for a while.

Overall Score: 10/10