Writer: Frank Tieri
Artist: Inaki Miranda
Colorist: Eva de la Cruz
Spoilers ahead!
Once I finished reading Old Lady Harley, alone in my apartment, I couldn’t help but mutter, “Holy f***, that was good.” I loved Frank Tieri’s work on Harley Quinn earlier this year, but he really cranks it up to the next level in Old Lady Harley, an apocalyptic tale that is as strange, hilarious, and action-packed as you would imagine with a few excellent surprises thrown in for good measure. If you aren’t going to read this five-issue miniseries, then why exactly don’t you like having joy in your life?
You can get the gist of the tone if you picked up Harley Quinn #42, but even if you didn’t, you’ll catch on quick. Old Lady Harley is half Mad Max, half Old Man Logan and half Rick and Morty-esque sci-fi. After Harley and Red Tool run into a gang of roving Joker wannabes, they high-tail it to Gotham to figure out what’s going on and whether Mistah J is still alive.
The news stories at the beginning of the issue are fantastic and do a great job of both setting up the world and providing some great jokes. The humor is grade-A in this story. Harley gets off some subtle zingers about the X-Men and Thanos. There are even smaller details added to the world that really make it stand out, like how the restaurant with squid servers is called “Kraken Barrel.”
There are some great appearances toward the end once the duo winds up in Gotham. Honestly, you just need to do yourself a favor and pick up Old Lady Harley today. This is one series you’re going to want to stick with, and reading it is the perfect way to put yourself in a good mood for a while.
Overall Score: 10/10
Comic Book Corps 