By Cat Wyatt

You may remember from the last issue that our beloved Harley Quinn has been turned into a bat woman (is here a good point to make another vigilante joke?), if you don’t it’s likely that the cover would quickly spark your memory of this. This whole plot still feels a bit on the silly side, but I have to admit I absolutely adore this cover. The bat ears on Harley remind me of Anubis’ ears, which is actually pretty cool.

Bat Harley is wreaking havoc at the pier, but don’t worry – the Gang of Harleys are on top of it. Granted, just because they know what’s going on doesn’t mean they’re even remotely capable of dealing with a flying and clawing Harley. On the bright side, if you’ve ever wanted to see any of them barfed on or beat up, this will be a pretty good issue for you.

In comparison it certainly looks like Red Tool, Eggy, and Goat Boy got the easier task (though Goat Boy may not agree with that assessment). While the girls (and guy) are keeping an eye on Harley, the other team have been trying to track down the mad scientist that did this to Harley. Granted, it took a lot of lab hopping to figure out, but surely that’s more enjoyable than having the snot kicked out of you by a giant bat? Again, I know Goat Boy won’t agree, but technically he’s kind of doing both (checking labs AND getting beat up), so there’s that.

All in all the bat plot was resolved pretty quickly – once the team started taking action that is. I’m not really sure how I feel about that. I’ll admit this hasn’t been my favorite plot, so I’m okay to see it go, but on the other hand it just felt too easy. Maybe that means it isn’t actually over?

It’s possible they’re setting up for Langstrom (and possibly his ex-wife?) to become antagonists for Harley, but I’m actually not certain of that. Harley (and thus Tony) was clearly targeted to become a bat for a reason, but the real question is why. More likely they’re setting up another long term plot, as hinted at the end of this issue.

Harley is still on a pretty depressive cycle right now. It’s clear that she’s missing Mason, while still blaming herself for what happened to him. If she was feeling more cognizant she’d tell herself that she’s hitting the guilt stage of grief. She’s taking the blame for everything that happens to her friends. She blames herself for Mason’s death, for Tony getting turned into a bat, for the gang being put in danger trying to help her; I could keep going on and on here. The fact remains that she’s feeling responsible for everyone and everything, and that isn’t healthy. A break may be a good idea for her, but it’s unlikely to happen while she has so many responsibilities. I’m worried this means she’ll be leaving the life she’s built for herself in New Jersey. Hopefully it’s just a temporary leave, but it’s just as likely that they’re looking for a major change for Harley.

As I mentioned above, I didn’t really love this whole bat plot, but knowing it’s a setup for a bigger event or series events makes it go down a lot easier. I’m really curious about where they’re going to go with this, and what Harley did to tick him off this time (unless he’s impersonally choosing her for a specific reason? Unlikely). I hope they move on to the meat of this plot next issue, as I’d like a more solid plot for this series. It’s been a hot minute since we had one (it’s pretty much been since the death of Mason), so I think it’s time.

The artwork was pretty decent for this issue, with a few highlights in particular. I loved the cover, but I already mentioned that earlier. I also really liked the transition from Bat Harley back into normal Harley. It was pretty cool and admittedly slightly comical (but in a Harley humor sort of way).

Score: 3/5

Harley Quinn #36
DC Comics