What I Bought 11/15/2014 - Part 13

Every time I make the mistake of watching an Everybody Loves Raymond rerun, I'm reminded how awful a character his mother is. All that belittling, the snide commentary she levies on Debra, playing people against each other, just horrible. I know, that's the joke, they're all horrible people, but the others don't seem like they're trying so hard to be horrible to everyone.

Harley Quinn #11, by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti (writers), Chad Hardin (artist), Alex Sinclair (colors), John J. Hill (letters) - Aw, Harley looks so excited. On the other hand, Power Girl's uncertain expression mirrors my own.

Peej, having been punched very hard, and having flown across entire galaxies from the force of it, has amnesia. So Harley convinced her they are crimefighting partners who live together (though her attempt to get them in matching costumes proves ordinary fabrics are no match for Power Girl). Harley's lies are poorly thought out, but her earnest attitude - combined with Peej's head trauma - make her convincing enough. They try to go clothes shopping, since it isn't as though Harley actually has any of Power Girl's stuff, and end up encountering a heist of a sporting goods store conducted by the Sportsmaster and the Clock King.

Hardin is making sure to continue the tradition of Power Girl being a large person, which is good. Fits her personality. She towers over Harley, and basically everyone else in this issue. I also liked the two panels of Harley, I don't know what you'd call it, she gets so excited she waves her hands back and forth really fast on either side of her face? It's a good "giddy kid" action, and it seemed appropriate for her in this case. She really thinks she has a good idea here, and she can't wait to get started.

Speaking as someone who thought the Clock King on Batman: The Animated Series was pretty cool, I fear this is not going to be a good guest appearance for him. Still likely to be an improvement over that stretch a few years ago when he was running the "Terror Titans". I am surprised that Harley is trying to remind Power Girl she's a good guy, rather than trying to to convince her to commit crimes for Harley. Could just be a good decision on Harley's part, a Power Girl that decides she's a villain might also decide to kill the little pale squirt yapping, or it says something about this Harley's perspective on herself. The fact she thinks poorly of Batman (describing him as "Bat-Hole") is no surprise, but she specifically doesn't want PG to be angsty and destructive. Admittedly, Harley is rarely angsty, but she is frequently destructive, so that's an interesting choice on her part. I should possibly be concerned about the part where she says that Peej does favors for her, but doesn't get the chance to expand on what they are. That could be bad news.

I suppose the point of the story may be to show how warped Harley's worldview and approach to things is, by applying it to someone who normally behaves much differently, or simply to flesh out Harley's worldview by having her explain it to Peej. So Harley doesn't seem to think a secret identity would vary far from a heroes most obvious traits, so she tells Peej she plays a strong woman in a circus act. Or that she expects the people they help as heroes to pay them (though Power Girl was actually the one who brought up the question of them getting paid for it). This could be really good as a way of getting to understand this Harley Quinn a little better. We'll see how it goes.