In the ongoing game of costumed heroes and villains, most people live double lives, carefully balancing crucial information and protecting secret identities.

Harley Quinn is not most people.

So if the GCPD thinks they can force her to keep their secrets, they have another thing coming.

Quit Buggin’ Me!

This month’s Harley Quinn issue sees Gotham’s black-and-red siren taken into brief custody of the GCPD. If the police have any legitimate grounds for this, they are not revealed. Instead, a vindictive detective is personally administering a beating to Harley, whom she blames for influencing her kid to a life of crime. It is revealed, however, that this detective has bigger bats to bag: she’s building a case against the Batfamily, and wants to use Harley’s unique position in Gotham to secretly acquire their true names and whereabouts. Harley reluctantly agrees to this offer, but is quick to inform the loyal reader that she’s only saying yes because it’s the fastest way out of jail.

This kicks off an amusing series of scenes in which Harley goes about her normal day as if everything is normally normal, with the new added civic responsibility of reporting her findings to the good ol’ GCPD, all the while holding up her own personal Looney-Tunes style handheld dialogue cards, revealing her true motive to be uncovering exactly what Mr. Freeze is up to and stopping him. Stopping him… cold.

I think that this casting of Harley in a new role as someone who can play multiple angles and hold seemingly contradictory loyalties from opposing forces in Gotham is one that really fits her. It allows Tini Howard, who is clearly having a blast, to highlight Harley’s playfully scatterbrained pluckiness by having her almost literally bouncing all over the city without lifting her out of her villain-status origins. In a title that still has not quite found its narrative stride, I think fans can rest assured that at least Harley herself seems to think that she has things under control, such as it is.

Sweeney Boo is back on art duties this month. Their work is solid, and is especially effective with wider shots and action scenes. Their more up close facial expressions, however, lacked that cartoonish punch that I think needs to be really at play with a character like Harley. She’s got constantly fluctuating emotions, and readers need to feel that with every passing panel.

We’re moving out of filler territory here with this title and more into showdown town. I have a feeling— stay with me here— that things are not going to go as planned for Harley. This title has just enough juice going for it that I’m willing to stick around to see exactly how that inevitability plays out. Just enough juice.

Score: 6.5/10

Backup: “The Cave”

What would happen if Harley Quinn found herself falling down into the bat caves below Wayne Manor? In a mostly silent sequence, Harley must battle a swarm of predatory bats in order to protect a mysteriously unconscious Poison Ivy.

Alright. This is two Harley dream-sequence back ups in a row. If DC editorial continues this and turns into a longer, more established trend, then I can see people coming around to the idea, but there’s not much on display here from the no-doubt talented team of write Gretchen Felker-Martin and artist DaNi that makes this chapter of the dream adventures of Harley Quinn stand out.

Score: 4/10

Recommend if...

• You want to see Harley try to juggle another ball
• Tim Drake’s detective skills are what you look for in a Robin

Overall

Another lackluster backup aside, even though this issue is a bit of a step backward, I don’t think it’s quite been knocked off its course yet. Chugging along.

Overall: 5.25/10

DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.