If there was one thing I would have wanted from the previous run on Harley Quinn, it was a greater sense of narrative consistency.

A story that’s bouncing all over the place can, of course, be more easily forgiven when its protagonist is someone who is often, quite literally, bouncing all over the place.

But forgiving a story’s shortcomings and settling into a satisfying reading experience are not the same thing.

Luckily, the exciting new duo of Elliot Kalan and Mindy Lee have entered Gotham’s most blighted neighborhood to give its most colorful protector a sharper focus.

Last month, Harley returned to the neglected outer-borough neighborhood of Throatcutter Hill, looking for a fresh start by returning to roots. She quickly discovers that her old stomping grounds are on the cusp of a massive gentrification project, one that aims to drive out generations of hard-working locals. It’s this preservation of working class life that Harley is now dedicating her work to.

A giant, soulless, “noxiously social-media-friendly” piece of corporate art is first up to suffer the wrathful justice of Harley’s Destruction Agency. It’s just one project being carried out under the auspices of Althea Klang, Gotham’s newest sworn enemy of all things authentic. Harley of course believes Klang and all her villain blustering to be no match for her. That is until Klang unveils her secret-weapon-of-the-month, a pathetically obedient henchman, protector of the gentrified, The Amenity. It makes for a playful and quippy showdown, one which sees the braun-over-brains soldier of fortune flailing and bumbling against Harley’s effortless combat.

But the fight is not without its casualties. Though she makes quick work of the Amenity, she manages to make another would-be neighborhood protector, the hapless, homeless, but ultimately harmless Chicken Fingers, feel small and insignificant at his ineffectiveness against the gentrifying threat. Harls is confronted with the fact that though she did once live in Throatcutter Hill, she is, for all intents and purposes, a visitor, and visitors with a savior complex are always susceptible to blind grandiosity at the expense of the autonomy of those who might simply wish to fend for themselves. It’s a nice, nuanced touch from Kalan, fleshing out the politics of their premise.

The art team is settling into a satisfying grove in this second issue of the new run. It still doesn’t exactly feature any breathtaking flourishes, but Mindy Lee’s pencil work strikes a fine balance between finding its own signature stride and continuing the playful, cartoonish sensibilities of Sweeney Boo’s work from the previous run. Lee’s strength is in their eyes; not just Harley’s scatterbrained enthusiasm, but also the forlorn, weary deterministic streak in a character like Chicken Fingers. The basic sketch of the story could be pretty effectively communicated just through the facial expressions on each character in each panel. It’s not subtle, but drawing a Harley Quinn book doesn’t exactly call for subtlety. It’s great visual storytelling.

This second issue of this new run affirms that its creators are hitting the ground running smoothly. It takes three to determine a pattern, of course. It won’t be until next issue that we’ll be able to flat out call this a Good Start.

Recommend if…

• You’d always wished that the social ethos of “Fight Club” were just a bit funnier

Overall:

This second issue of the new run on Harley Quinn is another step in a satisfying direction. With delicately nuanced messaging, appropriately fun art, and no shortage of gags, #45 is everything you could reasonably expect from your standard monthly HQ release.

Score: 7.5/10