Shae Beagle draws the first seven pages, while Jon Mikel draws the back thirteen. Now, I need to talk about the art, because it’s possibly what stood out to me the most in this issue. Honestly my only complaint with them is how little we get, and that they are mostly relegated to an unimportant side mission that ends up not meaning much. King shark plays is role as the straight man well too, contributing to a dynamic that makes all of their moments just fun. He chews the scenery of every page he’s in, which is a delight to watch. The writing perfectly captures Clayface’s over-the-top personality and mannerisms. They’ve been very underutilized since the end of season 2, and this was a chance to get to see their wonderful dynamic again. While the relationship drama is to be expected at this point, the subplot with Clayface and King Shark was a very welcome surprise. It’s not absurdly unbelievable behavior for Ivy, but it can be discordant with the calm, reserved woman that we’ve seen over three seasons.

She almost behaves like a schoolgirl with a crush. That gets taken to the extreme whenever Bella Garten is around.

I’ve talked before about how Ivy in these comics behaves differently than she does in the show, namely how she’s far more emotional. It manages to make their relationship into something interesting to read about, but possibly at the expense of characterization. The presence of Ivy’s ex seems to be one of the main plots of this miniseries, and I’m of a mixed mind about it. It adds an element of scandal to what is normally wholesome fluff. Because Ivy is trying to hide the fact that she’s been meeting up with her ex, the morning romance becomes a way for her distract Harley from snooping into her activities. This issue does, however, set itself apart by incorporating the obligatory love scene into the plot. Over time this can feel repetitive, if nice, for those who like saccharine romance. The way that manifests for Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! is usually starting each issue with a few pages of the two expressing their love for one another, verbally and physically. It makes sense it’s also probably the most consistent topic as the show as well. If there’s one throughline that remains consistent, it’s Harley and Ivy’s relationship. What’s presented here is instead a drawn out plot where too often nothing of consequence happens. Ideally the way to handle this sort of thing would be to have a series of one-off adventures (history fun fact: that used to be what all comics were). She can’t progress anything going on in the show because that all needs to happen on TV, and she can’t start any meaningful plots of her own, because they can’t do anything that would upset the status quo.

I’ve talked about this before, but there is only so much Tee Franklin is able to do with a story set between seasons of a show with ongoing plotlines. This series is in an unenviable position.

Harley Quinn by Tee Franklin