Karl Kesel's run on Harley Quinn comes to an end after more than two years, and he's managed to turn the Joker's sexy sidekick into a protagonist without losing her flexible lack of morality, her insanity or her brilliance. He's also kept her innate sense of fun intact, as this issue will attest. Unfortunately, the story itself doesn't make too much sense from a characterization point of view, and some inconsistent and rather empty art detracts from the overall package as well.
The Joker's been in hiding after his latest escape a month ago, and Harley Quinn's been on a crime spree, earning herself a reputation as Gotham's greatest criminal. That doesn't sit too well with ol' Joker, but it turns out that it's all a ruse devised by the Batman to lure the Clown Prince of Crime out. Harley shares the Dark Knight's plan with her pasty-faced lover, and they set out to use his own deception against the hero. But who's playing whom for a fool?
Rousseau's got a proven track record when it comes to the animated Batman style, which is used for Harley's delusion sequences. But the art on the more conventional tone of the rest of the story is inconsistent. Just look at the Joker's hair; it appears and disappears on the sides of his head, making for a distracting read. And then there's the backgrounds. They're surprisingly sparse, making it seem like these characters are trotting about a void.
The plot here is clever. Batman plays Harley against the Joker. The Joker plays Harley against the Batman. And Harley plays... does she play everyone against one another or not? It's not completely clear, and that's OK. What I have a hard time accepting, though, is that this situation is the least bit acceptable to either the Joker or the Batman. The Joker seems far too trusting here, and the Batman seems far too tolerant of Harley's freedom. It just doesn't fit these characters.
So, after 25 issues, how has Harley grown? She clearly has a greater sense of self, a greater confidence in her own abilities and intellect. But the delusions of a happily-ever-after ending with the Joker persist. On the other hand, she seems acutely aware the Joker is not to be trusted. It's hard to buy into Harley's insanity when she's clearly so clear-headed and intelligent most of the time. In any case, after two years, Harley doesn't seem much further ahead in her personal development than she was in the initial issues of the series.
