REVIEW: Harley Quinn #43: No More Jokerâ€™s Sidekick!

Harley Quinn is an interesting character in that she seems to evolve and grow in ways many characters are not allowed to.Â Harley Quinn #43Â is an excellent example of this and shows us a Harley who has been trying to do the right thing, or at least her version of what the right thing is.

Christopher Sebela gives us part 1 ofÂ One of My Turns and packs a lot into the issue without making it as cluttered and confusing as the inside of Harley“s brain. Despite hallucinations and conversations with her stuffed beaver, Bernie, Harley has become more than what she was created to be. The Harley of old would not have concerned herself with the local bodega owners who were robbed or try to help one of Professor Pyg“s victims, but these days that“s exactly what she would do. She has broken away from the Joker and has become a much stronger character as a result of being allowed to have her own identity. Â I also like that despite trying to take the character in a different direction they haven“t taken away the crazy that has always been a defining trait of Harley“s.

Mirka Andolfo provides both pencils and inks for the issue and does an impressive job of giving us a modern looking Harley who while staying recognizable, has evolved in appearance as well as character.

The world of Harley Quinn is one that really needs to pop and be colorful, so it is a good thing she had Gabe Eltaeb handling the color duties. Eltaeb brought the insanity to life with vibrant and bold colors, giving a character that is larger than life a color palette to match

One of the unsung heroes of the comic world is the letterer and Dave Sharpe is among the best. Whether it was the hallucinated dialog of a stuffed beaver or the sounds and effects that make you hear and feel the action, each type of dialog or effect stood out and gave personality and a lot of originality to the scenes.

We are also treated to not one, but two stunning covers. The main cover by John Timms features a devilishly mischievous looking Harley and the variant cover by Frank Cho has a Harley fast asleep in bed with two very hungry hyenas waiting for her to get up.

While not a title that has been on my pull list, I really enjoyed reading Harley“s adventures and have to admit, I really want to know where the story goes next. I“ll be checking out next issue for part 2 ofÂ One of My Turns.Â

Story: 3
Art: 3
Overall Rating: 3

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(W) Christopher Sebela
(A) Mirka Andolfo
(Colors)Â Gabe Eltaeb
(Letters) Dave Sharpe
(CA) John Timms