Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Suicide Squad #6

By Garth the Geek
February 10, 2012 - 07:35

I picked up 'Suicide Squad #6' after reading it would be “revealing – among other things – the origin of Harley Quinn.” I figured, Why not? Harley Quinn used to be one of my favourite characters. I say “used to be” because, since the reboot and costume redesign, I can't take her seriously. She looks like something out of some horny teenager's wet dream. But I digress...

I was pleasantly surprised by how accessible Suicide Squad is. The characters feel very different from one another, and I was able – very quickly – to get a sense of who everyone was. This is mostly due to the writing, which was quite good and humorous, and partly due to the artwork, which complemented the story well. In fact, Clayton Henry's and Scott Hanna's lines and inking were so strong, I wish the issue had been left just black-and-white, as I found myself quite entranced with the non-coloured sneak peek at the end of 'Batman #5'.

The story picks up with the members of the Suicide Squad hunting down Harley Quinn, who has recently escaped from the Belle Reeve prison. They've been tasked with bringing her back with as minimal exposure as possible. Harley, on the other hand, has returned to Arkham Asylum for a trip down memory lane.

And this is where my only complaint comes in: the trip down memory lane didn't last long enough. It felt rushed, and therefore, too easy. What I wanted was to see the seduction of Harleen Quiznel by the Joker. I wanted to SEE him get under her skin, to the point that she's thinking about him constantly, seeing truths in his words and desperately wanting to hear more. Of course, it's impossible to do this – at least, in a two-part story in which Harley's past is simply the sub-plot. Unfortunately, the way it stands, the previously teased at “origin story” is glossed over more than anything else, giving us (so far) just two interactions between Harley and the Joker - their first meeting and their tenth.

Despite this, I can't stress enough what a pleasant surprise this comic ended up being. It's almost a shame, after issue 7, that I'll probably go back to avoiding it. At least until Harley stops looking like she's trying to promote her straight-to-DVD release, “Clown Whores Gone Wild”.

Rating: 8.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12