Convergence: Harley Quinn #2 “Rabbit Season”
Written by Steve Pugh
Pencils by Phil Winslade
Inks by John Dell
Colors by Chris Chuckry
Convergence Harley Quinn was one of the titles that I didn’t have high expectations for initially, but it really surprised me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge Harley fan, but a lot of writers seem to struggle with her, and the idea of Convergence doesn’t exactly seem like it would play to her strengths. After reading these issues though, I feel like an idiot for thinking either of these things, because Pugh excelled with both.
Last month, we received a glimpse into Harley’s life under the dome. The crime sprees and chaos are now a thing of the past for her as she tries to live a well-adjusted life. She even has a boyfriend that she lives with… And he happens to be a former cop. Granted, it should probably be noted that he’s only a former cop because Harley shattered his hand back when she was up to her mischievous ways… but we would expect nothing less. Unfortunately, her quaint, little life gets turned upside down the moment the dome is lifted, and she is selected as the champion to represent her world.
Knowing that this “politically correct” version of Harley wouldn’t stand a chance, Catwoman and Poison Ivy decide to reintroduce their friend to a little mayhem. The queen of crazy let go of what she learned in her therapy sessions, and embraced her wild side once again! And just like that, our random little psycho was… well… random and psychotic again.
When I first started this issue, I wasn’t crazy about Captain Carrot or his team, and I thought it was a poor decision to have Harley squaring off against him. This reaction was completely based off of two things though. 1. I didn’t think this interpretation of Captain Carrot was nearly as cool as the one we just saw in Morrison’s Multiversity #2, and 2. I wasn’t sure I liked the cartoony look this issue had compared to last month’s issue. And to potentially make matters worse, Harley and Captain Carrot are going to be fighting in a theme park. Really? Thankfully, I must have just been in a bad mood going into this issue, because my negativity disappeared the moment I saw Harley… and she declared that she came early and won a goldfish… that she named Fish Face! Effing priceless.
This entire issue is a success strictly because of how well Harley is written. There are very few times that I’ve had the pleasure of reading Harley and thought, “They nailed her!” but I did here. Her whole approach to psyche Captain Carrot out was brilliant! Especially since most of the time her initial intentions were to psyche him out, but ended with her just getting carried away because she was being Harley. The Bugs Bunny jabs were pretty priceless as well! Include that with all of the other great Harley moments in this issue: Harley yelling, “WE’VE STARRRTTTTEEEEDDD!” to taunt the entire process, and shortly follows that by yelling, “BEST! DAY! EVER! Keep up, fuzzy butt!” among the many other moments and one-liners, and you can’t help but love this book if you’re a Harley fan. I’ve had a crazy week, and this issue was the perfect blend of hilarity and hijinks, and completely made my afternoon better!
Be warned though: If you’re looking for action, you’re not going to find it here. I mean, there is plenty of action, but it’s all kind of slapstick. There isn’t really any brutality. It’s a rollercoaster of fun – literally in some ways – that does a decent job of actually wrapping up the conflict, before coming full circle to close Harley’s personal life as well… for the moment anyway.
Be warned, there are spoilers beyond this point.
The Art: Overall, the art was really strong. I did mention the “cartoony” look of the book earlier, and while that’s not my favorite style, there’s honestly no way around that when you have characters like Captain Carrot and Pig Iron. Winslade was consistent throughout the issue though, and for me, that’s a huge win! He also did an amazing job with capturing the tone of each character, especially through facial expressions. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more of his work pop in our Bat titles.
Check out the spoiler tag for a sample of some of the internal art.
The Good: This issue! I mean, you read my review, right? But to be more specific: Harley’s roll call of the super powers she possesses, tricking Captain Carrot into thinking she killed Pig-Iron, poison carrots, the “Smell you later!” note, asking Ivy and Selina if she can get a rabbit, and much more! If you read this issue – which I hope you did if you’re reading this section – then you know!
The Bad: Even the moments that I thought were weaker in this issue were far from bad.
Recommended if:
- You’re a fan of Harley.
- You’ve needed a little slapstick- craziness in your laugh.
- You need a good laugh.
Overall: Convergence Harley Quinn is something that every Harley fan NEEDS to have in their collection! It’s an amazing representation of how broad she is as a character, while delivering everything you could ever want from a Harley store: great laughs, entertaining action, and a lot of crazy.
SCORE: 9.0/10
