Harley Quinn Volume 1: Hot in the City - Ashley's Review

*I received this comic as an eARC from DC Comics on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Harley Quinn Volume 1: Hot in the City
Author: Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Chad Hardin, Stephane Roux, Alex Sinclair, Paul Mounts
Publication Date: October 28, 2014

Synopsis: Fresh from BATMAN: DEATH OF THE FAMILY and SUICIDE SQUAD, Harley Quinn returns to her first solo series in the New 52! The writing team of Jimmy Palmiotti (ALL STAR WESTERN) and Amanda Conner (BEFORE WATCHMEN: SILK SPECTRE) unleashed Harley on an unsuspecting DC Universe, as she encounters various heroes and villains ... and leaves no one unscathed in her wake! With art by Chad Hardin and a slew of comics' best artists including Darwyn Cooke, Sam Kieth, Tony S. Daniel, Paul Pope, Walter Simonson and Art Baltazar!

Collects HARLEY QUINN #0-8.

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Review: I'm not going to lie - I'm not really familiar with all the specifics of Harley Quinn's backstory. I mean, I know she used to treat the Joker and eventually fell in love with him and joined him in his criminal ways, and he often treats her like total crap, and she's pretty crazy herself. But other than that, I don't know all that much. I just know that I think she's hilarious and I always pick her first whenever I'm playing a video game that allows you to play as the villains. SO of course I jumped at the chance to read a comic that focuses solely on Harley! 

I think my favorite part of this comic was the beginning, where Harley is trying to decide on which artist to choose to draw her comic for her. She goes through all of these different art styles and situations and most of them are hilarious and totally not suited to her at all. She's pretty badass in other ones, and I think those were my favorite. I love when female characters, especially one as iconic and popular as Harley Quinn, get to kick some butt. Even if she isn't a hero and beats up on the "good guys".

As crazy as she is, I think Harley has some sane moments and is just willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. She faces off against several heroes and villains (even Batman makes an appearance!), so that was really fun too. She's just trying to get by and please the Jokes, and sometimes she even is just doing things for herself. I loved learning more about her and what motivates her and I can't wait to learn more!

I would totally recommend this comic to anyone looking to learn more about Harley Quinn, especially since this is her New 52 appearance. There's still not much background, but it was a good place to jump in. You really only need to know the basics to understand this collection of comics. I'm really looking forward to the next volume! A 3/5 for this one.


--Ashley

Injustice: Gods Among Us Vol. 1 - Paul's REVIEW

***I was provided an ecopy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

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Title: Injustice: Gods Among Us Vol. 1
Author: Tom Taylor
Illustrations: Jheremy Raapack
Year Published: 2013

Upcoming Release Date: November 19, 2013

Synopsis: Things in the DC Universe have changed after Superman is tricked into destroying the one thing he loves the most. Now unwilling to let crime go unpunished, the heroes of our world must choose if they are with Superman or against him. But not every country will submit to his new world order and neither will Superman's greatest threat—Batman!

Review: This is a great comic book based off a video game. It doesn't feel like a video game. It feels like its own story. Although, there are a lot of awesome pairings and/or duels that I could tell are referencing the game. 

I liked that this story takes place in its own world. Big events happen. Characters change. The problem with characters like Superman and Batman is that its usually just the same tale told a little differently. This is a new story that puts Justice League members against each other. 

My favorite and the most hilarious pairing in this book is Harley Quinn and Green Arrow. I also liked Batman's protégés, Nightwing and Batman's own son, Robin. 

There are some epically badass battles in this book. I'm not a huge video gamer, but I would love to watch someone play this game just based off of reading this book. I'm definitely interested in reading the next volume. I give this book a 5/5.


-PAUL