Review of Harley Quinn: Vengeance Unlimited

Harley Quinn, Vol. 4: Vengeance Unlimited by A.J. Lieberman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Talk about an outlier in the Harley Quinn universe! Mr. Lieberman set her in a world of her own, apart from the quips and humor you usually expect. In their place, you get a grittier version where she stands firmly as a villain, wreaking havoc apart from any of the cast of characters throughout Gotham. Different? Certainly. Better? That’s a little harder to judge. Harley’s wit is one of her best features, and while an undercurrent of humor’s present, it’s dull and depressed, falling flat. How to balance an entire chunk of a character getting removed and set aside? The creative team didn’t need to sacrifice so much of that to stay gritty with this volume – at least in my opinion. (In comparison, Suicide Squad runs over the edge, but Harley’s off-beat humor remains intact) The ending came up skewed, as well. No one doubts Harley’s fragmented mental health, but the final chapters? They went beyond the realm of who she is within her heart (I’m reminded of Mr. Kesel’s treatment with Lewis, actually). I suppose it ties things in a loop (for someone’s timeline), but it rings wrong to anyone who knows the character that well.

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