Future State: Harley Quinn #1

Harley is a quiet and obedient voice waiting to explode. She was captured and is being held. Dangerous animals can keep their teeth hidden in captivity. Once they get free the hunt begins. Harley will get her prey. Read Full Review

Despite seeing Harley in what first appears to be a rather bleak situation as a prisoner of the Magistrate, Future State: Harley Quinn #1 is a fascinating journey through Harleys brilliant mind as she faces off with monsters from her past. Read Full Review

Future State: Harley Quinn #1 is a hell of a start and I world I want to see more of. There's so much teased and hinted at, I want more! Two issues are not enough! The look and story are fantastic and such a change from what we've seen so often with the character. While some aspects are familiar and been done, the overall package is fresh and new. It's a fantastic comic with Harley Quinn and that's coming from someone who's not the biggest fan of the character. If I'm recommending it, it's a solid buy. Read Full Review

The whole book is just incredible and easily one of the best Future State offerings. This book is a knockout. Read Full Review

Harley is a character who can quickly wear thin in the wrong hands, but Phillips conceived a clever approach that plays to Harleys core strengths without going overboard. I wasnt sure what to expect from this title, but the opening chapter definitely has me excited about the direction of this mini-series. Read Full Review

Future State: Harley Quinn #1 is a really good start by Stephanie Phillips that hopefully reminds people that Harley can be more than fart jokes and Brooklyn accents. This book is a sneaky-smart combination of the Suicide Squad and Silence of the Lambs and looks fantastic thanks to Simone Di Meo's art. This is an excellent start for Harley Quinn fans! Read Full Review

Stephanie Phillips, the new regular writer on the character, gets the chance to set her tone for the character, and I think she does a great job of distinguishing herself from the past creative teams. Read Full Review

Future State - Harley Quinn #1 is an enjoyably fresh take on the character supported by truly wonderful artwork that sets a memorable tone. Read Full Review

Readers of good characterization will value the intelligence Phillips brings, without losing the chaotic fun in Harley's character. And Harley fans have a lot to look forward to with Phillips at the helm. Read Full Review

The whole book is really an enjoyable read and I look forward to where the second issue takes us. Read Full Review

My expectations for what was coming have been shaken to their foundations. Crane and Quinn's rivalry is beautifully played out, and the banter between them was hilarious. I like that you get to see Harley getting under Jonathan's skin. The only thing that rubbed me wrong was that in this version of the Harley's world we still have the age old stereotype of Harley being "Joker's Girl". We've been far past that for years, even before the Joker War/Punchline story line, but then again, this is a completely different arc and story so maybe that can be forgiven. The story isn't affected, but as it's brought up several times throughout this issue, it was harder to ignore. That said I truly look forward to what comes next, and am on the edge of my seat to see how the rest of this tale plays out. Read Full Review

Click on the above image to view the full-size page in another tab.Future State: Harley Quinn may not be everyone's cup of tea, but fans of the Queen of Clowns will definitely want to check this one out. So will Batman fans who want to see more of the new Gotham City and fans of neo noir cyberpunk. You might even try sharing this one with your manga-reading friends who turn up their nose at superhero comics. Read Full Review

By being a lot more Mindhunter and a lot less 'Daddy's Little Monster,' Future State: Harley Quinn #1 reminds readers that Harley Quinn is much more than the sum of her parts. Read Full Review

I love Harley Quinn, and it's fun to see what a solid creative team can do unfettered from the constraints of continuity. The writing especially feels authentic to the Harley I most like to see represented, and in particular it honors her character development and growth. Read Full Review

Future State: Harley Quinn #1 hits the ground running and does not stop on its way to delivering a fun reading experience. Stephanie Phillips does a great job delivering on a sense that Harley Quinn has gone through a lot since we last saw her without losing the core of what makes the character engaging. Simone Di Meo also knocks it out of the park delivering artwork that makes this entire comic book future vibe to it from character design to Gotham City itself. Read Full Review

Harley puts on her psychologist hat in a twisted form of Silence of the Lambs to help capture some of Gotham's costumed criminals. Check out a new side of the anti-hero as she stands on her own…even if it's behind bars. Read Full Review

When they throw the violent vixen in jail, they think she's trapped, when in reality, the key was always in Harley's hand.  Read Full Review

The lack of clarity in the artwork is a real disappointment here, because the rest of the work is much better than I was expecting. Phillips' Harley is the wisegal I know and love, without the Judd Apatow-esque crudity that seemed to show up in every odd issue of her title I've read in the past five years. I think that's a win, and while Future State is, unfortunately, marred by visual confusion, I'm excited to see what Phillips will bring in the coming months"especially with Rossmo onboard. Read Full Review

The new Harley Quinn fails to wow and fails to be very Future State, but it's still OK. Read Full Review

This comic was fine. It had mostly above-average art with some hiccups, and a mostly forgettable story with a fun twist on a classic relationship. Read Full Review

EDiakota

Jan 12, 2021

" You see i was once like you--Lost. I hid behind my scarecrow mask to spread fear through the city, but really, i was the one affraid." - JANE CRANE

Red Hood

May 11, 2021

This was actually a good book. Artwork was decent and storyline was good.

Onomatopoeia

Jan 06, 2021

Future State has set the bar low, and Harley Quinn has barely hurdled over it. I like the idea of turning her into a Hannibal Lecter that tracks down C level villains.

Merlyn

Jan 05, 2021

Better then the Humphries crap DC put up in the last years. The art was difficult to follow.

KittyNone

Jan 07, 2021

There was a lot about this comic I enjoyed — I like Phillips's take on the character, and I quite liked DiMeo's art — but the story never really finds its feet. Still, that might just be the rushed nature of Future State; despite my reservations about this particular issue I can see where Phillips's post-Future State run might have potential.

I Review Comics

Jan 23, 2021

Since I started reading DC comics regularly I haven't been blown away by any mainline Harley Quinn comics. The "Black Label" Harley Quinn stuff has been great (Harleen, Criminal Insanity) but the regular DC Harley is basically the DC's version of Deadpool. Future State: Harley Quinn exists in the Future Gotham status quo and somewhat dials back the goofier elements of the character. The story isn't bad but it's nothing to write home about either. The book follows Harley after she has been incarcerated by the Magistrates and their agent Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow). Crane offers a lesser sentence if she agrees to take down some of Gotham's most wanted. Harley reluctantly agrees to work with the Magistrates and performs admirably in her tasks. We see her use her skills as a psychologist in matching wits with Professor Pyg, She eventually gains favor with Crane and is sent out to take down Black Mask which weirdly makes a connection to DC's Birds of Prey Film. The issue is okay but the art direction prevents it from getting high marks. Simone Di Meo is providing linework and If you've followed my blog you may know that he is my favorite artists working today. The problem is that Tamra Bonvillain uses a bright but muddy color palette that detracts from the overall art direction. At one point Harley lays out a plan to take down Firefly. The encounter between the magistrates and the villains is conveyed in the background but the colors get so murky that it's hard to make out what is actually happening. This isn't usually an issue from Simone based on my experience with his work, I'm guessing it's just the wrong artist/colorist combo. This isn't a horrible comic. The story is decent enough and the art while not Simone's best isn't the worst. The story does provide more context for what's going on in Gotham in the Future State landscape. There also wasn't much provided when I read The Next Batman #1. This is a growing criticism with the overall Future State project You may get more out of the issue if you're a Harley Quinn fan but I'm not sure that this comic needs to exist aside from editorial mandates. Rating: 6.5/10 more

Nihilist

Jan 05, 2021

I was really, really afraid this comic will end up being just a reskin of what was before it already, and what was, to put it simply, pure unadulterated trash. And while it suffers from a lot of problems and some questionable design choices, it is not a waste of time. No. For once Harley uses her psychiatric skills instead of being just a dumb Mary Sue with annoying accent. She looks different from her main continuity counterpart, of course, but differences also are noticeable in her personality, intelligence and skills. Something that I wish more writers would actually take to account. Now, obviously there's the elephant in the room, which is the comic's fixation with The Silence of the Lambs. It's not the first time in DC's history whe n a comic takes inspiration from this absolute masterpiece. Remember The Long Halloween? One hell of a story worth reading. Difference is, Calendar Man was a genuinely good idea for an in-continuity equivalent of Hannibal Lecter and he had time to shine. Here, with Harley, we see two baddies being defeated pretty much off page, and that's a bummer. I get it, Stephanie Phillips didn't want to take too much time setting the story up and letting Harley rot in a cell before she inevitably walks out of it. But still, I would much rather read longer series telling the same story, dedicating at least one issue to Pyg and Firefly respectively, to build the atmosphere and actually tell us a deeper, darker tale, maybe touch the subject of loneliness and isolation, comment on police brutality and toxicity of private prison systems, explain what happened in Gotham in the last few years and why characters are where they are and why they looke like they look. Dunno, anything to avoid skipping the action several times in the span of just one issue, to quickly move to the big fish Harley's gonna hunt. There's so much background material that could be stuffed here, and now I'm scratching my head because I realized I actively want to see more filler detailing this story. Something that wouldn't make it feel like I'm reading a brief summary instead of an actual tale. Of course since Future State is going to las merely 2 months, it'd be impossible to dedicate more time to what ultimately is a set-up, an aperitif before the main dish, but what I'm trying to say is, if this comic was longer, like 7-9 issues, I'd read it. I'd totally read it. It may not be on the same level as White Knight Harley solo series written by Katana Collins, but nonetheless, it's way better than any other Harley comic I've seen in years. And any movie as well, that's one more footnote to add, because there's never bad time to mock the awfulness of the face tattooed Hot Topic trailer trash live action Harley. more

Psycamorean

Jan 05, 2021

This is fine, I guess. While it certainly is just Silence of the Lambs, it's at least not the absolute war crime of New 52/Rebirth Harley Quinn. That is a major step up, I swear. If Harley's characterization here is indicative of how she'll be written in the ongoing, it'll at least have the chance to be something I'd enjoy. Not overly annoying, not brain dead, but still a character. Also, this is my first Future State title, so to already have an editing error with the word balloons at the end is a great sign lol.

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Nihilist - Jan 5, 2021

Absolutely. New-52 onwards Harley comics are some of the worst trash I've ever had displeasure to witness within the medium. Absolutely terrible, and complete destruction of the once pretty complex character Dini and Timm came up with. Same with the live action parody, it's just beyond awful.

Psycamorean - Jan 5, 2021

I agree that these new versions are terrible, but I'd be lying if I said that I was attached to the previous versions of the character. Regardless, I know when a character is poorly written.

Darkseid24 - Jan 6, 2021

It still made look Scarecrow like an idiot. He would never need Harleys help. He‘s the more brilliant psychologist between the 2.

Nihilist - Jan 6, 2021

True. Albeit it kinda could be excused by the comic's elseworld setting. It's reaching, possibly, but what seems to be a bigger revelation is that they haven't met before.

Darkseid24 - Jan 9, 2021

True good point. It’s very weird they never have indeed.

vivek

Jan 06, 2021

I would have given this issue 8.5 if the art were clear.

Darkseid24

Jan 06, 2021

Scarecrow is one of my favorite characters, so it’s sad, that I can’t give the comic a higher rating & while I wouldn’t say the comic entirely sucked there are many things just wrong here. Worst is, that it portrays Harley as the more intelligent psychologist & Scarecrow as the incompetent foolish one, but if you have ever read some comics with Scarecrow you know, that he isn’t a fool & that he would never need the help of a wannabe psychologist like Harley. Other than Harley he didn’t have to sleep his way up to get his doctor degree, Scarecrow worked for it. So the idea of making Harley the smart one here is just so utterly stupid & disrespectful to Scarecrow‘s character, just wow. So I guess another Mary Sue moment for Harley Quinn. I also didn’t like the art, it doesnt really fit DC. more

Superheroes for Hire

Jan 09, 2021

What happened in this book? Too much talking, not enough action, and not enough humor.

SenpaifenixJäger

Jan 05, 2021

The only salvageable thing is anime-like art.

RKS

Jan 05, 2021

The art sucked and the story was even worse. I guess DC should have kept some of the more experienced writers and artists around...You get what you pay for AT&T.