Harleen #1

In the end, this is a book that I cannot recommend enough. Too often retellings have a tendency to try and shock the reader instead of providing a coherent story. In Harleen, Stjepan eji successfully takes the original material and adds to it. Read Full Review

Overall, Harleen #1is spectacular. It is a retelling fitting for the character that borrows enough for the original to keep it familiar but adds darker themes and tones that elevate it. Harleen #1is the best Harley Quinn story I have ever read. It manages to create something fresh from a story riddled with characters that have oversaturated DC Comics. The oversized issue, which retails at $7.99, is well worth the price. Read Full Review

Harleen deserves credit for attempting something new and ground-breaking with the character of Harleen Quinzel while building on what came before. How well it succeeds in the end remains to be seen, but this first chapter is the best thing to come out of DC's Black Label line to date, with strong writing and amazing artwork. It is a must read for every fan of Harley Quinn. Read Full Review

What are your thoughts readers? Have you had the chance to read Harleen #1 yet? Are you as on edge as we are? Let us know in the comments below! Read Full Review

Harleen #1 is packed with psychological curiosities and intrigue, taking readers tepidly into the tragedy that undoubtedly lies ahead. The result is a grim, yet thrilling exploration of one of DC's most notorious characters. Read Full Review

This is such an intriguing book! The art is wonderful and the writing is crisp. It's refreshing to read this version of Harley Quinn as well: she is much more down-to-earth and serious, and the overall tone of the story makes this feel more like a psychological horror story than anything. Moreover, there are many interesting parallels to discover in the art and there is some eerie foreshadowing going on in the right places. If you're on the fence because you aren't into Harley Quinn comics, do give this one a chance"you won't regret it. Enthusiastically recommended! Read Full Review

The one thing this telling of Harley's origin lacks, so far at least, is a sense of humor. Harleen is characteristically glib, but none of her jokes seem to land, and the Joker isn't that funny either. Everything else, like any good tragedy, is weighed down by the reader's knowledge of where these characters are headed. It'll be interesting to see if eji can (or even cares to) lighten things up in future issues. Read Full Review

This is an artist showcase that turns into a surprisingly dialogue-dense book, and it establishes Stepan Sejic as one of the biggest multi-talents in DC's stable. Read Full Review

Batman Fan? Read Harleen. Joker fan? Read Harleen. Gotham Fan? Read Harleen. Harley Quinn fan"obviously it doesn't need to be stated. Read Full Review

Overall, this book is an engaging read, though ultimately, at least at this stage, doesn't add anything really substantial to Harley or the Joker. The biggest impact on this book could well be the timing, coming on the heels so quickly of other Harley featured books. Still for fans of the Jim Lee anointed "fourth column of the DC Universe", this will be a must buy book and series. Read Full Review

A compelling, mature take on the Harley mythos – a thought-provoking first issue in this miniseries which promises to be something special. Read Full Review

Ultimately then, the narrative style is undoubtedly effective and the story, while certainly familiar, is truly gripping, but its the world class artwork that makes Harleen an absolutely essential purchase. If ever there was a perfect character for Sejic to sink his teeth into its Harley, and this series seems poised to deliver a tragic and nuanced retelling of this immensely powerful origin story. Read Full Review

All in all, this book is built on a familiar foundation and made Harley Quinn's backstory a lot stronger. While it easily could have been washed away into mediocrity by simply giving us more details about her backstory, eji wisely helps us get into her head and focuses on the nature and nurture side of Harleen to where we can see how she descends into her psychotic identity as Harley Quinn. It's a fascinating character study which I eagerly anticipate to continue, but don't get too close — you just might end up losing your sanity with her. Read Full Review

Harleen #1 is an interesting take on how Harleen Quinzel transformed into Harley Quinn. Read Full Review

Stjepan eji's Harleen walks the fine line of romanticising a destructive relationship and showing its real ugliness. Hope he can keep up the good work. Read Full Review

Harleen #1 is her side of the story detailing how she became the murderous Harley Quinn. Read Full Review

Harleen #1 presents Stjepan eji at his absolute best, constructing a sleek and sexy world that rarely falters in its storytelling, and one that strikes a far better balance between the distinct crafts of writing and art than most collaborative superhero comics. Read Full Review

Harleen #1 is a wonderful opening chapter that allows for a singular, unique vision of one of DCs most popular characters. While notably different from other Harley Quinn projects, Harleen honors the characters history while forging ahead in a new direction that can serve as the characters defining origin story. Not since Mad Love has a Harley Quinn story been this good. Read Full Review

In "Harleen", Dr. Quinzel starts to dance with the devil in the pale moonlight. Read Full Review

It's a slow build at times, but this issue rewards readers with what appears to be a promising look at Gotham and its larger-than-life inhabitants from the perspective of Harley Quinn. Read Full Review

The art is phenomenal. I love how this story looks visually. Read Full Review

When this book is clicking, it's an enjoyable read, but some of it seems like Sejic himself was having trouble getting his head around what he was working on. That inconsistency holds Harleen back from being a real standout for Black Label. Read Full Review

By the end of the issue, we are left with a promise of what is to come. I am excited to see what happens next. This is a beautiful first issue, and I hope the next issues are as good as this one was. Read Full Review

Alright, let's wrap this up.  I loved the art but the story was okay.  The overly romantic tones are what really brought me down overall.  I think that this story has promise but I think the set up took way too long.  Some parts were pretty repetitive and drawn out.  I loved all the character guest appearances.  I enjoyed all of the light psychological concepts presented in this book.  Also, on a side note, I didn't really like Batman's joke.  In conclusion, am I going to read the next chapter?  Sure, I guess. Read Full Review

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Anotherfan

Sep 25, 2019

Beautiful art and storytelling. Sejic réserves praise for this because i'm a little of Harley Quinn recently but this was pretty damn good

Raistlin

Sep 25, 2019

Almost perfect. Reads more like Silence of the Lambs than a traditional Batman story. This is a character study of Harley in a way that has never been done before. Brilliant story telling from a master of the medium.

Grifter

Sep 27, 2019

Wow, it is actually absolutely amazing. Astonishing piece of art from Sejic and also surprisingly good story. I’m definitely in.

Azrael

Sep 28, 2019

After the dismal Superman origin story I was worried about this one but it was great! This is what Black Label should be with more adult themes and some swearing. The origin story was done extremely well as the Harley Wuinn story is a bit Manson-esque. The Joker is a mystery but he is a master manipulator.

M1sf1r3

Nov 21, 2019

Prelude: It's time. It's freaking time! Stjepan Sejic's Black Label book is here! The Good: I love character driven stories and this fulfils that to a tee. Harleen is very human and well-written. She's believable as a character. I love Sejic's interpretation of the Joker. Oozing charisma but if you cross him, the devil comes out. Speaking of, goddamn this art is brilliant. Sejic really nails it. But the writing is tightly written and plotted tremendously. The Bad: Some slight mistakes in art around the edges. Just something you notice if you look closely at the art. Conclusion: I loved Sejic's work on Sunstone (Yeah, I said it) and he doesn't disappoint here. The only flaws I could find were if I looked ever so clos ely at the page. It also meets my rating criteria as well. more

I Review Comics

Dec 10, 2019

The only selling point I had for this series was the art by St Jepan Sejic. I'm not the biggest fan of Harley Quinn to start and never got the appeal of the character beyond simply being Jokers sidekick. Her background as a brilliant psychotherapist was generally played for laughs or during brief moments of clarity. Harleen: Book 1 provides a definitive look at Harleen Quinzel and is the most mature and thoughtful take I've seen on the character. The book is entirely from Harleen's POV and the impression I gathered was that the book is generally being honest about her past and origins which is a big contrast to deep dives to Jokers origins We get a look at Harleen's early life before we finally get into her first encounters with the Joker. What surprised me as I was reading was the reveal that Harleen became a villain at the age of thirty. I don't know why but I always saw the character as early to mid-twenties. It may be a throwaway line to most but it stuck out to me because setting the character at thirty works to give her a bit more agency in her decisions. This isn't a wide-eyed girl being groomed by the Joker. Harleen was a grown-ass woman prior to her journey into madness. Sejic also establishes a pretty basic and relatable reason for why Harley may have been drawn to a destructive personality like the Joker's in the first place. Speaking of the Joker, I had a friend mention that Sejic's take on the Joker was ridiculous. Speaking of the Joker, I had a friend mention that Sejic's take on the character was ridiculous. I agree that Joker's look is definitely different, but with the story being from Harleen's POV it stands to reason that we're looking at a romanticized version of the character. During the scenes where the characters interact, Joker's personality was in line with most interpretations of the character. I just took the sudden good looks as emblematic of Harleens infatuation with him. I loved everything about this book. It's honestly the best Black Label book I've read since the line was launched. The 6.99 cover price is more than a standard comic but the book is square-bound, fits nicely on a bookshelf and clears 64 pages. The art is stellar and really complements the writing without overpowering it. I rarely draw attention to a book cover but this is one of the best covers I've seen in a long time. It definitely jumped out at me as the fractured mask of the harlequin reveals a broken woman beneath. The cover is a story in its own right. I follow Stjepan Sejic on Twitter and Deviantart. I'm familiar with his art but I had no idea he was also this great a writer. On the strength of this book, I decided to order a couple of his other projects. Harleen is near the top of my list of 2019's best. more

Ryan

Dec 20, 2019

Harleen 1 is an absolutely incredible comic. Sejic’s art is beautiful and pure eye candy. I love a Harley origin done right, and so far, Harleen is just that. Sejic writes perfect dialogue and I was completely wrapped into the issue, never once bored or distracted.

liolia

Oct 13, 2023

I am not a big Harley Quinn fan so it took me a while to pick this book up AND BOY I AM SO GLAD I DI! This is so so good. The writing is good, the story is good. It reels you in - I literally read the entire series in one go. It's such a mature (not as in NSFW, but as in, it makes you think and see things in a different light) take on Harley. I absolutely love it.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln

Sep 29, 2019

This is the kind of Harley story we need. My only complaint is that Stejpan uses overused phrases a little too much (eg. Path to Hell is paved with good intentions, recycling door, and the definition of insanity). The art was beautiful and Harley is really well written.

Dave Sanj

Sep 26, 2019

A fresh and captivating take on the joker and Harley Quinn mythos. The only flaw I've noticed is that it seems to be predictable at some points and sometimes the humor falls flat.

EDiakota

Sep 27, 2019

"... And in my fear peralyzed state i can do no more than watch. I watch their surreal theater of shadow. I watch them drawing blood and breaking bones... Clawing and gnawing and tearing... I watch the madness. I watch them because i can't look away." -Harleen Quinzel

Gizmo

Oct 01, 2019

The artwork is excellent and Harleen's character is handled faithfully. I'll be reading the rest of the series for sure.

The Comic Book Pusher

Sep 27, 2019

Better on the outside than on the inside. Maybe the next issues will move it along more.

egonnn244

Sep 29, 2019

"They call her Harley..." Stjepan Sejic decided to tackle a very, very popular subject nowadays, that is Harley and Joker relationship. And just like with Sunstone he proves he is both a great writer and an amazing artist. This book is triple the size of a normal comic book, but it reads practically by itself. The story has a great pacing with good, sometimes humorous, dialogue and with narration by Harley, in the form of hindsight which gives it a nice perspective of someone looking back at their mistakes thinking what they could have done better. I don't think there is much need to write about the art because anyone who saw the aforementioned Sunstone or any other of the Croat's works knows that he is great at what he does. His f acial expressions are uncanny and incomparable with any other work that I have seen. Great start. I hope he gets to tell all the three chapters of this story that he has in his mind. more

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Comix4fever - Oct 1, 2019

My favorite works by Sejic are Aquaman and Revine. I highly recommend both.

Spacey Medicine

Oct 04, 2019

This comic was a rollercoaster for me. On the one hand, there were some things that I really liked. The art is really nice. There are some good character moments. I almost liked Harley several times! On the other hand... her study makes no sense. I’m sorry but it really doesn’t. It is fundamentally flawed, down to its very core. I cannot understand why she ever pitched it to industry when she quite clearly had not even put a single thought into how it might have industrial applications. Her process is a joke. Furthermore any dialogue spoken by the Joker is cringe central. Batman was just as bad. At the risk of outing myself as a huge nerd and a loser, I have read a fanfiction which used these exact same tropes for the Joker. Like I swea r I almost recognize the bullshit backstories word for word as something that I read like ten years ago on livejournal. This is so much not something new for the character that I am honestly a little offended. And I guess that’s a big problem with this series. There’s nothing new or special being said here, just a lot of gloss. more

Nihilist

Sep 25, 2019

New-52's Harley origin was atrociously bad, in part because of her horrendous visual redesign, in part because it was just... miserable. It lacked any real emotions, humor, charm and heart, all of which were present in Paul Dini's legendary Mad Love. I'm sad to say, Harleen is as ininspired and bland as whatever New-52 spawned. It tries to be serious and mature, but it really feels like a cheap teen romance, except instead of a sparly vampire, there's a psychopathic clown. Feel free to call me out and say "hey, but that's Harley's distorted point of view", and I'd actually agree with you. Yes, it is. But it doesn't make the story any better - in fact, I'd say it makes it feel only more boring, since this version of Harley hardly has any rea l personality. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Sejic at least partially based this comic on Arkham games, or Arkham Origins, to be specific. Dr. Quinzel as she appears there, is indeed a shy, introverted do-gooder, even if her involvement in the tale lasts for 5 minutes. And contrary to what you may have assumed reading this and the previous paragraph, I don't dislike it. In fact, I love the idea Harleen and Harley are different, contrast with each other, unlike her current main continuity version which always has been a sugar addict with mentality of a 12 year old. As bad as it's going to sound, Harleen must be weak, lonesome and pathetic, so Joker can use her. That' how this origin story works. Without these prrequisites met, there's no transformation, no change from Harleen to Harley, which defeats the initial purpose. So, what o I have a problem with, exactly, if I actually like the miserable dr. Quinzel? The fact despite being in the right place emotionally, he lacks actual personality. She's just a boring protagonist here. And no, that's not the character's inherit flaw - if used correct, she could be a great narrator. It's just... Sejic's script and dialogues are pretty weak. For a book that states on one of the first pages it's somewhat self aware of how cliche romantic stories are, it still manages to replicate some of their core mistakes. I'm not ruthless enough to compare it to trash like Twilight, but come on, you'd have to be blind like DareDevil not to see how melodramatic this issue was, and how its forced romanticism serves as filler holding everything together, filling holes where personality should be. The art, on the other hand, is simply fantastic, so there's one parallel to Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, which also looks beautifully, but its plot is awful. So if good looks are all you're looking for in a certain blondie with a mallet, be my guest, buy this book. If you care about the script, though... this may not be the best pick. Go and read some Dini or Murphy, these two are the only writers o far I'd give a sign of absolute approval when it comes to writing about Harl. more

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packtsardines - Sep 25, 2019

what dini story arcs of harley quinn would you recommend? im looking online and dont even know where to start haha

Nihilist - Sep 25, 2019

Definitely Mad Love for starters Other than that, she's been in few short stories. Kind of a Like Family is great and surprisingly complex - highly recomment it. Role Models is super short, but fun, same with The Bet. I believe all of them were collected in a TP. And that would be it, I'm afraid, I don't recall much more genuinely outstanding comics with her. Her New-52 stuff is just plain awful, beyond words. Injustice comics were decent, especially ones connected to the second game, where...

Nihilist - Sep 25, 2019

... she organizes an underground rebellion. Sean Murphy's White Knight series is fantastic and absolutely nails her as a character, so it's a must read! Oh, and Old Lady Harley - cool concept, but poorly executed.

packtsardines - Sep 26, 2019

thank you! ive read white knight twice now, probably my favorite incarnation of the character. the sequel is pretty fantastic so far too

Nihilist - Sep 26, 2019

Yeah, I'm amazed with its dialogues and personalities of each character. On hell of a sequel!

pablo - Sep 26, 2019

If you are interested in a more faithful adaptation to the original character I would recommend that you read the Kesel / Lieberman series.

egonnn244 - Sep 29, 2019

Not everyone has to emulate Paul Dini's take on Harley. If everyone did that, what would be the point?

Nihilist - Sep 29, 2019

I'm not saying everyone should. I'm sying this take is bland, boring and feels like a generic young adult romance book.

egonnn244 - Sep 30, 2019

I can't say that I agree. The book is fun, with great pacing and has likeable characters, that dialogue makes feel a tad more like real people. Still, nothing will beat Injustice 2 Harley for me. Not even White Knight.

Nihilist - Sep 30, 2019

Well, I guess that's a matter of preference, then. I, personally, found dialogues and characters to be boring and unlikeable. If you enjoyed them, good for you. It may be taste, or I may simply not be the target audince for this book. Injustice 2 Harley was great, that I agree - WB fixed everything awful about her character from the first game.

Darkseid24 - Oct 1, 2019

I liked it. Not Perfect, but one of the better Harley stories, since years.

Psycamorean

Sep 28, 2019

This is fine. We all know where this is headed, and the journey isn't very interesting.

ohhaimark

Sep 28, 2019

THE GOOD: -This was fine. Nothing special, nothing offensive. -The art was very good. Some weird facial expressions, but overall really nice looking. -The visuals for that opening dream sequence were nice. -Hey, Joker was great! His design was good, and Sejic writes him far better than any other character here. -I want that Batman/Joker two page splash on my wall. I know I already talked about the art, but it really stood out as especially awesome here. THE BAD: -I don't really find this story interesting at all. I don't really need to know how Harley got to Arkham, and anything that didn't involve the Joker was really quite boring, which is a pretty big mistake for a series that's supposed to focus on Harley. - I rolled my eyes with all the Dr. Collins scandal stuff. -This was very slow moving. It's a nice big book, but I really think the same effect and plot-progression could be achieved in a 20-page comic. -The Lucius Fox, Harvey Dent, Hugo Strange cameos felt kinda fanservice-y, unfortunately. -I don't think Sejic is a great writer. His dialogue for Joker was good, and maybe Mr. Morris, but other than that, it's a nice looking book and not much else. more