A review by panels2pages
Harleen by Stjepan Šejić

dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Sejic has reinvented Harley by returning to her roots as Dr. Harleen Quinzel. He paints an interesting picture of her as a young woman trying to overcome the reputation of her past and maybe having too much to prove. I would have loved to dive into Harleen's youth more. The motives for her decisions aren't unbelievable, but likely to evoke an eyeroll. She's a flawed person and that's not always easy to observe in a main character, though it defines Harley perfectly. This book is just as much about manipulation as it is bad choices. No one person is ever to blame. That's a wonderful takeaway, even if I didn't love Harley Quinn by the end of the story. I loved the journey. Harley is worthy of empathy and I applaud Sejic for humanizing her so thoroughly. 

The art is worth of 4 stars alone. It's a gorgeous book and Sejic's beautiful, lithe figures are always glowing. He's a master with lighting and his color work is fantastic. That said, his line work is suggestive at best and, at times, even sloppy. I don't think I'd have noticed were it not for the oversized Black Label format, but I have to say that it's easily forgiveable in such an immersive story.
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