Harley Quinn (2000) # 1-19, Harley Quinn: Our Worlds at War # 1 (2001)

(I originally read these comics between late August/early September 2016)

I took two weeks reading these. Altogether too long. The series isn't unenjoyable, but it's the comics equivalent of eating candy floss. Once in a while is fine, but if that was all you were eating, it'd get old fast. This comic feels almost as sickly and insubstantial. 

Writer Karl Kesel has Harley Quinn forging her own way after breaking her "puddin'" out of (presumably) Arkham and the two have a falling out. The Joker doesn't appear again (at least as far as issue # 19 goes) and frankly, I don't think Harley's a strong enough character to carry her own book. (Of course, the success of her current title would prove me wrong.) As if to acknowledge this, Kesel has her form her own gang, the Quinntets, as of issue 4, after a failed attempt to join Two-Face's gang in (what else?) issue 2. Issue # 3 features a slumber party and gives Terry Dodson the opportunity to draw much in the way of bad girl T&A, a conspicuous and constant ingredient as long as he's around. The Harley/Poison Ivy friendship seems to have been established here and they make a good pair, at least until creepy fandom started 'shipping' them as lovers and DC began pandering to it. Ivy becomes a constant in the book after the pair up sticks to Metropolis in # 14, following a failed coup and the disintegration of the Quinntets in # 12. Harley masquerades as a Daily Planet agony aunt and Jimmy Olsen becomes her would-be paramour, the two having met previously in the 'Our Worlds at War' one-shot. That and the 'Last Laugh' tie-in in issue # 13 are mercifully self-contained. 

The series thus far maintains an upbeat, poppy tone with occasional, incongruent dips into darkness (such as in # 8, where Harley's background is expanded upon). Issue # 19 is Dodson's last and the issue with which I bailed during the series' original publication. His art was more a draw for me than the stories back then, but doesn't hold quite the same appeal now. However, I've since bought the rest of the series and will return to it. 

   

   

   

   

   

Harley Quinn (2000) # 1-7 are collected in: 

Hardcover:

Harley Quinn: Preludes and Knock-Knock Jokes (US)

Harley Quinn: Preludes and Knock-Knock Jokes (UK)

Softcover:

Harley Quinn: Preludes and Knock-Knock Jokes (US)

Harley Quinn: Preludes and Knock-Knock Jokes (UK)

Harley Quinn (2000) # 8-13/ Harley Quinn: Our Worlds at War (2001) # 1 are collected in:

Softcover:

Harley Quinn: Night and Day (US)

Harley Quinn: Night and Day (UK)

Harley Quinn (2000) # 14-19 are collected in: 

Softcover:

Harley Quinn: Welcome to Metropolis (US)

Harley Quinn: Welcome to Metropolis (UK)

Avengers: The Origin (2010) # 1-5, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2005) # 1-8, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II (2007) # 1-8, Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin (2007) # 1-6

(I originally read these comics between late February/early March 2016)

So here's four retro tales from the early years of the Avengers, all written by Joe Casey. The 'Origin' series is actually the most recently published and is a retelling of the events of 1963's Avengers # 1, padded out to five issues. The story's been given a modern sheen, but it's a somewhat dull read. 

  

 

The two 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' series are much better. The first retells events in Avengers history around the time of the first major line-up change in Avengers # 16, when Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man and the Wasp left and were replaced by Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch to form 'Cap's Kooky Quartet.' The second takes place around the time just after the induction of the Vision to the team, with coverage of the Black Panther's assumed civilian guise as a Harlem school history teacher and Hank Pym's (first) mental breakdown and assumption of his 'Yellowjacket' persona. Both series go into (perhaps too) much detail about the behind-the-scenes red tape and dealings with government and S.H.I.E.L.D. bureaucracy. I don't recall having read too much from Casey in the past, but these two are the stories I've enjoyed most. 

   

   

   

   

'Enter the Mandarin' is a retelling of Iron Man's first encounter with his premier foe, padded out to six issues. I found the art style unusual and interesting, but it probably put a lot of readers off. The story is long-winded and a bit of a drag. 

  

  

Casey has also done retellings of the X-Men's and Fantastic Four's origin stories, so he was obviously the go-to guy for this kind of thing at the time. 

Avengers: The Origin (2010) # 1-5 are collected in:

Hardcover:

Avengers: The Origin (US)

Avengers: The Origin (UK)

Softcover:

Avengers: The Origin (US)

Avengers: The Origin (UK)

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2005) # 1-8 and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II (2007) # 1-8 are collected in:

Softcover:

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Ultimate Collection (US)

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Ultimate Collection (UK)

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2005) # 1-8 are collected in:

Hardcover:

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (US)

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (UK)

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II (2007) # 1-8 are collected in:

Hardcover:

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II (US)

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II (UK)

Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin (2007) # 1-6 are collected in:

Softcover:

Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin (US)

Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin (UK)