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. more

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

It would be better without that awful epilogue. Just Like Hush Returns they shouldn't touch Kiling Joke that way.

actually bad and I waited for this story for 4 years and bought all the covers that came out.................

This is a new level of bad. Geoff Johns should never touch anything DC related ever again.
The Art is great, but it’s totally wasted for this trainwreck of a story. 4 years this storyline was teased by DC & the actual plot is just underwhelming. Joker created these Jokers to create a new better one, what doesn’t even make sense for his character. Then he kills his victims. The alternative to this is, that the real Joker is dead now& that one of his clones took over as Joker. But that’s not the worst. In the end Johns makes The Killing Joke the definite origin story for Joker, what makes the entire story pointless, because the point of TKJ always was, that there are multiple origin stories for Joker. Joker also is suddenly abusive to his wife before he becomes Joker, what also makes the One-bad- day theme of TKJ just as pointless. Joker also now has a secret son, he doesn’t know of, so bad sequels are on the way I guess.
As for Jason he‘s just terribly portrayed & the Jokers are treated as villains, while they’re just victims of the real Joker. The writing is just shallow.
So overall this story proves, what I always thought of Geoff Johns as a writer- he neither understand DC‘s characters nor its stories, but he wants to play in the big league like Alan Moore, but fails miserably with that. He’s the worst writer in DC, yes even worse than King, who at least gets some characters right. more

I liked some parts of this Ric story like the beginning in #50-56, but it went on for way too long. So Dick is back, but this issue is so badly written I can’t believe Jürgens, who wrote Hunters Prey also wrote this.
The talisman changing Dicks memories is so over the top, Dick being callled Dickboy just overdid the new names thing& Joker basically did nothing, but standing around. I still hate the idea, that he knows the identity of Batman & the batfamily, but what really annoys me in this issue, that Dick is acting like the biggest ass ever. As soon as Bea brought his real self back all he‘s doing is ignoring her, then he wonders why she left. So if he really breaks up with her, because of remembering his past, then I have another story, that proves what an ass Dick Grayson actually is& that he isn’t the good sweet guy some fans want to see him as. It’s also unbelievable that the batfamily suddenly always believed in Dick returning, when they stated the opposite in former issues. So it’s just really bad& Bea‘s character really deserves better, but what do I expect of a guy, who sleeps with his former girlfriend one day before his wedding. more

Well, I guess I'm glad Dick is back... But man, this issue is not well written at all.

Boring.

Story: 2/10
Art: 6/10
Overall: 3/10

Story: Great, we got the concept a year ago, so the hype wasn't helping this book.
First of all, with Bruce filled with so many scars, maybe he should stop fighting crime in thin cotton material. We wasted another full page on his parents' death... and we got to 10 pages before getting anywhere.
Now that we know there are 3 Jokers? One dies, so what... no weight... nothing happens in this book, and it's 50 pages long.

Art: This part is subjective, of course, but this felt stiff af. Fabok isn't an interiors artist or Johns told him to use the exhausting Doomsday Clock/Watchmen panel layout, which was a horrible decision. I hate to say it, but Fabok really wanted to nail this book and it felt like he tried too hard.

Overall: It's awful, what a waste of time. This could have been written over a weekend, and drawn in a month... not worth the wait. I'll try issue 2 just to give it another shot.

Hoping for more on issue 2. Good luck boys. more

Never liked the idea of 3 Jokers, but the art is really great. It’s the best thing about this comic. However as for the story I can’t see Barbara ever acting like that& I doubt Batman would leave Jason alone with Joker. It all depends on how the story will go, if the Jokers are the real Joker from 3 different earths or just all from 1 earth, then Joker as a character is ruined. If it turns out that Joker just used some innocent people to pose as Joker, then it can be a fun story. So it’s too early to really judge, but I don’t find the story that intriguing. more

Nothing new or interesting. This shoulld be done years ago.

Wow, again nothing happens. Batman wakes up after being drugged last issue. Harley was taking care of him, I guess, by watching Batman sleep, and he goes to Monarch Theater where Joker has dug up allt he corpses of the people he has killed. Guess people don't get cremated in Gotham.

And there's a guy with a batarang in a baseball bat who is killing clowns. At least someone is doing something. Tynion says lawyers have prevented cops from stopping Joker thugs. Huh? That's not how the law works.

Basically, this is one giant issue of treading water. Oh, Harley isn't dead. She stitched up her throat cut. What do you want to bet that after this run is done, no one will mention the cut again and we will never see the scar?

Imagine if this was taking place monthly instead of bi-weekly? A lot of issues where nothing happens.

Just get on with it? The art isn't bad.

Or I could be wrong. more

Nothing that much happens in this issue. Ric is still confused due to 2 memories, that he has in his mind& the Nightwings are still injured. Joker was kinda fun in this issue, especially when he wore Nightwings outfit. Slow plot progression, but still ok.
It’s time things go back to normal. DC doesnt know what to do with the Ric status anymore.

some good stories, some not so good.
did not feel this was worth the $10 plus tax i spent on it.
it still was much better than Detective Comics 1000.
Chuck Dixon and Marv Wolfman were the highlights of the book.

This Special has some good stories like the one from Wolfman& Chuck Dixon. My favorite was the one about Jason by Judd Winick, because it showed us the relationship between Jason& Bruce. However this Special once again proves, what a joke Stephanie Brown is, but Jason or Damien should have got a second story instead. This is just a waste of space.
The Tim Drake story by Beechen wasnt too bad either, we at least saw some Villains in the background. However it’s sad, that we don’t get any story, that shows Robins relationship to The Villains. So it’s pretty onesided. We also don’t get many extras except some basic informations about Robin. Some creativity would have been nice here.
The art is great, because we get to see some older artists like Dustin Nguyen, so at least the art felt nostalgic.
Overall this Special lacks some love& I hope Joker‘s will be better. more

This issue wasn’t bad, but I am not really hyped for this story either. It’s nice to see the plot being built up& the villains actually playing a part in this& not just being reduced to canon fodder. However Harley was pointless in this issue, so she is apparently just there, because she gets forced into anything these days. Batman fighting Deathstroke was the best part here.
So you don���t miss much, if you skip this, but it’s ok to read. more

Better than last issue, but Catwoman feels so forced into this story. The Designer is calling Gothams biggest Villains together& he rather thinks of Catwoman than of Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc or Black Mask? Doesnt make any sense.
Joker is also annoying in this. Why does it always have to be Joker? Wish there was no Joker war coming up. Im already bored.
What is funny, that Catwoman wanted to steal Bruce‘s Fortune, so almost marrying him worked out for her after all I guess. Still hope these 2 finally break up. It’s so annoying & lame.

The art is great though. more

It's a hell of a lot better than Tom King's trash run.

Great art, rushed story.

We see Harley save Catwoman in the graveyard and Batman track down the various assassins. (He sends a fleet of drones to get Deathstroke).

Batman reaches Riddler's lair and there is video with no sound showing DESIGN or whatever his name is confronting Riddler. (Penguin is wounded in this episode and threatening hospital workers).

The action is being watched by a "mysterious" woman and Joker has a murder board with Batman's sidekicks showing hero names and real names.

Finally Harley and Catwoman catch up with Batman and Catwoman says she's sorry and that we'll have to wait for the next issue to find out the conspiracy.

A lot of plot happens but too much of it is told via text boxes of thoughts as opposed to us being shown what is happening.

Like I said great art, but I feel that the reveal of the plot is awkward, very mechanical. Can't say the conspiracy is doing it for me. I think Catwoman might have told Batman about this before her hand was forced by circumstances. This kind of ruins the work King put in showing that these two have unburdened their secrets to each other. It's, to put it simply, a bit comic booky. Like the old Superman covers where's he's turning his back on Jimmy and Lois with a thought bubble reading "I have to get away from them, if they knew my true secret they'd flee in terror."

Or I could be wrong, though I have to laugh when Catwoman is drawn carrying an unconscious male assassin over her shoulder as the artist draws her as a woman who weighs 105 pounds soaking wet.

Or I could be wrong. more

It's a hell of a lot better than Tom King's trash run.

I start to dislike the story. Overall it reminds me of Dead Reckoning just with other villains & nowhere as good as this story.

So Gotham‘s biggest bads made a deal with the designer & villains like Scarecrow aren’t even mentioned? Oh the disrespect. Instead Catwoman made this deal, who never even was one of Gotham‘s biggest bads? Same goes for Harley, who was just Joker‘s sidekick.

I also hate the idea of Joker knowing the identity of the entire batfamily. Snyder did this or hinted it, but in majority of stories Joker doesn’t know& also couldn’t find out with good reasons. I find it very hard to believe, that Joker wouldn’t use this information about Batman and play fair instead of murdering the batfamilys family or friends out of fun. This is just a stupid idea, that doesn’t fit his character. Overall I am bored with the idea of having another Joker war. Why the hell has everything to be always about Joker? It’s not like Batman doesn’t has a great rogue gallery. DC really makes me hate characters I used to like due to their writing& the need to shove them in the readers face.

So „,meh“ sums this issue up the best. more

Just terrible. The dialogue is bad& the story is nonsense. I haven‘t watched BoP yet, but I really hope the movie is better than this. I am also asking myself, why this is Black Label- because we see the half naked ass of a guy? Another reason, why BL is a joke.

I expect this issue a touching one. But how the writers handle it is too... clumsy. How could it be possible that Alfred wanted to tell Bruce "your parents' death made you Batman so they would've die willingly for you to save people"? Seriously, Alfred's death and how families react deserves better writing.

THE GOOD:

-The art was nice.

-I know next to nothing about Callisto, but I liked her a lot here.

-The Bishop action scenes were very good.

-That scene with Masque was the highlight for me. Just a great example of how good of a writer Gerry Duggan can be.

-Very interested by the ending.

THE BAD:

-The lack of resolution for last issue's ending is actually quite annoying. I'm sure it's happening for a reason, but it certainly made a lot of this issue feel unsatisfying.

-Eh. Verendi feels like yet another ridiculously bland bad guy organization. more

THE GOOD:

-This was the issue we needed.

-This art is top-tier.

-Every scene inside the mall was mind-blowing.

-This issue was actually rather disturbing.

-I love these characters so much.

-The Laughing Man's final form is just so weird and creepy. I love it.

-Wilfred and Angie's appearance couldn't have been more awesome and better timed.

-That ending was so good.

THE BAD:

-The only thing I would change about this would be the "You can't hurt me because I don't believe in you" cliche. more

THE GOOD:

-Perfect ending.

-This is some of the most unique looking art that's coming out right now.

-John Constantine is such an awesome character.

-It's nice to see comic with smaller villains. Big threats are important too, but it's refreshing when the hero isn't fighting some end of the world threat.

-This writing... it's so great, so distinctive.

-I liked how nicely things tied up. Wonderful payoffs this issue.

-It's so good to see Constantine defeating the villain with his wits and not in a huge fight.

THE BAD:

-Nothing I can think of. more

Harley the best mankind has to offer Lmao

Whatever drugs Ivy is taking she should definitely stop 😂

Well this issue has some interesting ideas like Ivy struggling with her original goal& with her friendship with Harley ( no love story mentioned here), but the power level of Poison Ivy is just ridiculous here. Ever since Kings HIC, rather DC in Crisis she shows powers she never had before. She is way too overpowered, which only was done to appeal more to some shipper girls on Twitter, who hate 80% of Ivy’s character anyway. The result is this mess of a story.
Instead of turning Ivy finally in the great villain she was, we get an open ending, where Harley just drives away without Ivy.
The entire fight Ivy& Harley have is pointless though, since Harley isn’t a hero. She is not redeemed in any way. Just saying I a hero/ I am good now doesn’t redeem her. So just bad writing once again.

Overall what a waste of paper this story was. I am even more of Harley thanks to this story & Ivy is getting on my nerves too .
more

Don’t listen to Mr. 5 Paragraphs, he hates everything, it was really enjoyable

Karl Marx once said "history repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce", and it'd take special kind of "genius" to dissagree with that. You see, DC and WB failed with Suicide Squad in 2016 - a movie so bad, it has become a running joke despised by everyone and their moms, panned for its Hot Topic trailer trash aethetic, Joker and Harley having scribbles tattooed on their damn faces, and lack of any real script connecting (awful) scenes together. It was very much a tragedy for the DCEU, already hit hard by BvS' fiasco. One that basically solidified DCEU's status of a terrible, terrible franchise with no hope for the future.
Fast forward to 2020, WB released Birds of Prey, which bombed so hard in the box office, Middle Eastern civilians could confuse it for an American drone. This time it wasn't a tragedy - it was very much a farce, since WB made the very same mistakes as before, expecting different results, which as the saying says, defines insanity. Damage control in form of quick name change won't help, when the main character's face looks like a detention desk, and the movie is as comic accurate as Halle Berry's Catwoman. It clearly doesn't appeal to fans, so the only way to get to them is through what they love - which is comics. DC decided to promote this trainwreck of a movie with a series loosely based on it. In theory it wouldn't be a bad idea, in practice, however, it all derails and crashes hard. Life's good sometimes, isn't it?

The fundamental problem of the comic is, it's written by Palmiotti and Conner, who sure, may have brought Harley to new heights of popularity, simultaneously depraved her as complexity, turned her into a shallow gimmicky shadow of her past pre New 52 self. Now imagine them doing the ssame to several other characters in this book, and yeah, you get the idea what we're dealing with here. They got an order from corporate suits: "we make a flick with these characters, give 'em a comic as well", and that's what happened. It exists exclusively because someone ordered it, not because it has any purpose or interesting story to tell.
Funnily enough, Conner and Palmiotti's writing targets, I presume, age group of 12-15, judging by the quality of dialogues and story, while the movie got R rating for reasons beyond my comprehension. This is some 4th dimensional chess WB's been playing. So good luck finding common audience for both of these!

Artwork iss this comic's only saving grace. It's good. Not extraordinary, but definitely good. Characters are expresive and look sympathetic, welcoming to the reader. Or viewer, really, because a reader would notice how poor the story is.

Either way, Harley Quinn and the Bird of Prey is a corporate product existing because corporate execs at WB and DC didn't see the movie failing from a mile away, and wanted to cross-promote it. That's a skipper, unless you need a reminder that DCEU is dead, and DCEU killed it. more

It's a hell of a lot better than Tom King's trash run.

Good issue. It feels like a classic villain team up story. I especially liked the scene between Riddler& Catwoman. It was fun to see Riddler casting some doubt in Catwoman‘s relationship. Would be great, if Tynion finally ended this terrible Catbat relationship King built. But I doubt it. DC is constantly ruining characters, so why would Catwoman be the exception?
Penguin‘s scene was also nice to read. However I am annoyed, that Harley is once again in this story. DC is forcing her into everything. Would have prefered if Scarecrow or Mister Freeze was involved in this instead of her for the thousand time. So the story might turn pretty bad in future issue.

The art is really cool, so this issue might be worth it for The art along. DC definitely should keep the artist.
So overall good issue, that isnt boring. more