Harley Quinn, Vol. 4: Task Force XX

Harley Quinn (2021) #4

by Stephanie Phillips, Georges Duarte (Illustrator)

One small step for the Gotham villains, one giant leap for clown-kind!

That’s right…this fashionably vocal clown is headed to space. Turns out there’s some old experiment left in the JLA moon base, and Luke Fox has put together a team of former villains to help clean up the mess.

Sendin’ a buncha villains to the moon…? What could go right? Join me, Killer Frost, Bronze Tiger, Solomon Grundy, and more as we learn to moonwalk and put the X in Task Force XX!

Harley Quinn Vol. 4: Task Force XX collects Harley Quinn #18-21, Harley Quinn 2022 Annual #1, and Shadow War Zone #1!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction, Superheroes, Batman

168 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 2023

Reviews

[Giacomo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Per adesso è la parte più sottotono della run di Phillips, per me.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t a huge fan of this Task Force XX storyline and much prefer Harley working through things mostly on her own. If I wanted to read a Suicide Squad book, I’d pick up a Suicide Squad book. I just feel that this title should be different.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harley Quinn goes galactic as she and a hastily assembled Suicide Squad head into space to stop a parasitic monster across four issues and an annual.

The problem with this story is that it's not really about Harley. After the last three volumes that had her firmly in the spotlight, it feels like Harley takes a back-seat to all the weirdness on display. It's a big swing, and it's a big miss for me personally. I'd gotten into this series because it seemed interested in drilling into Harley's new almost-heroic persona, and while a superhero team-up is a natural extension of that idea, this isn't it. There's a lot of convenient character moments because Luke Fox managed to pick just the right people for this mission despite having no idea how wildly out of hand it was going to get.

Artwise, Georges Duarte managed to draw three of the issues and part of the annual (this story was released weekly in single issues) so that's pretty impressive, and then Simone Buonfantino and David Baldeon wrap up the bits he missed. It's definitely a more straight forward art style after eighteen issues of Riley Rossmo.

Definitely not the best arc of this series, but I applaud it for the attempt. The best bit is actually the back-up in the annual that sets up the final arc of Stephanie Phillips' run, where things get really batshit.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read the last two volumes, but, compared with Vol 1.... well, the art's a lot better, but we're going for something that's more straight-up comedy, which may, or may not, be to your taste. Certainly, there isn't much depth in this, and you have to be in the mood for crazy high-jinks, in what's essentially a spoof of Suicide Squad.

The story sees Harley forced to team up with other semi-reformed supervillains to deal with a menace at the JLA's abandoned moonbase. There's fun with space travel, a hostile alien that keeps making pop culture references and, of course, Harley's general craziness. The more serious side is supposed to be provided by Lucas Fox trying to decide what his legacy as Batwing really means and where he should go next with it... but that part doesn't work all that well, and feels a bit tacked on. But if you don't want any more than a crazy comedy playing with the tropes of Suicide Squad with some cheesy sci-fi elements thrown in, then this delivers what it's aiming to.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better art...
Same chaos in storytelling (ADHD Harley all the way)

Here, she gets abducted and told she's now part of Luke Fox's (ye old Batwing) super-being team (NOT a Suicide Squad). The team? It's Harley, Solomon Grundy (good ol'S.G.), Lashina(Apokolips much?), Bronze Tiger(generic fighter #7), Dreadbolt (RIP), Killer Frost (remember her and Harley as teammates?) and Verdict(meh).

They're after Element X which was left up on the old moon base of the JLA.
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Not a Suicide Squad story, but a Suicide Squad story. The art is sooooo much better in this volume. Looks like we're at another character shift for Harley. New environs. New background characters. Looks promising. It's a lot like Marvel's Gwenpool (kinda miss that series)
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Bonus: Who else called Dreadbolt's death? Teleporting yourself is one thing, but your SPACESUIT?

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
Luke Fox is gathering together a team to send to the old Justice League base on the Moon, and he taps Harley to tag along! The Harley-dubbed "Task Force XX" is made up of: Harley Quinn, Solomon Grundy, Lashina, Bronze Tiger, Killer Frost and Verdict. They do find a horrible monster there and eventually are able to defeat it back on Earth. Harley uses the money she makes from the job to hole up in Vegas for a while.
This Volume was a really basic, straight-forward story. Always fun, HQ brings an feel-good element to the DCU, and I will probably continue to read this title as long as I can.
Recommend, especially if you love self-contained stories.

[goblin_ghoulz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don’t get me wrong, the art is really gorgeous but I had time coming from Rossmo’s art to this, and the story just felt out of place with the new series. Since I’ve already started vol 5, this one didn’t have the same fun goofy and slice of life atmosphere as the first half of the series. It didn’t quite fit and I get that it’s like a suicide squad throwback but that’s just not my fav.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Kinda dumb, but cute, and it's such a relief to have a new artist on this book whose work doesn't hurt my eyes. It was fun to see Bronze Tiger & Lashina, and this is the least boring Luke Fox has maybe ever been... for all that's worth.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most fun and engaging comic I’ve read in time. Usually need a big emotional punch to enjoy a tradepaperback but this was just an rle well told and visually stunning arc. Great space run.

[H.C TOWERS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't know if its getting better or worst

I can't describe the art worl is very distracting from the actual story but its a ok story to read on a lazy afternoon

[Charlie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This felt more like a Batwing comic then a Harley Quinn novel - had it been presented as such or even like, a suicide squad team up it would have been a fun ode to Alien

[Zachary King · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might have rated this lower a year ago, but it’s nice to read a Harley adventure that isn’t all fourth-wall breaks and fart jokes.