Harley Quinn: Black + White + Redder

by Chip Zdarsky, Kevin Maguire (Illustrator), Natacha Bustos (Illustrator)

The short tales of Gotham’s most unpredictable antihero unspool in black, white, and red ink (because she’s never seen the world in just black and white)!

Harley and Ivy deep into the heart of the Fortress of Solitude!

See into Harley’s teenage past as a high-flying gymnast with vengeance on her mind!

And send former Joker sidekicks Harley and Gaggy Gagsworthy on a heist that’s worth the risk…but can the pair walk out on their vendetta in 30 seconds flat when they feel the heat around the corner?

All these and more in Harley Black + White + Redder !

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

216 pages, Paperback

Published July 16, 2024

About the author

Chip Zdarsky is a Canadian comic book artist and journalist. He was born Steve Murray but is known by his fan base as Chip Zdarsky, and occasionally Todd Diamond. He writes and illustrates an advice column called Extremely Bad Advice for the Canadian national newspaper National Post's The Ampersand, their pop culture section's online edition. He is also the creator of Prison Funnies and Monster Cops.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Benjamin Kimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a Harley Quinn fan, so this book was a weird pick up for me. I got it because there were a lot of creators listed that in a big fan of, Zoe Thorogood, Bruno Redondo, Bilquis Evely, Chip Zdarsky, Kevin Maguire, Kelly Thompson, Deniz Camp, and many more. I ended up thoroughly enjoying all of the stories in this book. This anthology really helped me to appreciate the various aspects of Harley Quinn more, especially the tragedy in her. I’m glad I pick it up.

[Alex Sarll]

Sometimes you really notice the constraint in these two- or three-colour anthologies, but here it mostly feels natural, though some of the strips are formally playful in other ways, not least Bruno Redondo's, which also opens with Nightwing strapped to a giant dodo covered in explosives, and gets sillier from there. But it does that at the same time as digging into the complications of the character, which don't exactly go unaddressed elsewhere, but I'd love to know whether it was editorial edict or unspoken agreement which governed how little of the Joker we see here; even the story that features him most prominently is framed as an alternate reality where Dr Quinzel missed that fateful appointment, interviewed other villains first, and once she did meet him, realised he fundamentally wasn't that interesting. Still, for all that he's seldom seen, inevitably he looms large, to the extent that Kelly Thompson and Annie Wu can do a whole story about Harley bullying Zatanna into magicking her up a different origin story to get out of his shadow. Other stories find adjacent serious issues to address; abusive training regimes in youth gymnastics wasn't a topic I expected in this collection, but it works. My favourites, though, did tend to be the silliest: Chip Zdarsky clearly relishes getting JLI expressions out of Kevin Maguire when Harley and Ivy attempt a heist at the Fortress of Solitude, and Aditya Bidakar and Juni Ba do an adorable piece about Harley enlisting a small cat as a sidekick.

[Anders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge Harley fan or anything, but I have seen her several incarnations over the years. I picked up this volume cuz I saw Zdarsky's name on it and I liked his Batman stuff, but it turned out its a huge compilation with all different writers and artists. I won't try to keep up on all the names, but I was pleasantly surprised by this collection. It reminded me that comics can be funny! There are some duds, but most are pretty cool with good art and a decent if not interesting story. Many go meta or comment on Harley's changes over the years, others dwell on a specific one, and others invent completely new ones. All good stuff. And thankfully, Zdarsky's was one of the funniest, featuring a scene where Batman rebuffs Superman's invitations to the justice league's poker nights, for the nth time.

Definitely worth a read for even the most casual fans of the dc comic stuffs and Batman. Very casual reading.

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really entertaining collection of short stories featuring Harley Quinn. Different writers, different illustrators, consistently zany and over-the-top. The majority of the stories are brilliant, with only a few simply worth reading.
It features many different versions of Harley, from her original jester's outfit to Margot Robbie's version and everything in between. There's a great story that even focuses on this multitudinous aspect of her character.
Ideal for fans of the character, or for insane stories, this is a very satisfying collection.
The three tone effect actually felt more like a hallmark to the days when comics were limited to just three colours. As Harley is usually depicted in those three colours, she didn't look any different...

[Andrew Ives · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book consists of 6 comics, which are made up from 3 stories each, so a total of 18 short stories. Despite Batman featuring on the cover, he rarely puts in an appearance. I liked the black/white/red feel of the comics and the art is also occasionally very good, especially the cover pictures. However, the stories were mostly either stupid, unfunny, chaotic or just plain tiresome. I think the one with Commissioner Gordon in the diner was the only one I could say I actually liked. The mediaeval one with Ivy starts with some great artwork. The first one at Superman's Fortress of Solitude is also rather nicely drawn. The last one with Catwoman was ok-ish. The rest were eminently forgettable. 2.25/5

[Rhys Causon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do enjoy seeing how art that gets limited to three colours can still be eye catching and vibrant which helps some of the less interesting stories to still be engaging.

And as for the characterisation of Harley herself… it’s all over the place. Ranging from close to how she originally appeared in Batman the Animated Series to the crazy for crazy sake version of more modern Harley stories. Which is why I enjoyed the story that was basically Harley trying to work out what her place in DC comics was.

A good mix of stories and art though not all the art is for me and some of the stories are just too dull for me to enjoy.

[Blythe Penland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I picked this up at the library, but I'm very glad I did. I've been feeling very Harley Quinn myself these days, so it felt very apropos. Some of the stories I couldn't really follow, but others were such diamonds in the rough with such exquisite art, absolute masterpieces. I like that DC does crazy baths*t stuff like this. They explore the truth depth of Harley Quinn through all the different lenses of these authors and artists. I recommend this book to those looking to better understand the fantabulous Harley Quinn.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a couple of years since the last collection...

This is just as great as the last anthology. Harley Quinn stories by great writers WITH great artists? Hell yes! It has something for everyone. There's even a geriatric Harley story in there.
===
Bonus: Nice to see the stability of Harley's instability... she keeps changing (and winning)
Bonus Bonus: Harley in an Adam Strange space suit is EPIC

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

As to be expected with such a variety of creators, writing and art styles this collection has it's ups & downs, but the best (for me) were:
The Man of Steal! by Zdarsky & Maguire
Stacked Deck by Condon & Phillips
Harleys All The Way Down by Bruno Redondo, a brilliant meta and fourth wall breaking chase and discussion of Harley's place in DC.
The worst was 'Flight'...a dumb story that makes Harley look super stupid.

[Crazed8J8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read, as with the previous volume, there were some great stories and some lesser ones. Toward the end (Chapter 17, I believe) was one of the best. A variety of artists and story-tellers makes this a superb and enjoyable read. Highly recommended, but no real flow, as the stories are disconnected.

[Susana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like how Harley is evolving and changing over time. She has stepped out of Joker's shadow and become a main character in her own right.
Out of these 18 stories, a couple are just okay, but some others are funny, and a handful are truly inspiring, showcasing themes like sorority, friendship, personal growth, and human nature.
Plus, the artwork is great.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories all did a great job of showing Harley and her personality and adventures. The artists are all amazing also!

Fav stories;
#2, Push through the Pain
#4; origin stories for dummies
#9; the rebound
#10; Harley Quinn and the seven sidekicks

[Charli Huston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a simple girl of simple tastes…I see Harley Quinn, it’s an immediate yes!

Better than the first installation. Great stories, great artwork, lots of different versions of Harley 👍

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect if you’re in the mood for a fun, lighthearted read!

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the variety in the writing and art. Like most anthology's some are better than others. This one had a good variety.

[Amelia Kephart · Rating 4 out of 5]

dnf. good for people who like a ton of little stories in one big book. from what i read, they all have good writing and art. i just personally like one nice and long story

[Frizzy 2.0 - · Rating 2 out of 5]

🙂4 out of 10🙂

The DC Universe is my favorite superhero based setting. The darker themes are what attracts me to villains like Joker.

I thought this would be a terrific read, but it was below average for me. I won't remember most of these comics.

The most memorable one for me is 'Harley's Spirit'. The artwork was fun, and the time frame almost pinned it during the Witch Trials.

If you love variants, you might enjoy this collection of comics for Harley Quinn. I won't be quick to grab another collection, though. These all felt too safe for me, other than the one I mentioned.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all of the entries in this style of anthology, the results are inconsistent. Some are worth reading again and again, several others are real stinkers.