2. Harley Quinn #1 by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Chad Hardin (DC)
How has it taken this long to get Harley into roller derby? The way Amanda Conner draws her on the cover makes her look like she was created for just that sport! Isn't that cover great? Conner unfortunately doesn't draw the comic inside but she writes it with her brilliant hubby Jimmy Palmiotti with some terrific art from Chad Hardin. Harley's had her stuff blown up by Mistah J and discovered that an old patient of hers from Arkham Asylum left her a Coney Island apartment building in his will. But as perfect as her new digs look - situated above a freakshow next to a carnival - there's always a catch. She's got to play landlord and collect the rent from her freakshow tenants, make up the building's deficit by getting not one but two jobs AND someone's put a hit out on her and she's got to shake assassins off her tail. On the bright side she's got her trusty mallet, a stuffed talking gopher that only she can hear and a recently liberated dachshund. I'm just thankful this isn't the godawful Suicide Squad! Conner/Palmiotti hit the ground running in this first issue with an amazing opening scene. Multiple things are happening at once: Harley's moving to Coney Island, she gets her new dog AND tortures a hipster who has one of those stupid twisty moustaches, and fights an assassin with her mallet. It's the perfect opening sequence that ticks all the boxes for character, plot, and storytelling. Throw in Hardin's impressive art and we're off to a flying start! Like a lot of first issues, there's a lot of table-setting but Conner/Palmiotti make it seem so natural and, more importantly, enjoyable to read that it's the perfect mix of entertainment and forward-moving storytelling. And then there's the roller derby scene. There's so much going on in this first issue - all of it easy to follow, really fun and imaginative - that you just know this series is going to be a blast, it's got so many directions it could go; but I feel like if the comic were just about Harley becoming involved in a roller derby league, that would be enough for me! The looks on her face as she smashes her way through tryouts to become a member of the team, plus her outfit, are fantastic and the best. If this issue is your first introduction to the character, you'll love her by the end of the comic. The #0 issue last month was fun for its various artistic interpretations of this great character that was deliberately all over the map story-wise, but with issue #1 we also get a great story to go with the wonderful art. Harley Quinn #1 is an awesome start to one of the most entertaining New 52 titles I've read yet. Bravo, Amanda/Jimmy/Chad, more, more!