Harley Quinn #30 Review and **SPOILERS**

Dishonor Hizzoner

Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti & Amanda Conner 

Artist: John Timms 

Colors: Alex Sinclair with Jeremiah Skipper 

Letters: Dave Sharpe 

Cover: Amanda Conner & Alex Sinclair 

Cover Price: $2.99 

On Sale Date: October 18, 2017

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Now that we know Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner will be leaving this title after issue #34, I expect we’re going to get a lot of storylines wrapping up and table-setting for the next writer, Frank Tieri. Plus, Harley Quinn is still running for the Mayor of New York City. Let’s jump into the beginning of the end of a long run of Harley Quinn with my review of issue #30!

Explain It!

They say politics is the business of dirty tricks and, in at least one instance, Tricky Dicks. But that’s just the common way it’s been handled, since time immemorial, even “good” politicians tainted by those “necessary evils” that we’re told are the “business of politics.” Endquote. But what if it wasn’t this way? What if the people involved in legislating were interested only in the common good? What would that look like, and how would it be employed? Can someone “playing politics” really ever keep their ear to the street?

If you’re Harley Quinn, you dress up as a homeless person and eavesdrop on passers-by. Having brushed off any controversy from the on-air fear gas-induced attack on her opponents during a televised debate in the last issue—indeed, her freak out has only bolstered her poll numbers—Harley decides she can get a last push by having her BFF and lover Poison Ivy expand Manhattan’s Central Park a few blocks in every direction. Yes, the very thing Poison Ivy normally does to hold cities in her thrall is being used to grab votes. Committing crimes live on television garnered Harley some extra percentage points, so why not try it again? And it works, despite some grumbling from residents and city employees.

Harley is riding high and ready to take down that nasty Mayor DePerto and his assistand Madison Berkowitz, who are meanwhile being terrorized by the Scarecrow. He wants his fee, but the Mayor thinks he shouldn’t have to pay it since his fear gas only helped Harley in this political race. That’s a bad stance to take with Scarecrow, who delves into the Mayor’s brain to find out his greatest fear: to be utterly subjugated and humilitated by Harley Quinn. That’s a weirdly specific fear to have, but there you have it. Later, Quinn is prepared to kick DePerto’s butt in another debate, but he has Eggy and her main squeeze Mason held hostage, forcing her to drop out of the Mayoral race!

There’s also a lot of place-setting for the post-Palmiotti/Conner issues, mostly in the form of a long conversation between Mason and Harley, and then a blessing given by Mason’s Ma. Looks like Harley and Mason will move to Florida, hijinx will ensue? This issue was really flat. The fact that the big, stunning move by Scarecrow was nullified by Harley’s rabid voting base, while analogously true to real life, felt like a narrative cop-out. The rest of the issue was that conversation with Mason and Harley going to the debate. Oh, and Poison Ivy doing the Central Park thing, which has such little consequence that I forgot it happened. I don’t know if these missed opportunities harken the shift this book will have when Frank Tieri takes over, but I sure hope not.

Bits and Pieces:

A dropped ball from last issue and a fumble in this leads to multiple field goals from the opposing quarterback. Or something like that. Very little of consequence happens in this issue, but you'll get a whiff of what's to come when Frank Tieri takes over in five issues. So that's something.

6/10