Harley Quinn #20 took Harley to Hollywood and like most issues it was weird, random, violent and a lot of fun. This is the type of issue that shows you, you can’t put Harley Quinn into the villain, hero or anti-hero box. She’s in a whole other category of her own.
Non-spoiler thoughts first on Harley Quinn #20: Another fun issue! With this series you know exactly what you’re going to get consistently. Harley in strange situations, meeting weird people and having lots of violent fun on the way. And that’s exactly what we got this issue. In this issue she goes to Hollywood to track down a girl she was hired to find. Of course not all goes as plan (as per usual) and she ends up killing a bunch of people, meeting a new friend, and facing off with a familiar figure at the end. Overall a fun issue that you’ll enjoy, if you enjoy the character that is.
Okay spoilers for Harley Quinn #20 follow now.
So the issue starts off with a weird dream about a superhero plane and the Joker and Ivy being married. Yupp, weird dreams are pretty routine for Harley Quinn, and it’s only to be expected that her subconscious is full of random thoughts.
This issue sees Harley on a mission to find Sparrow as she was hired by her mother to find her (only because she was forced to hire Harley), worried that her daughter had been taken by a cult . It turns out that Sparrow’s mother had already hired someone before, who now wasn’t happy to find out that he had been replaced.
Anyways Harley ends up in Los Angeles, and kills a woman who was rude to her. She also finds a cowboy sidekick as they travel together to find Sparrow. Sparrow is eventually found safe, but she’s pretty messed up and Harley is determined to fix her!
And really that’s what’s great about Harley Quinn. One moment she’ll kill a person in a second if they’re rude to her or her friends, the next she’s back to being a crusader of justice, as she likes to call it. It’s why I will never get the “female Joker” comments people like to make. I’m pretty sure the Joker isn’t in the business of trying to help people. Harley Quinn #20 Review
Of course the meta-humour continues in Harley Quinn #20 (it’s only ever Jarvis or Alfred right?), as she meets a Harley Quinn cosplayer. This cosplayer of course is in the traditional 90s Batman: The Animated Series look, and the look many people claim is the definitive Harley Quinn look. Harley’s look in the current comics has been a major point of criticism by people, and this issue makes a comment about it. Thing is, with the erratic nature of Harley Quinn, there really can’t be just one definitive costume. She’s a wild character that does things on a whim. She will make 5 life changing decisions in the span of a minute and then move on to something else. So really having just one costume that she has to wear just seems a little ridiculous to me. And obviously Conner and Palmiotti think so too (shooting the Harley cosplayer in the foot after she makes a comment about actual Harley Quinn’s costume being a mess isn’t exactly very subtle).
One fight with a cat and hooker Wonder Woman later, Harley and Cowboy end up back in the motel where they are “fixing” Sparrow. However they are interrupted by the one and only Deadshot! Deadshot was of course the one who was initially hired to find Sparrow.
And for those of you who are non-Suicide Squad readers, Harley Quinn and Deadshot have quite the past. They were in a kind of relationship, it’s hard to describe, but they had a thing. And it wasn’t just sexual, they genuinely cared for each other, in fact Deadshot even killed himself (or so he thought) to save Harley’s life. That was until Suicide Squad went through different writers, and their relationship was just forgotten. Which was a shame, because the two of them were actually a really great fit.
Of course Deadshot and Harley Quinn are still in the Suicide Squad now, but this must take place during a different time (who really understands the continuity of these books anymore). Anyways it will be interesting to see if we’ll get anymore Harley/Deadshot romance, or if we’ll just see them try to kill each other. Either way I’m sure it will be interesting.
Overall Harley Quinn #20 was an adventurous tale that showed us the many facets of Harley Quinn: friend, violent killer and warrior for justice, whilst bringing in one of my favourite characters, Deadshot. Quite the entertaining read! 7.1/10.
Harley Quinn #20 written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti Art by John Timms
Categories: comic books
Girl-On-Comic-Book-World 
Regarding the “airport lady,” Harley may or may not have murdered her. She could’ve just beat her to a bloody pulp (but let her live just to teach her a lesson), and blood squirted out of her nose, or she spat out enough blood to have it land on her hand. Harley maybe crazy, but she ain’t stupid. Airport security beefed up big time since 9/11, and committing murder at LAX is an automatic death sentence to anyone and everyone. Then again, comic books are open for interpretation, and that’s the beauty of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person