Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass

such an amazing origin story to harley. would love a whole series!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me an e-ARC of Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki in exchange for an honest review. It’s absolutely zero secret that I love Harley Quinn; my thigh tattoo & Funko pop collection would clue you into that. No matter the amount of fictional characters that I fall in love with, no one has managed to knock Harley Quinn off the pedestal that I’ve placed her on. I heard about Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass at some point last year & quickly added it to my 2019 Anticipated Reads. I squealed when I received the e-mail stating that Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass was available to be read. Bless DC Ink & Netgalley for making my entire month. Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass is a coming-of-age story of our favorite DC anti-hero/villain (depending on how you look @ it..). Mariko Tamaki definitely took creative license & went her own way when it comes to Harley Quinn & the other Gothamites’ origin stories. Which is totally okay! I’m always here to see others’ visions & interpretations of the characters I love. As usual with any Harley Quinn story, I found myself getting emotionally attached. Yeah, it’s an issue that I have. I was so proud to see Harley Quinn making new friends in high school, especially when that main someone was none other than Ivy. There’s even a portion of Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass that reads, “From the moment Harleen met Ivy, she knew Ivy was a super special person” & I’m pretty sure that one line made my heart grow three more sizes. Ivy is a Woke Queen & so we get a lot of her standing up for the environment, obviously & female rights. A majority of the story shows Ivy & the gang trying to get the film club to show more films directed by females. Of course, in good ol’ Harley fashion, she takes things in her own violent & extreme ways. Although the Harley Quinn origin story may stray from comic canon, Mariko Tamiko still nailed it with her personality & dialogue. There’s some LGBTQ+ rep, because YASS! DRAG QUEENS! In fact, Harley moves in to an apartment building owned by Mama & their relationship is so stinkin’ precious. & Ivy is, of course, the lesbian that we all know & love. The Joker does have his part in this story which I won’t dive too deep into, because — well, spoilers & stuff. I have a love/hate relationship with The Joker that I will not discuss, because I’m not here for a Joker debate. There’s a plot twist I was kind of meh with & seen coming, but other than that, I was happy with the direction his story took. And illustrator, Steve Pugh did a heck of a job! I loved the character designs of Ivy & Harley & the rest of the cast! Everything looked amazing. As a dedicated Harley Quinn fan, I will say that this is a good & worth-it read. It does take a different path, in terms of origin, but it’s still fun & not a waste of time.

Harley Quinn : Breaking Glass was a fun read and I liked the ending but the beginning took me a very long time to get through. BUT I still love my girls Harley and Ivy! I loved the art in this and since I read an ARC most of it is in black and white but I can't wait to buy it and see how pretty it all comes together with colors included. Out of all the DC character comics coming out recently I wouldn't say it's my favorite but don't get me wrong I did enjoy it. I'm hoping it has a continuation because of the way it ended. If you're looking for a fun quick read and you love Harley Quinn then you should definitely give this a shot!