I’ve got the perfect name for Harley’s tell-all book: Fifty Shades Of Mistah J.
Batman: Gotham Adventures #10
DC Comics (March, 1999)
“Mightier Than The Sword”
WRITER: Ty Templeton
PENCILER: Rick Burchett
INKER: Terry Beatty
COLORIST: Lee Loughridge
SEPARATIONS: Zylonol
LETTERER: Tim Harkins
EDITOR: Darren Vincenzo
Harley’s been declared sane and released. Word is out she plans to write a book, which the gossip reporter claims is a tell-all about her time as the Joker’s henchwoman. For some reason the insane psycho clown man doesn’t like that. Shocking. Stealing Harley’s escape attempt, the Joker goes after her. The editor tries to hide her, and Nightwing and Robin try to protect her but the Joker finds her anyway. And she beats the crap out of him! Oh, and the book isn’t a tell-all, but a romance novel in which the master criminal falls in love with superhero Owlman.
What they got right: The gossip reporter also spots Bruce and Barbara together, which may be a nod to where their relationship actually went by the time of Batman Beyond, and there’s a nod to Salman Rushdie that will go over the kids’s head but works for the adult readers. Probably the best part of the story is Harley Quinn, poster child for abusive relationships, actually stands up to the Joker and the only reason she doesn’t kill him is she wants to stat out of Arkham.
What they got wrong: Unfortunately that will be undone. The show itself doesn’t make this canon like they did Mad Love, The Lost Years, and a Christmas special to come so Harley will still be in her abusive relationship until the flashback events of Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker, and that’s only because of what happens to him. So it kind of ruins the positives in this story.
Recommendation: Nevertheless this is a good Harley story and the comic will come back to Harley’s book in a later story. Worth picking up.
