The first issue of Future State: Harley Quinn was one of my favourite Gotham based stories of Future State, not only was the writing just a joy to read, but the art was gorgeous, presenting one of the more pleasing reads in the entire Future State line. Sadly, the story comes to an end as the second and final issue hits shelves.
The first issue saw Harley being captured by the forces of the Magistrate, and the former villain Scarecrow, now seemingly having given up his masked persona and working for the private military group, trying to convince Harley to put her mind to the task of helping them capture the other rogues in Gotham City. Over the course of the book we saw her help with the capture of Proffessor Pyg and Firefly, winning herself some freedoms from the Magistrate in response. However, we learned that the the real target, the one that Professor Crane really wanted to get his hands on, was Black Mask.
This issue begins with Black Mask making an example of a local politician who was stealing money from him, funnelling it to the Magistrate instead of Black Mask. Obviously, Black Mask isn't a big fan of this and proceeds to make a brutal example of the man. This is where we then get to see Harley join Crane and the Magistrate forces on a hunt through the crime scene, trying to find anything that might lead them to the villain.
As with the first issue, it proves to be Harley's mind that's the best tool for the job here, and she not only figures out the best way to track down Black Mask, drawing upon her own experience with the Joker to do so, but also manages to get under Crane's skin in the process. When the Magistrate fail to capture Black Mask Crane seems to snap, and a final showdown ensues with Harley, Black Mask, and Scarecrow.
I loved the fact that all it took to break Crane in this issue, to draw him back to his masked persona, was a little bit of clever goading by Harley. She saw the cracks around Crane and knew exactly where to apply the pressure to bring out his villainous self. Despite the three villains of this issue all being pretty similar in strengths and abilities, they're all regular human beings for example, it's this intelligence that Harley has that ultimately allows her to come out on top, to be the one to walk away into the night whilst Crane and Black Mask end up being arrested by the Magistrate.
If there's one thing that this book has done wonderfully it's show that under the bright outfits and the witty dialogue Harley Quinn is a character that's a lot more formidable than people give her credit for. Not because of any powers, not because of her fighting ability, but because she's smart. Shes's a character that plays down her intelligence, that relies on wackiness to make people thing she's an idiot, where in reality she's several moves ahead. It's a part of her character that often gets overlooked, but Stephanie Phillips seems to not just acknowledge, but make one of her defining attributes. It's something that I'm super excited to see her tackle more in Harley's ongoing series starting next month, a book that I'm confident will become a firm favourite of mine.
As with the first issue, the book has some absolutely gorgeous artwork inside it, with Toni Infante and Tamara Bonvillain creating easily the best looking book in Future State. Like I said in the issue one review the art at times looks more like stills from a gorgeous animated movie than a traditional comic, but it works oh so well here. The slightly more futuristic Gotham looks gorgeous, and the design for Black Mask is one of the best the character has had, with stunning gold highlights to his mask, and a big furry collar on his coat, he cuts a truly striking figure in a book filled with amazing looking characters.
I'm genuinely sad to see this series end, but it's got me eager to see what Stephanie Phillips does with the ongoing series.
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