Gorgeous art, but the monochrome coloring made my eyes slide off the page - it's hard to engage with, and it all blurs together. Great to look at the images, but not so good for storytelling. I also found the story overwritten, but perhaps that's because I didn't want to spend that much time with this character. I know she's got a ton of fans, but I don't find the controlled anarchy entertaining.

This was the perfect read for pride month. A found family building full of drag queens taking care of a young bisexual Harley Quinn who is trying to discover for herself what path she should take: Joker's, Ivy's, or forging her own?

The world isn't just angels and devils. Sometimes there are Ivys. Sometimes there are Jokers– and sometimes there's a Harley Quinn who is the sneakiest of all.

She's nobody's angel, definitely not a cheerleader sidekick in a tutu, but she's figuring out that she can save the Queens and Ivys of this world if she's got the guts to.

Harleen Quinzel: high school student by day, masked harlequin by night.

If there is anything that comic books love to revisit, it's a good old-fashioned origin story.
By now we've seen several adaptations (for better or worse) of Harley Quinn's origins since her original 1992 Batman: The Animated Series debut. And it is safe to say that she has had a lot of growth since her introduction as 'The Joker's Girlfriend'. Today the blonde bubbly anti-hero has become an icon of independence, self-confidence, and LGBTQIA+ acceptance.

Suffice to say, many of these characteristics shine through in Tamaki's writing. In DC YA fashion, this graphic novel is another 'Elseworlds' tale- woven as a quirky 'what if' with a phenomenal open ending. (I really do hope there is a sequel to this one because I have some sneaky suspicions about some of the key players.)

Here we see Harleen transferred to Gotham High where we meet black activist Ivy and a strong supporting cast of body-positive drag queens. What else could be more Gotham City than that? (I mean, Gotham does take its name from Gotham, New York after all.)
The high school monotony is quickly disturbed and when matters hit close to Harley's home she decides to take matters into her own hands.

Not only is this story an excellent romp through Gotham Central Park: it mixes in a fair bit of counter-cultural and feminist debate with a loveable narrator for good measure. If that doesn't grab you, then the artwork definitely should. Primarily done in black and white, the emphasis is placed on the splashes of color interspersed throughout.

For fans of Harley Quinn, this one is worth checking out.

[Thank you NetGalley and DC Entertainment for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.]

There are many loveable aspects of this book: Harley's adopted family and Ivy's passion are just two notable examples. Unfortunately, there are numerous pieces that were created at the detriment of the core characters Tamaki was reimagining. For example, Ivy's concern for the environment seemed secondary (if that) to her other social justice issues. A book about this new character, separate from a well-established Ivy, would be welcomed. Reimagining a current, beloved character and removing essential pieces of their core feels unauthentic and difficult to enjoy. The book has various examples of issues such as this.

Altogether, this book would have been better if it did not try to take the name recognition of popular DC characters.

I’m absolutely in love with Harley Quinn’s character. She’s so out there and open spirited, obsessive and crazy but adds to her charm and weirdness.
This is another great spin off retelling esque of the character that I quite enjoyed. The artwork style was super fun and probably up there with being a favorite color scheme of mine.

Delightful! Just everything I needed and more.
Young Harleen Quinzel, moves to Gotham and ends up living with Drag Queens. I --- never knew I needed it, but I'm so happy it exists.

Nuanced things could be said about gentrification, prejudice, systematic oppression, boogers, and privilege. As per usual, I don't feel like I can say those nuanced things, but trust that they are there, and they are done well. The addition of a younger Ivy was also *chefs kiss* just lovely.

So I'll be screaming from the rooftop for a whole long time, and and I will allow the quote "Sometimes a glass slipper is a glass slipper, and sometimes it's an invitiation to a chicken place" with me forever.

Thank you to Negalley and DC Entertainment for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book.

To start off, I really like the story of Harley Quinn. However...this origin story was amazing and I really loved it! It was quick, clever, and it really stuck with me! I loved the art and the way she met so many of the other characters we love from the comics and shows. I fully approve of this graphic novel and will definitely be reading something else by this author again.

It doesn't match the canon story, but that didn't bother me in this case. Four out of five from me.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection and will recommend it to students.

I really enjoyed this take on Harley Quinn. Mariko Tamaki is a great writer and really gets the teen voice down. I liked it because it deals with the question of how do you make changes in the world? There's the Joker who is all about destruction and chaos, and on the other side there's Poison Ivy who is working to make the neighborhood better through actual work and campaigning.

This is not the strongest entry into the DC young adult graphic novel series but it's an enjoyable book if you are a fan of Harley. The art style is not my favorite but pretty in its own way.

Mariko Tamaki is great. Harley Quinn is great. This book is great, and was one of my favorites from 2019. I recommended it to everyone who would listen and a few people who wouldn't.

This was a fun and interesting read with Harley Quinn at the forefront. I enjoyed the storyline and the artwork, even though, as an almost 30-year-old woman, I'm not the target audience.
This is a great start to introducing new readers to the DC universe and seeing Harley's origins. Well done!

This was fun but generally not my cup of tea. I can't fault it for not being the intended audience though!

DC comics has established a line of graphic novels meant for young readers. Dc Kids and DC Ink. Both of which are absolutely incredible. If you noticed the featured image at the top of this post, then you have noticed the DC Ink version of Harley Quinn Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki with art by Steve Pugh. Basically, Harley is sent to live with her grandmother, who had unfortunately passed by the time she arrived. The apartment complex is run by drag queens who somewhat take Harley in as they try to figure out what to do with her since she is still a minor. She still attends high school where she becomes an activist for the social policies that are changing in their community. This novel was incredibly fun and so well written. It changes the dynamic of the typical Harley upbringing, but this is to introduce her to a younger crowd, and which was done so well with bringing new dynamics into storylines. This was one of the first DC Ink novels I read and is still, by far, one of my favorites. As the story progresses issues of social injustice arise. Yet Harley is seen handling these issues as a character who is extremely driven, intelligent, and independent. All of these aspects work perfect for the 13-17 age group that this publication covers. Also, let me just add that a Harley REFUSES to wear a skimpy outfit in this novel. She absolutely refuses to sexualize herself and was not afraid to tell them no.
This transformation is changing the way we see Harley as a character. She is no longer being seen as just for laughs, or a sexy side-character. I highly encourage you to look at reviews and who is creating them before picking up this novel. Most of the negative ones are from middle aged men. Please tell me how that empty misogynistic mind is going to help encourage these younger readers to pick up this novel? What is that review telling them or encouraging?
Well done DC, and thank you so much for doing this for our young readers.

I think people could be a lot of things. Things you did not expect.
The graphic novel was amazing. I enjoyed reading it.

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki is great graphic novel about well-known character Harley Quinn. An origin story of Harley Quinn shows Harley as a teenager in Gotham. It is fun, the art is great, and it even includes the Joker.

The only way I could have loved this book more was if they had actually gone for a Harley/Ivy/Joker love triangle, but friendship triangle is good too. This was a great reframing of Harley as a character and her journey as she tries to find out who she should be. I want good things for her, but sadly, it seems unlikely she'll get them.

Teen Harley Quinn arrives at her grandmother's apartment only to find out that grandma has died. The apartment manager, Mama, takes her on and envelops her into his lovely group of drag queens (and surrogate moms). She enrolls in the local high school, makes friends with a passionate activist, Ivy, and enemies with the local little-rich-boy, John Kane. Harley soon finds her friends at odds with the wealthy Kanes who are destroying the neighborhood by tearing down homes, including Harley’s, and building towers. Harley has a history of violence and retribution, is easily agitated, and has not yet figured out angels from devils. She gets roped by with the enigmatic Joker not realizing he is one of the devils her mother warned her about and manages to get herself in so much trouble that she is forced underground.
As I am not familiar with the Batman universe, I did not know that “historically” Harlequin was the Joker’s girlfriend until they had a falling out. In this rendition of the story, Harley was never friends with the Joker and quickly becomes his enemy. She is a complicated character with a weird vocabulary (booger is often repeated) and a firm sense of loyalty and willingness to fight for what she perceives as right. The title will appeal to younger teens as well as adult graphic novel readers and Gotham fans.

I think that people need to keep in mind while they are reviewing this book that it is geared towards middle schoolers. Not high schoolers or adults. It is going to be simpler and easier to understand. With that in mind I really enjoyed this comic. I think this is a good introduction for any middle schooler who wants to get into Harley Quinn and the lore of Gotham. I thought that the artwork was cute (again, it is for children) and I liked the story. I thought that it was a good introduction for kids to get into this world and encourage them to read more comics. I think this would be a great addition to any library or personal collection!

The art of this graphic novel is fantastic; very smooth shading and highly detailed. The story is a little heavy on the whimsy, but since this is a teen interpretation of Harley, it makes sense to go hard on the cute factor. Tamaki does a good job of working up to Harley's darkness (and the darkness of the story). I do appreciate that the Joker of this version is essentially a hipster in the making, because no one wants to listen to white boys talk about film. His costume was also a wonderfully creepy interpretation of the Joker persona.

In general, I loved this re-interpretation of these characters, with Ivy being the weakest and least involved, sadly. Her family and places important to her were important to the plot, but she herself felt kind of scarce. I think I've heard there will be a sequel to this, so hopefully that was all buildup to a stronger connection between Ivy and Harley. Overall, absolutely worth a read, if nothing else than for the art and the fantastic drag queen names.