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.

I feel like I liked the idea behind this story and how Harley was lashing out and fighting back against the system and how she wanted to help everyone. But I don’t know if i was a fan of the way the story turned out. Like with the Catwoman graphic novel, the story just didn’t quite do what I was expecting and I guess I just wanted something more....positive? I don’t really know.

Really enjoyed this Harley Quinn origin story! It was fun to see teen aged Harley and Poison Ivy, and the family that took Harley in. I was a little unimpressed by the Joker's first look, but hey, he grew out of it. The coloring and designs were well done, and the story telling was great.

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass takes a few liberties with Harley's story but stays true to her character. From meeting Ivy to the queens that taught her to love being a clown, the story entertains as Harley makes her own way to wrong injustice and comes out swinging with her bat. Geared toward older teens, the story can be read by kids and adults alike for a laughing good time full of diversity and fun. The art is cutesy and perfect for Harley and the colors are little monochromatic to set the mood. As a Harley fan, I enjoyed the new take on Harley. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

I really wanted to like this one. I think Harley is an amazing character, but I just don't think this book really captures her. I think the high school setting did not work this book or for Harley's character. I also wasn't crazy about the artwork which wasn't really my style.

Man, this seemed like such a good idea.

Take Harley Quinn, everyone's favorite lovable psychopath, and send her back to her high school days. There, she meets Ivy, a vegetarian fighting for human rights, and John Kane, a rich asshole who desperately needs a mallet to the face. Harley lives with drag queens and eats nothing but chocolate and peanut butter bars. She's the perfect YA unvillain.

As the book spells out for you, this is basically a fairy tale retelling, without the fairy tale part.

This seems like SUCH a good idea. But there's a problem.

Harley's brand of psychotic is not meant for YA. She's utterly and completely damaged, and while in her solo comics she's lovably so, that doesn't work in this arena.

Props to Tamaki for not making the relationship between Harley and the Joker into a romance, but we were tilting towards that direction before she self corrected, and I'll take it.

I don't know if this is going to be a one off, but I really hope so. Leave Harley to the adults. Let kids find it on their own, without dumbing it down. Even if it is done with beautiful art.

I had a hard time putting down Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass. It was a story that had comedy, action, drama and plenty of huge explosions. Hearing this tale through the voice of the anti-hero herself made it that much more fun to read. There were times when it wasn’t clear what was going to happen next but the journey was never boring or dull. If you are a fan of this character then you might want to check this graphic novel out.

While I liked elements of this Harley Quinn tale, some of the setting/context/characters didn't sit so well with me.
Harley's drag queen family? Cool. The fact they're supporting? Eeeeeeh ...
The Gotham High setting? Cool. Putting everyone in a high school setting? Eeeeeeh ...
The film club and Joker plot lines? Eeeeeeh ...

Harleen is sent to Gotham to live with her grandmother, but her life takes a drastic turn once she gets there. The story unfolds as the teen makes decisions, starts to discover who she is, makes friends, and faces danger, unfairness and bad people.

I love this new spin on a favorite character. Harley Quinn gets a bit of an update....she's facing current issues and learning as she goes. I like how she is portrayed as a strong, intelligent and driven teen, who also has some issues. She meets up with real evil....and makes some iffy decisions. The Joker is interesting and different in this story. At first, I just didn't want the character to be different. But as I saw more of the character and Harley's interactions with him, I found myself enjoying the change.

There is one point in the story where Harley refuses to put on a skimpy outfit and designs her own instead. I love that! She refuses to walk around half naked to gratify anyone else.....and designs something she wants to wear. She isn't afraid to say NO, I'm not going to wear that. Love it!

The storyline is well written and enjoyable. The artwork is great! Loved it! I'm curious where the story will go from here. I will definitely read the next graphic novel, if this continues as a series.

**I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book from DC Entertainment via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Harley Quinn is one of those characters that everyone loves no matter what she does and this graphic novel provides a new backstory for her that makes her actions understandable. When we meet Harley she is venturing to Gotham to live with her grandmother while her mom works on a cruise. When she arrives in Gotham she finds her grandmother has died but the landlord takes pity on her and allows her to stay, the landlord and the other drag queens of the building adopt into their family. While going to Gotham High she meets Ivy who becomes
her best friend, and through this friendship she is exposed the corrupt nature of Gotham. The Kane Corporation is slowly taking over Gotham and turning it into a capitalist society by taking down the mom and pop stores and putting in housing/etc.

Really loved this comic and the color choices for each chapter of the book all relate back to how Harley is feeling and reflect the underlying tension of the book so well. I would love for this to become a series and see it grow because Tamaki and Pugh really seem to understand the world of Gotham so well.

Ahahaha I frickin' loved it!! Now, look, I don't know much about Harley Quinn but this was a fun, mischievous little comic. Harley Quinn is shipped off to her "grandma's house" in Gotham City and is the new kid in high school. Hijinks may ensue!

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass from @netgalley, and I had such a great time reading it!

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass puts a fresh spin on @dccomics beloved Harley Quinn, following a young Harleen as she works to find how she fits into her new home. Nothing goes quite as planned for Harley, though, after she moves to Gotham to live with her grandmother. Upon arriving, she finds that a corporation is consuming Gotham, destroying families and homes to expand their enterprise. With her newfound friend Ivy by her side, she fights to stop the destruction of a city she’s learned to love, but when she’s approached with a proposal from a mysterious Joker, Harley must decide how best to save the day.

Author Mariko Tamaki creates a fantastic story in Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, one that explores many of today’s issues in the context of a superhero story. Gentrification, corporate greed and institutionalized sexism are all issues that Harley Quinn faces, making this one of the most important superhero stories you could read today. Art from Steve Pugh beautifully captures the spunk and fight in Harley’s character. I fell in love with the way that Poison Ivy was portrayed in this graphic novel, and I hope that we will see more of her character in the future!

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass comes out on September 3rd, and you will not want to miss it!

Randi’s Recommendation-
This book is a great starting point for people who want to read comics, but feel overwhelmed by the lengthy backstories required to understand many of the characters. As a stand-alone graphic novel, which is the first in a series of young adult titles coming to DC Comics, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass is welcoming to readers of all levels of superhero knowledge. Additionally, those who appreciate beautiful comic art will be dazzled by the work in this book.

This is definitely an origin story for the books! Harley is one of my favorite little naughty girls and this GN did her justice. From the beautiful art work, detailed story and flawless characters - in a very flawed way - every piece of this story worked for me.
I will admit that I am not a comic girl - I don't read the original comics, so this is me just loving her through the cartoons, movies and more. I felt like this really introduced Harley in a light that we hadn't seen before. I definitely enjoyed it!

Harley is one of my favorite characters. In this prequel, Harleen is a teenager who is rebelling against everything. Angry at the world, she can choose to fight the change with Ivy or team up with The Joker.

This is the first title in DC's line of original graphic novels for MidGrade and YA readers.

A good look at how the choices you make as a teenager can have long-reaching consequences. 

She is still the character we know and love, but here she is a teen and much more relatable to younger readers. 

I would recommend it if you are a DC lover too!

NetGalley/DC Ink  August 27, 2019

**Thank you DC Ink for gifting me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!**

I'm not a regular reading of DC nor do I have a favorite character from their universes, but Harley is well-known and I figured I'd give her newest comic a shot.

Being that this is an introduction and/or origin tale, it's fitting and relatable; this origin is different than others, where it begins with her life as a teen in high school and how she overcomes leaving her mom and living in a new city.

As a warning, there is a LOT of bullying.

**

PROS
+ art style
+ harley/ivy
+ die-hards of harley will enjoy the story for more content
+ great intro to harley and her origin (different than other origins), as it's more relatable

CONS
+ story not engaging
+ seems to be more geared to adult readers than teens/young adult based on dialogue and scenes of violence

I am so grateful to NetGalley for this ARC! I had requested it so long ago that I had almost forgotten it was in my queue until I got my acceptance email! I wasn't sure what to expect going in; all I knew is that I love Harley Quinn and I was so excited to see another new version of her. I fell in love with the character during the New 52 run of her comics, and from there I fell down a rabbit hole digging deeper into this anti-hero with so much love in her heart. I was so happy with what I found within these pages that after I finished, I cried.

We find ourselves in the midst of a teenage Harleen Quinzel. She has not yet donned her jester costume and harlequin mask, but she is an at-risk-teen of sorts; bouncing around from place to place with only $5 to her name. The main thing, though, is that she's happy. She sets off to Gotham to find her grandmother, only to learn that she passed away. She instead is greeted with her 'fairy godperson' who is a drag queen named Mama. Mama lets her live in her grandmother's old place, but insists that she goes to school and behaves. Harley does so, meeting Ivy, and deciding after watching her in a few classes that she is meant to be her friend. They brave the school's rich bullies and start up protests, giving Harleen a taste of rebellion.

Harleen spends her nights with the lovely ladies of Mama's drag club, and feels more at home than she ever has. Things start to go south as building after building in their neighborhood goes belly-up, and Harleen is face to face with someone who claims he can help. The Joker is played in such a fresh new way in this graphic novel, and his demeanor and even more simply, the mask he wears are so terrifying. He pushes Harleen further to the dark side, as the Joker always does, and she slowly finds her own way to Harley Quinn, a name given to her by one of her queens. In true Harley fashion, she does questionable things for a good reason. She is always there for the ones that she loves, even if it means that she'll hurt a few bad guys in the process.

I don't want to go too much into detail, but the story is so wonderfully spun. There was a reveal of a character that made me gasp out loud, and I so hope that this is the first in a series because I really want this storyline to continue! I liked the diversity in the book; the drag queens were so wonderful and they handled homophobia in such an empowering way. I loved that Ivy and her family were POC, and how racism and sexism were also extremely important issues within this novel. It made me so happy that Harley was in control of herself in this; in other versions of her story, she is a hapless pawn in the Joker's game. While he is still a figure in her not-quite-fairytale, he is more of a driving force for her in that she wants revenge, not his love. I like that what is most important to her is her friendships, and that she can hold her own and be her own person.

I went in expecting to love the story, but I had no idea how much it would truly effect me. The art was so incredibly beautiful that sometimes I had to stop and stare at a page for a few minutes, taking in Harley's incredibly expressive eyes or the pops of red on an otherwise muted screen. This is one of the best versions of Harley that I've read so far, and I want so badly for it to continue. I think this will go a long way with teenagers who love superheroes, showing them that they have their own power and that for better or for worse, it is their decision how to use it. They are not defined by their parents, the place they come from, how much money they have, or their friends or loved ones. They can take the hand they were dealt and play it with confidence, knowing that they can make a difference in their own way. This book really touched my heart. Thank you, DC, and thank you Mariko Tamaki!

I'm a big fan of Mariko Tamaki, having particularly enjoyed her take on Supergirl with "Being Super." Harley Quinn isn't a character that does much for me. Still, I was anxious to read this because of the author. I have give props for retelling the origin in a way that still works with the character we know, while stripping away the darker, pseudo-sexual parts. With the way this character is being used now, that makes absolute sense. I just wish this was better. The evil rich tycoon is an overused villain and I thought going to that well lacked teeth. I also found some of the supporting cast, Mama in particular, to rely on dated stereotypes. That being said, the art was good, and Harley and Ivy have a relationship that is engaging. I also enjoyed this take on a proto-Joker and felt that Bruce Wayne was used just enough. There were things to like about this, but as a whole, I think it falls short.

First, a thank you to Edelweiss and DC Ink for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In DC's latest graphic novel offering, young Harleen Quinzel is sent to live with her grandmother, but instead is "adopted" by Mama and a group of drag queens. Harleen meets her new friend Ivy, an activist, at school, and swept up in the activism, accidentally starts to take things a little too far thanks to her new mysterious pal "The Joker."
I love Tamaki's writing style and the fairy tale allusions were just the right amount (although Harleen's jailed friends may disagree, HA!) Although a little more text-heavy than graphic novels I am used to, the story flowed and Harleen's voice was strong and clear with just a touch of her future madness underneath. The art was extremely strong, seemingly borrowing from Margot Robbie's looks as Harley Quinn while melding different incarnations of her costumes from over the years.
My criticism of the book is simply that I would have liked it better if it was new characters entirely. This being the story of Harley Quinn did not enhance my reading, rather unnerved me knowing what awaits her in the future (being in love with the Joker, etc.) The only character that was enhanced by my knowledge of the comics was Ivy who never turns into "Poison Ivy" during this book. Perhaps setting up for a sequel??
A strong offering for teens looking for a distinct (and maybe just a little weird) voice in their graphic novels.

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass kicks off a line of stand-alone stories from DC Ink, a new imprint of DC Comics aimed at young adult readers. While the story and characters take their inspiration from existing DC content, Breaking Glass does not fit into established the comics canon or current comics universe from DC’s main titles.
[read the rest of my review here: http://www.noflyingnotights.com/blog/2019/08/12/harley-quinn-breaking-glass/]

AMAZING!!! I love this twist on an origin story of a character that more often just gets sidelined as a sidekick. The modernization of Harley's origin is a great new look at this beloved character.