I really love that the graphic novels are making a huge come back with the heroes and villains we know and love. I enjoy getting to see a little more background information on them and this novel was a quick read, entertaining, and really encompassed the personality of Harley Quinn in my opinion.

*Received via NetGalley for review*

This retelling of Harley Quinn's story thankfully omits the abusive relationship with the Joker and focuses on the girl herself, and young teenager living with drag queens and making friends with Ivy.

Harley is clearly already mentally unstable (and very annoying), dressing up in harlequin makeup whenever she can and regularly skipping school, doing whatever she wants. Ivy the eco-warrior is her only friend, and she latches to her and attempts to encourage her to go bigger and more dangerous. When she eventually meets up with the Joker, we can immediately see why what he offers is so attractive to her, even though she can't trust him.

It's not quite in black-and-white, but rather in a kind of sepia: lots of muted tones and shades of blue and grey, with pops of color here and there, which is effective and arresting.

How can you go wrong with Mariko Tamaki? This book squarely places Harley and Ivy in the modern age, dealing with the issues teenagers are currently dealing with. Introducing themes of gentrification and wealth inequality, make this introduction into Harley Quinn feels timely. The artwork is stunning, Steve Pugh is an obvious master of his craft. The use of color, especially during scenes depicting the chaos of Harley and Joker, are some of the standouts of this book. There is an important and relevant message of found families. This book recognizes families can come from anywhere and we get to decide who our family is. It's a book that deals with powerful emotions and powerful girls. I think it's important to reflect and have characters who aren't always "likable" and in this, I think Tamaki really succeeds. We are supposed to find fault with how Quinn responds to certain situations, but she is influenced by her upbringing and fierce loyalty to those she loves. I think DC has done a great job giving young adults a book which takes them seriously. You won't regret picking this up.

This book would make a great introduction to Harley Quinn for those readers who don't know much about the character. Harley Quinn and The Joker isn’t something that’s really kid friendly and I think that’s why this was so dull. Not a lot happened and it was very slow moving. The artwork is GORGEOUS!

If you want this to a straight up Harley Quinn story as envisioned by Paul Dini, this is not for you. If you are willing to move into the alternate reality of DC Comics, Earth 30 say, and check out how Harleen might have become Harley and how Ivy might be if she were born different and how the Joker might be if he were related to Batman, well, this is for you. Keep in mind, you have to suspend all of those things you hold dear about HQ except for her wackiness. That is on full display. I am a fan of Tamaki and this book feels like it fits right into her canon. The best part of this is that Steve Pugh is the artist and honestly, when has anything been made worse by Steve Pugh? The answer is nothing. He only makes comics better and that is the case here.
Thanks to Net Galley and DC comics for the ARC.

The DC Ink imprint has been really cool so far, giving a new generation some great coming of age stories from the DC women. This book however was weird, sad, dysfunctional, and just not a great story. I guess it is Harley Quinn so it is supposed to be dysfunctional but it didn't work for me.

Harley Quinn is one of my favorite characters, and I absolutely loved this take on her origin story. I also really enjoyed the take on Ivy, and Harley's adopted family -- Mama and the drag queens -- are fabulous and fierce! I also really liked the relationship between Harley and the Joker -- this Harley doesn't put up with manipulation or abuse!

This book would make a great introduction to Harley Quinn for those readers who don't know much about the character. Her origin is completely different, and I would argue this origin is better, as Harley has more agency here than she was given in the New 52 or the Suicide Squad origin story.

I can't wait to get more of this Harley Quinn!

Now that I better understand the point DC Comics creating these new imprints, DC Ink and DC Zoom, I'm looking at these new stories involving these popular comic book characters in an environment that is familiar to young readers. Not only the artwork was pretty amazing in this latest DC Ink publication, but it spoke to a lot of issues that middle and teen readers are experiencing today so it was nice to see them in a contemporary way. It was also nice to see Harley and Ivy in a completely different way: fighting for the little chaos but still causing chaos along their path. It was a refreshing take on classic characters.

I kind of love it. It's a pretty original take on Harley and Ivy, and I thoroughly enjoy that sort of thing. Unsure on Joker, but since I generally think he's a waste of pages anyway, that's not that bad. I'd be interested in where the story goes from here, which is always a good sign.

This is a perfect graphic novel to cover everything you need to know about who Harley Quinn is, where she came from, and what she's fighting for. The artwork is great, as expected from Tamaki. I would hand this to young adults who love graphic novels, comics, and superheroes.

Fabulous origin story of Harley. Harley is sent to live with her Grandma while Mom works on cruise ship for a year . grandma is gone so Harley ends up living with Mama owner of a drag bar . She attends. school with socially conscious Ivy . great story with timely issues make this a must read fir Harley fans or new ones

This was a very refreshing and new take on the Harley Quinn story. Harleen is a orphan who moves to Gotham City and is trying to find her place in the world. She moves in with Mama, who runs a Drag Queen Bar tries to find her new home. Along the way she also meets activist Ivy who becomes her best friend and the mysterious Joker. She wants to fight all the corporate injustice in her city, and longs to set things right. Harleen was such a fun character to follow and loved seeing her story fleshed out more. I also really enjoyed the artwork. There were some elements that were different from the Batman or other Harley Quinn comics, but I enjoyed this new take and would recommend to Batman fan and non fans alike.

I think bringing Harley and The Joker into a series where kids can read it is a real genius idea. People of all ages love those psycho clowns.

Kids will love this but I didn’t. I thought it was a tad bit dull. The only parts I liked were when Harley and the Joker were together. They are quite explosive together.

I absolutely loved this reimagining of a classic comic book character. I thought it was a fantastic way of exploring current issues with Harleen instead of just seeing them from one perspective. This would be a great book for a reluctant reader.

A fun take on Harley Quinn's origin story. I already love the author, and the illustrator did a fantastic job. Feels like a modern day comic that will attract a lot of old and new fans. Great job!

This was AMAZING! I've always enjoyed Harley Quinn, and this was a great origin story. Tamaki was able to capture the innocence of Harley Quinn, and give you little snatches of her fierceness. It is a little dark, but that is much needed for this take. The flashbacks were good. The artwork was outstanding and I loved the ending. I loved all the characters. I'm ready for the next volume.

While Breaking Glass may not take the usual Harley back-story into account (she's pretty zany here, even at a young age), I thoroughly enjoyed this preview! I can't wait to read the entire book, which I've already pre-ordered for my library!

It's hard to speak definitively about the pacing of the story based on this small sample, however Mariko Tamaki has proved a master of the graphic novel with her other work and, if the rest of this series follows the example set by this preview, Harley Quinn is in good hands. A lot of attention has been placed lately on the portrayal of female superheroes and Tamaki's Harley is spunky and clever without crossing into outdated tropes. Moreover, this iteration feels fresh and relevant. The artwork is clear and evocative. A great addition to superhero collections.

I'd recommend this for a high-low tween or teen reader. High interest with the DC Universe buzzing in the zeitgeist, but not a complicated read and wouldn't frustrate a struggling teen. The implied child neglect would raise the appropriate age for this title but the artwork and subject matter should steer away anyone too young. Harleen is a teen and meets Ivy, setting up a alternate meet-cute of Quinn and Poison Ivy.
DC included a note about their new 'Books for Young Readers!' and I can say FINALLY-- THANK YOU!! Kids see these characters in movies and want to read about them but there was a lack of appropriate titles to recommend. Not anymore!

I´ve always been obsessed with superheroes and comic books (thanks dad!) and with Harley Quinn being one of my favorites I knew this was a must read. (If my husband and I would have had a girl her name would have been Hailey Quinn. Instead, we have a dog named Loki and a son named Parker, yes named after Peter Parker.)

Thanks to NetGalley I received an early excerpt of this graphic novel. We are introduced to Harleen Quinzel who goes to live with her grandma- only her grandma has died so she is now living in an apartment with a drag queen who goes by Mama. We also get a chance to see how Harley- excuse me Harleen- becomes friends with Ivy, yes THE Ivy.

While the excerpt was only 28 pages long I am excited and eager to read the remaining novel when it is released next year.