Harleen

Harleen is one of the best graphic novels I’ve read. Instead of relying on nonstop action, it takes its time exploring Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s psychology and the choices that gradually change her life. The story feels mature, compelling, and character-driven, offering a fresh perspective while staying true to the core of the character. The artwork is absolutely stunning. Every page is packed with detail, expressive emotions, and cinematic panel layouts that make the story even more immersive. The coloring and visual storytelling elevate the experience from beginning to end. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Harley Quinn or simply enjoy well-crafted graphic novels, Harleen is an easy recommendation. It’s an emotional, beautifully illustrated, and unforgettable read that deserves a place in any comic collection.

This book is absolutely beautiful from cover to cover. The artwork is striking, the presentation feels premium, and it immediately brought back the feeling of reading comics as a kid—so much so that it’s directly responsible for a rapid expansion of my graphic novel collection. It’s the kind of book you finish and then start looking for similar titles right away. The hardcover itself is well made and feels worthy of the content inside. The visual storytelling is strong throughout, and it’s a book that works just as well being read as it does displayed on a shelf. Pros • Gorgeous artwork and visual storytelling • High-quality hardcover with a premium feel • Nostalgic impact that rekindles interest in comics • Easy to recommend to both longtime fans and newcomers Cons • May lead to excessive follow-up purchases of similar books • Could cause mild household tension due to increased comic spending Verdict An outstanding graphic novel that delivers both visually and emotionally. If you have any love for comics at all, this is an easy recommendation—and be warned, it might open the door to collecting more than you planned.

It's a great origin story, includes a lot of extra bits that aren't just Joker and Harley... that slow descent into madness when people find themselves surrounded by it. The art is amazing.

I love this book. Been trying to order a new copy but it keeps being canceled. I give you 5 stars still because I love this book and I'm sure you'll send me a copy when you can.

It's an interesting experiment you seldom see in comic writting. It also creates a version of Gotham not always seen in the main comic books. You get to see Gotham without endless chaos stricking at every moment. This is a big deal, because it grants more value to the events occurring in it. Despite sacrificing the fantastical elements of the series. We get to see how did the titular characters goes from a benevolent scientist, over to a deranged criminal over an affair with one Batman's archenemy. Every single step in Harleen's descent into madness is depicted in very surreal ways. However, the amount of details displayed may make it move slow at times. After all, we're meant to see the characters mind in detail. I noticed this book clearly improves over the artist's previous work. Ever character is unique, and can be easily distinguished from others. For the most part. For Sejic's style, the art is very emotional. You get to see many facial expressions as you normally do during his other works. However, the book may tend to lack scenery, as most of the time, they tend to be very simplistic. However, given the nature of this comic, they're not really that important because the journey is through the thought and ideals of the characters, rather than the DC world. One thing I really appreciated about the book is the attention to details DC has put lately in their works. The hard cover is actually 2 different covers overlapped to create a more psychological effect between Harleen's identity and her own state of mind. The plastic cover, first one I ever see in a hard cover book, is a very nice touch to this effect. I do believe this book is more on the artistic side, rather than the common comic book-esque stories. It almost feels like it's got a connection in tone with Batman White Knight. Certainly, it's a nice purchase.

I have never been a fan of Harley Quinn. As a kid, I thought she was ridiculous when she first appeared in the animated series. I think the idea of the Joker having a girlfriend is ludicrous. I was disappointed when she was brought over to the comics and I have been unimpressed by her overly-sexualized, Deadpool ripoff portrayal from the last decade or so. I have found the character to be entirely unnecessary and uncompelling. But I can't deny that this book is fantastic. I only read it because I have been recently making my way through DC's "Black Label" titles and I wasn't even really planning on reading the whole thing but I decided to at least give it a few pages. It grabbed me pretty quickly and I was extremely impressed with what a good job it did of making this character seem believable and interesting. Her perception of the Joker contrasted with who the Joker actually is comes through beautifully in this story. It has honestly become on of my very favorite "Black Label" titles. I wouldn't go so far to say that it has changed my opinion of Harley Quinn on any universal scale, and perhaps my reasons for liking this would be reasons to NOT like it if you are a big fan of other portrayals of the character, but this book is masterfully written (with gorgeous artwork as well) and I'm happy I gave it a chance.

Pre-ordered in September, got it just before Valentine's Day. I wanted to say that this was a great book. The dust jacket is plastic, so there's no need to worry about damaging it. The whole book is pretty. My only complaints are the typos, of which there are far too many, and the font size/picture size are way too small to comfortably read for long periods, especially in the extras in the back (which can be impossibly small). The story is fleshed out well, and there's none of the "male gaze" sexism in the artwork. There's no queerbaiting from the Joker, either, which is nice to see. Very nice to see. I like how their relationship grew, and how the story ended. I won't go too far into it, because I don't want to spoil anybody, but this was done so well that I didn't notice any abusive elements. Harley made her own choices, even if they were mainly to follow her heart. I thought it was a great read just in time for Valentine's Day, and unlike most opposite-sex relationships in fiction, this was believable and not written purely to titilate or to make the woman into an empty sex doll of a person. To those who need to know, there's nothing rapey in this, it's 100000% consensual. Harley was written well, and so was everybody else. This was the best comic book version of the Joker I've ever read. He was pretty, too, and not nightmare-inducing... At least not for the reader. 😏

Wow. The art is phenomenal, the Joker is that perfect balance of sinister madness and charming seduction. Harley Quinn finally gets the treatment she deserves as an intelligent young woman pulled into the insanity of a narcissistic psychopath. For once I resonated with Harley Quinn, more than I thought I ever could. Stjepan obviously knows humanity and is a master of his craft. I agree with others that this should totally be the definitive Quinn origin and that it does feel like The Killing Joke for Harley. The artist captures every human expression flawlessly, every subtlety in the sociopaths playbook, every technique of suspense and subplot perfectly interwoven into a satisfying tale that leaves me wanting to revisit this story again and again. If anyone has made me a comic book convert it is Stjepan Sejic. Stjepan gives Harley nuance and humanity while maintaining some of her more fun quirks, creating a character that is the perfect mix of strong and flawed, victim and villain, smart and naive, clumsy and sexy. Harleen is an excellent representation of what it’s like to experience emotional abuse and neglect, madness, bad days, resilience, and hope. A+

Son derece hızlı ve iyi paketlenmiş halde geldi.Herhangi bir hasar yoktu.Mükemmel.

You already know the entire story of the book from the very first page, if not the product description, and yet the book manages to deliver one of DC's best stories yet. Comprised of three smaller books, the plot explores a twisted and abusive relationship between the two main characters and is entirely narrated from Harley's POV. This could honestly be recreated into a dark, Joker (2019) style movie; wish DC explored this side of Harley more, rather than jumping to her lunacy. A nice little touch was how almost every major DC character appears, or is mentioned, at least once in the book. The artwork is PHENOMENAL. It doesn't try to be realistic and yet manages to make every single character and scene feel real. I've only finished reading the comic once, and some of those scenes are already ingrained in my head because they were depicted so well, especially the ones where an entire page, or two pages are used for just one panel. I surprisingly received the comic in good condition, but note that if you're ordering this in India you won't get the transparent jacket that international reviewers are talking about.

Absolute masterpiece! Story and art are just perfect! If not the best, it definitely is one of the top 3 graphic novels I own. Must buy!

Recién llegada a casa, apenas hace unos minutos, y un día antes de la fecha señalada por Amazon. Excelente servicio. La edición en sí es muy bonita, con una encuadernación preciosa. Un deleite para la vista y, por lo poco que he ido viendo, con una calidad de dibujo impresionante. Eso sí, quiero valorar sobre todo el trabajo del repartidor. Con los tiempos que corren, con todo esto del covid-19, es normal tener miedo al contagio y que se haya terminado el reparto directo a la puerta de casa. Con todo y con esas, el repartidor ha tenido la amabilidad de esperar abajo, en el portal, vigiliando el paquete hasta que lo hemos recogido, y se agradece mucho. ¡Un aplauso para gente como él, y mucho ánimo en su día a día! Hoy más que nunca queda claro lo fundamentales que sois los mensajeros en nuestra sociedad.

I am so pleased that there is now a Harley Q origin story that I can put next to "The Killing Joke" on my bookshelf. We all know that Harley was "created" via her love for Joker; however, I had always questioned just *how* a gifted psychiatrist could not only fall for a man who is evil/batshit crazy but also completely throw her life away to be with him. This book offers a deep-dive into the motives for Harley's decisions and provides a fleshed-out character portrait of her that is, in my opinion, long overdue. **POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD** The novel is called “Harleen,” yet it is very much a Harlequin romance. As such, the novel offers a seductive glimpse into the HQ/Joker relationship and offers us a slightly more detailed take on her descent into madness—one that showcases her intelligence and why she falls for the Joker’s manipulations: she is unsure of herself, lonely (emotionally, sexually, and otherwise), overworked, and a functioning alcoholic. The Joker appears very much like Rorschach or The Comedian of Watchmen: he claims to see the world for what it is, and to him, it is all one big joke. His worldview, backed by Harley’s thesis and the chaos of Gotham, is very charismatic and seductive. While this attractiveness somewhat romanticizes the abusive relationship that he and Harley will later have, it also shows us the depth of Harley’s denial/delusion: she has a sort-of Stockholm syndrome but insists to the very last that she can “save” her patient. Joker's manipulations allow HQ to finally believe in herself and her work as a psychiatrist, but only insofar as she believes in him. Joker is, quite clearly, a master manipulator: when he is with his gang on the street, he is tough; when he is up against Batman, he is a whirlwind, crazy clown; when he is with Harley, he is sensitive and seductive. He mirrors others to get what he wants: control. Given that there is an increased interest in Harley now (a la the DC live-action movies and the Harley Quinn cartoon series) as an entity who is *separate* from Joker and able to stand on her own, I think this is a timely addition to Harley's narrative that any fan should have.