Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

In all the character additions to the D.C. Universe since both Batman and Superman first had the duopoly of the public’s sense of change in the way that comic strips could intrigue, entertain and have the possibility beyond the realm of existence of the two dimension, no time world that lived in the heart of the funny pages, the shorts and the one joke barbed laugh, then surely The Joker is the one that has captivated the minds of the reader and film lover the most.

By that same thread, what was once arguably a throw away character, designed only as dressing, a marionette for The Joker to control and have as a sounding board for the reader to ask questions through, Harley Quinn has surpassed everything thrown at her from past writers and in the guise of Margot Robbie on screen and in the work of Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti, the one-time walk on appearance which became a sidekick to one of the greatest villains in graphic novel history, has become a leading light in the D.C Universe.

It is a continuation and the esteem in which the character is drawn and skilfully represented which makes the fourth volume of the Harley Quinn series, Surprise, Surprise, such a great read and one that digs even further into the psychotherapists life, her own family and the relationship dynamic of a father who has served time, of the love she receives from Poison Ivy and the reliance of those she has gathered around her, especially as she has progressed, grown, beyond her initial artistic birth in the world and is now one of the more enlightened and sincere, not-withstanding beautifully comic, characters to inhabit the pages of D.C.

Part of the appeal to the reader is the joy in seeing a character not take themselves too seriously, whilst retaining, at all times, true graphic novel authenticity. The scenario might seem far-fetched, the array of fellow creatures, of attributes and thought of missing darkness a cloud in which fans of other New 52 lines might dismiss; but it is in this eccentricity, the drawing upon the psychosis Harleen Quenzal suffered at the hands of The Joker, and her reintroduction as close to the mental edge Queen of Coney Island, that makes her such a classic character to read.

An excellent progression from Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, Harley Quinn Volume 4: Surprise, Surprise is the continuation of a character’s journey which delights the readers and who understands that there is so much more to come.

Ian D. Hall