Book Review: Harley Quinn, Volume 3: Red Meat

Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, et.al., Harley Quinn, Volume 3: Red Meat. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, 2017. ISBN: 9781401273699.

Genre: comics and graphic novels

Subgenre: DC Comics, antiheroes

Format: e-galley

Source: NetGalley

 

This volume is part of the DC Rebirth series. It is the third volume in the Conner and Palmiotti run of Harley Quinn comics. In this volume, Harley Quinn may think all she has to worry about is her parents visiting. Oh, but there is more. She has to deal with New York City's corrupt mayor and his plan to deal with the homeless population, then Harley Sinns returns, and there is still more. 

The volume features various plots going on, and initially we may not be sure how they connect or not. Some plot elements work better than others. The future Gotham plot line does not work as well, and we probably could have done without it. The rest of the stories would have been fine. For this part of the run, the writers may have tried to pack too much in. This part of the run does end in a cliffhanger, so we'll need to read the next volume to see how things turn out. 

Overall, the comic as a whole remains pretty good. I appreciate Harley Quinn's moments of empathy here. The humor throughout remains good and a good reason to read the series. The art is also very good. In comics, for me this is a favorite rendition of Harley Quinn. 

This volume collects stories from Harley Quinn, issues 14-21, and it includes a section of extras and cover gallery. I recommend it for libraries with graphic novel collections, especially if they already collect this series and/or other Batman comics. I liked it, but it felt a bit crowded in terms of material at times. Still I am willing to read the next one. 

3 out of 5 stars. 

This title qualifies for the following 2023 Reading Challenge: