**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.

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.

I struggled with this book. I was torn between the illustrations and the plot. I found it to be a little lacking as an origin story.

The illustrations were hit or miss with me. I liked some of the art, but other parts were too realistic and gave off a creepy vibe. I wish we could have seen Harley grow into this wacky character. She seems very one note throughout the entire story without any growth.

The plot was fairly typical. I guessed the identity of the Joker and the other "mystery" hooded figure that lingered on a few pages. I think my favorite part was Ivy and honestly I think I would have rather had a standalone featuring her. She was my favorite character out of the graphic novel.

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.

Cute quick read. Style good for middle grade but content is more teen appropriate. Enjoyed many side characters. I liked this younger version of Harley, but she seemed exceptionally naive and immature at times.

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.