It's 2009 all over again. Harley Quinn graciously steps aside as Power Girl stars in the type of adventure typical of the deliriously delightful first year of her sorely missed series by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner.
Peege first dropped in - literally - last issue, amnesiac and pretty much Harley's plaything. This time, with the ladies cast into a weird space realm by bad guys Clock King and Sportsmaster, it's more Kara's ballpark. Harley is happy to accept sidekick status as they first face a cosmic queen, then her humongous hubby and finally, an alien dictator with all-powerful rings who isn't at all Thanos, oh no sir, it's ... Manos.
The chaotic plotting at the heart of any good Harley story isn't a million miles from the splendid daftness of the old Power Girl series. With Conner and Palmiotti in charge of Harley's scripts, it's no surprise they'd grab a chance to play with Peege just one more time. And it's like their Kara never left, as she goes from one bonkers situation to another, wrinkling her nose and punching her foes. The ever-manic Harley makes for a decent complement, with the pairing jarring only when she - oops - murders a guy.
The whole issue is a hoot, with the Peege/Harley team's return to Earth teasing an unseen extra adventure.
Darn, I'd love to see that one.
Regular artist Chad Hardin is around for only the first and last pages, giving fill-in fella John Timms a chance to shine. And he grabs it, drawing Harley and Peege stylishly and producing epic outer space scenes populated by loony characters with enough menace to annoy the girls. Well, apart from the Living Pizza.
And I love the first appearance of Manos which, if memory serves, is a direct homage to some Jim Starlin work.
Colourist Alex Sinclair adds extra vibrancy, and letterer John J Hill has fun with Arthur the Giant Dog's dialogue.
If you missed them, go back and grab last issue and this, and enjoy Power Girl as she was before DC's New 52 revamp sucked all the joy out of her legendary décolletage.
Where does this issue fit in with Power Girl's current Earth 2 storyline, in which she's fighting for the life of her home Earth?
La la la I can't hear you!
Harley's title has been fun so far, and that goes for this one. Enjoyed it, I did!
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