#great comics

Axel Pressbutton #1 (November 1984)

Cover by Brian Bolland

Continuing on in No Man's Land with the other character find of 1999: Harley Quinn! Yup, we this is how DCAU Harley Quinn was turned into the long running we love today.

This comic opens on everyone's favorite love interest to Harley: Poison Ivy! The plant villainess is leaving food for the citizens of Gotham, when she comes across the remains of rockets. And somehow Harley Quinn is in the rocket.

When Ivy brings the world's greatest clown girl in for medical treatment, Harley decides to tell us what she has been doing. Harley (back when she was Harleen) interned at Arkham Asylum. While working she fell in love with the Joker when she was supposed to treat him. When Harley was caught letting the Joker free, she was forcibly committed into Arkham.

That is where she stayed until the earthquake hit Gotham. When Harley went out in the world, she discovered evidence that Joker was still out there, and she decided to go full supervillain to be by his side. And the moment of her trying on costumes before she picks the classic costume, is just perfect little moment. One of many that Paul Dini and Yvel Guichet give the audience in this issue.

Harley catches up to the Joker as he is threatening Penguin for supplies. And Harley's gymnastic skills come in handy, allowing for Penguin's henchman to be killed. Joker recognizing her past identity and figuring that she might be useful, allows Harley to stay.

We cut to Harley doing some grunt work (finding a lair for Joker's crew, fighting opposing gangs, and eventually fighting Batman allowing Joker to escape) to gain Joker's favor. Eventually, Harley gets to spend a night with the Joker that she can't remember (Ivy assumes Harley was drugged).

When Harley wakes up, she cannot find the Joker but does get a message...to meet him on the amusement park's rocket ride. Cut to Harley getting launched off because Joker hates that he feels some romantic feeling for Harley, because it makes him boring. Harley manages to steer the rocket into Ivy's territory, and we cut back to where our story started.

Ivy feels some pity towards Harley, and gives her potion that will increase Harley's reaction, strength, and immunity to poisons. Ivy then recommends that Harley go attack Batman and Joker... out of spite that both feel towards the duo.

Cut to Harley (with great humor) making a makeshift Bat-Signal for Batman. Bats tried to talk Harley away from the Joker, but she tells Batman that Joker has a plan to kill the aid workers of Gotham in one big explosive trap.

The comic then cuts to one of the best Joker moments: Joker trying to make conversation with his henchmen about the women in their lives. Once one of them actually starts conversing with Joker about the lady he loves, Joker just kills the man... because Joker always has to be the center of attention.

Harley and Batman sneak into the lair. Batman deals with henchman while Harley confronts the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime tries to use Joker Venom to kill Harley, but thanks to Ivy's formula, she lives. Cut to Harley beating up the Joker.

Batman tries to intervene (he thinks that Joker plans to kill all the medical worker, but doesn't know that was a Harley lie), but Harley whacks Batman over the head with her trademark giant mallet.

Joker tries to escape Harley's wrath, but she catches up to him. But then we see the (early) Harley Quinn character flaw of her going back to the Joker, with him only doing the smallest gesture of kindness. Granted, even Joker seems annoyed by this sequence of events.

Batman wakes up from his head injury and finds that the duo set the hideout to explode. This explosion tells the wider Gotham that the Joker is back... and he is done giving out jellybeans. The comic ends with Batman complaining to Alfred that he has to now deal with two crazy clowns!

Yeah, this comic is amazing! Paul Dini can write the best Joker stories out there, and he writes one here. Just so many little moments that show Joker's vanity. And the art by Yvel Guichet captures the humor from his sick mind.

But this is the intro to Harley Quinn, and it really works. It established the line of her being a foe for both Joker and Batman. Plus, it is nice to have Ivy involved in her life straight from the beginning. And Harley is fun, making you want to see more. Just a classic comic, and I think the best of No Man's Land.

Madame Strange was aptly named because she was a decidedly atypical Golden Age super-powered heroine. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to Wonder Woman, Strange appeared in the three issues of Great Comics - a somewhat uncertain title that included wartime adventures, “funnies” and the ambiguous figure of Madame Strange herself. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Strange came pre-packaged as it were: she had no alter-ego or true identity and was clearly already well known by the criminal fraternity and the spies and double agents she fought, as well as the intelligence agencies and the general public. Possessed of super strength and speed, and a large amazonian stature, the mysterious Strange struck fear into to all her opponents and with good reason - in addition to her ability to punch people out, Strange was armed with a set of deadly throwing knives with which she regularly and dispassionately despatched villains and also happily mowed them down with road vehicles, or blew them up with hand grenades or bombs from the air, if those methods of extrajudicial killing were what came to hand. Strange had none of WW's compassion, or even the determination to bring spies and saboteurs to justice in the manner of, say Phantom Lady - as far as Madame Strange was concerned, there was a war on and enemies of the USA deserved whatever they got - usually death.

What also made Strange distinctive was the extraordinary artwork of Chuck Winter, who portrayed the heroine as strong, muscular and intimidating, but nonetheless sexually appealing - an aspect developed in her third and final outing (although possibly not by Winter) when Strange’s bikini-and-boots style costume was dropped without explanation in favour of a well-fitting trouser outfit, replete with riding crop, which made her look a little like a lion-tamer. She also belatedly developed an alternative identity, as a girl reporter, whose assignments provided the entreés for Strange’s heroics. A curiously unloveable character, therefore, Strange and her knives did not survive the demise of Great Comics (the last issue of which was published in January 1942) and she remains a short-lived curiousity, albeit a decidedly intriguing one.

The page featured is from the Madame Strange adventure, The Plot To Capture Hawaii, published in Great Comics #1 (November 1941).

"They Exist!!"

Somerset Holmes #5 (November 1984)

Michael T. Gilbert