The mistress of mayhem will have an unlikely partner in Harley Quinn #72, when the femme fatale teams up with the time-traveling former football star from the future, Booster Gold. While both have a knack for creating unintentional chaos wherever life leads them, the two rarely ever team-up... and it appears as though Harley wants to keep it that way.
Though different in almost every conceivable way, the two previously co-starred in a nine-issue crossover event that initially pitted them against each other: Heroes In Crisis. Written by former Batman scribe Tom King, Harley and Booster (AKA Michael Carter) reluctantly worked together after a mass shooting at a superhero rehabilitation center (dubbed The Sanctuary) claimed the lives of several heroes, as well as Poison Ivy. And by 'worked together,' we mean they believed the other to be the prime suspect, leading Harley to open the series by trying to murder him with a butter knife.
Attempted murder aside, according to DC’s April solicitations, the two well-meaning masters of disaster will once again join forces courtesy of a murder mystery. In Harley Quinn #72, written by Sam Humphries with art by Sam Basri, Harley finds herself investigating the death of a friend in Los Angeles. Harley previously left her home in Coney Island to spend some time in sunny SoCal after losing her mother to cancer. But while forces within the City of Angels keep her from uncovering the truth, Harley receives unwanted help from the self-titled “greatest hero you’ve never heard of.”
The cover to Harley Quinn #72 suggests a more lighthearted tone than their previous encounter in Heroes In Crisis. Cover artist Guillem March depicts Harley rolling her eyes in exasperation while surrounded by four Boosters all goofily trying to play detective. Being equipped with a droid packed with vast knowledge from the future should make this an easy case to crack, but this is Booster Gold and his “help” will likely be the biggest obstacle Harley faces in her quest to avenge her friend.
While Harley rejecting Booster Gold as her crime-fighting partner might seem a bit hypocritical considering many heroes have rejected that same proposition from her, in this particular situation Harley acting with uncharacteristic caution makes complete sense. In Batman #45 (also written by Tom King) Booster gives the Dark Knight possibly the most unintentionally morbid wedding gift of all—a look at how his life would be if his parents weren’t murdered in a dark alley. The end result of Booster’s “gift” is so tragic that it makes Hamlet seem tame.
As for Harley, the Clown Queen is going to have a busy year in 2020, not only headlining in a multitude of team books such as Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey, but also starring in her own feature film as well as her own critically acclaimed animated series on the DC Universe streaming service. Her ability to adapt to almost any situation no matter how wacky or deadly serious it may be is what makes Harley Quinn DC’s perfect team-up character. If she can keep up with the likes of Poison Ivy and the Joker, she can certainly keep up with a disgraced football jock from the future. Check out the full solicitations details below:
- HARLEY QUINN #72
- Release Date: April 1st, 2020
- Written by SAM HUMPHRIES
- Art by SAMI BASRI
- Cover by GUILLEM MARCH
- Variant Cover by FRANK CHO
- Some mysteries just don’t want to be solved! As Harley digs deeper into the death of her friend, it becomes clear that there are forces in Los Angeles that don’t want her this close to the truth. Will Harley be broken by the City of Angels, or will she be able to avenge her friend’s death? And will she be able to convince Booster Gold that he is not her crime-fighting partner and never will be?