Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Old Lady Harley #1
Old Lady Harley #1 jumps right into the deep end of the leap forward in Harley's timeline. And while the first issue of the miniseries isn't going to reveal the whole secret, fans get to see what kicked it all off: the moment that Harley lost it... and murdered the Penguin with her bare hands
DC's new Harley Quinn mini-series launches this week, as the future version of everyone's favorite mallet-wielding kook goes on an adventure in a post-apocalyptic version of the DC universe. The character of Old Lady Harley (a reference to the much more serious 'Old Man Logan' comic series) was first introduced in Harley Quinn #42, and is now the star of a five issue mini-series written by Frank Tieri, with art by Inaki Miranda. The series will flip between this dystopian world and the past, exploring how Harley became Old Lady Harley, why she left Coney Island and her Gang of Harleys, and what exactly is going on with the Joker in this world...
Related: Harley Quinn Channels Wolverine In Old Lady Harley
Through a series of flashbacks, we see that Harley was fighting Penguin while Coney Island was burning - and while it's not clear what he did that time to destroy it, it's no secret that Penguin has attempted to attack Coney Island plenty of times in the past. She is shown strangling Penguin in a rage - and letting that temper get the better of her to the point that she actually kills him! Ashamed over what she's done, Harley feels like she can't continue leading the Gang of Harleys, and packs up to leave Coney... when she bumps into the Joker.
While Harley is entirely done with the Joker in the main DC Universe (although not the DCEU), it seems that by killing Penguin, she was pushed to such a dark place that all she wanted was to get back together with Mistah J and raise a little Hell. It's not too far-fetched an idea, either, as Harley has done quite a bit of soul searching over the past several issues of Harley Quinn, and even floated the idea that while she would never go back to the Joker, things were certainly simpler when Joker and Harley ran together.
It's clear that Old Lady Harley is going to strike an interesting tone between the serious and the hilariously bizarre (including a fight scene between Harley and a giant squid wearing pigtails) - a combo that fans of Harley are sure to love. And of course, we'll get more of that classic Harley/Joker pairing, which fans are sure to appreciate, especially as Harley is coming to it from a dark place, but with a clear awareness of what she is doing. It may be a short series, but Old Lady Harley promises to be a great ones for Harley Quinn fans.
Old Lady Harley #1 is available now from DC Comics.