HARLEY QUINN “Preludes and Knock-Knock Jokes”

Harley Quinn: Preludes and Knock-Knock Jokes hardcover presents the first seven issues of her ongoing series that ran from 2000 to 2004, written by Karl Kesel with art by Terry Dodson.

Harley Quinn, the character, is a total delight, and Harley Quinn, the comic book, is a total fun read!

A cavalcade of Gotham costume freaks make appearances, including the Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Two-Face.

The relationship between Harley and the Joker is intriguing. She loves him to death, while he just wants to see her dead! I love the friendship between Harley and Ivy, an unlikely combination, yet the seem to bounce off each other with great effect.

The writing is humorous and the dialog is incredibly smart. Above all, it’s a very entertaining read, and the unpredictable nature of the lead character always keeps the reader on their toes!

This hardcover has been a long time coming, and I hope DC Comics in the future proceed to publish more collections from the remainder of the series.

8 out of 10.

SEX WARRIOR ISANE XXX

This volume collects all nine issues of the comic book series of Sex Warrior Isane XXX by manga artist Okawari, which is actually chapters 10 to 18 of the complete Isane series. Translated to English, and flipped to a left-to-right reading, published by Eros Comix as part of their MangErotica range (MegaManga #23).

Set in a post-apocalyptic future world where sexual mind-control is exerted by a special force of bio-engineered agents in the service of a mysterious organization! However, I spent most of the book kind of confused, given that it’s really the second half of a bigger complex story.

In terms of graphic hardcore sex, there is plenty of that, including some kinky stuff early on (a woman with two penis, sex with a giant cat, etc!), but most of the sex is intricate to the plot of the series.

I might need to track down the first half of the story – Sex Warriors Isane Extreme – to make sense of it all.

7 out of 10.