Some thoughts about Harley Quinn Invades Comic-Con International: San Diego #1

Harley Quinn had just arrived to Comic-Con! Is she any better than the fans who attend there?

Harley is decided to become a great artist and thinks that her creation, Hurl Girl, is a worthy example of her skills. However, if she wants to get a chance from DC Comics she will need to go through a bunch of obnoxious fanboys, obsessed cosplayers and famous creators- Can she survive?

I have been anticipating this special for a while since it's not only another chapter from one of my current favorite DC series but also offers a premise with really great potential for madness and entertainment, does it delivers?

Well, I would say yes, to a certain point.

Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner create a story that takes place in the same universe that they have been exploring in the monthly series but at the same time seems to be out-of continuity due to well, everything that happens here.

Why? Because Harley not only encounters a bunch of people who cosplay about the most famous superheroes and villains in the world but also a group of fans who are obsessed about her. It's pretty obvious that the authors are having fun with the kind of concept they're using by depicting exactly the kind of people who are present in this kind of events but also doing in a way that doesn't make sense for the world in which Harley lives.

Then again, the world in which Harley lives doesn't make any sense so I suppose this follows suit.

The writers obviously have a vast knowledge about the industry and this issue is a perfect example of that considering the amount of creators who appear here. From Bob Harras to Jim Lee, almost every famous person from DC Comics makes a cameo and some of them are pretty logical considering the kind of work they have. I especially enjoyed the one by Dan Didio.

Unfortunately, the jokes were a bit hit and miss for me here. It follows the same kind of crazy style from the ongoing series but sometimes it seems like it tries to hard to reference absolutely everything like the constant mention of celebrities. Speaking of which, despite of the kind of idea they're going with, the issue still feels a little cluster due to the amount of characters.

Art duties are shared by different pencillers this time. Paul Pope does an interesting opening page, Javier Garron present some fun scenes, Damion Scott and Robert Campanella have a different style but it's not one that I'm really a fan of. The best scenes from this issue were definitely depicted by John Timms, Marco Failla, Dave Johnson and Stephane Roux who share a more consistent style. I also enjoyed Amanda Conner's own artwork here in the pages of Hurl Girl, that was a nice touch.

Overall, this was still a fun issue, it might have some flaws but it was fun nonetheless.