There’s a new costumed criminal stalking the streets of Gotham, and they’re impersonating Harley Quinn while they commit crimes. Harley Quinn #13 is written by Stephanie Phillips, drawn by Riley Rossmo, inked by Jay Leisten, colored by Ivan Plascencia, and lettered by Andworld Design. Harley Quinn #13 is the start of a new story arc. 

With Hugo Strange and Keepsake out of the way, Harley’s life is much calmer. But while Harley is doing her best Robin Hood act, stealing food that would otherwise be thrown out, and instead of giving it to those who need it, someone wearing a copy of her old costume is killing Gotham’s criminals. With most of the city still harboring hatred towards clowns and few people knowing or trusting that Harley has indeed moved on from her villainous past, her reputation doesn’t stand a chance. And if she can’t clear her name, this imposter will make sure Harley is sent away for good. 

So much of this run has concerned Harley’s journey towards, if not redemption, then at least atonement for her previous actions, and this issue is no different. While she’s still breaking the law, she’s ultimately doing it to help people rather than hurt people. But no matter how many good deeds she’s done, there will always be people who cannot trust or forgive her. Her criminal history will always follow her. Harley Quinn #13 shows just how dangerous this can be.

The transition between imposter Harley’s restaurant shoot-up and the actual Harley’s truck heist is abrupt and highlights the difference in their approaches to “improving Gotham.” Because imposter Harley does seem to truly believe that she’s helping Gotham by removing criminals that bribed their way out of punishment. 

This division is where the pacing problems begin. Roughly half of Harley Quinn #13 focuses on the imposter’s crime spree itself and the introduction of detective Jaylin Shaw, the investigator in charge of the crime scene. But despite spending so much time with these characters, it feels like they don’t move anything along, not until the very end of the story. It’s a shame because Phillips’ pacing is usually on point. 

The layout of Harley Quinn #13 is hit-or-miss; some pages are cluttered with so many panels and dialogue that it’s hard to tell where to begin. The first few pages especially were so divided up that I had to re-read them multiple times to figure out what the order was meant to be. 

However, the rest of the art is impressive. Rossmo’s character design, in particular, stands out. Rossmo creates such distinct looks for all of the characters, not just the main cast, which adds so much to the visual appeal of the story. 

Ultimately, Harley Quinn #13 feels middle-of-the-road; it’s not bad by any means, but it doesn’t stand out, primarily because it features very little of the titular character. While it’s certainly necessary to set up what the arc will be about, this issue had too many pacing problems, with some aspects feeling dragged out and some too rushed. Combined with the often confusing page layouts, Harley Quinn #13 is a bit of a disappointment in an otherwise outstanding run. 

GRADE: C