"Harley Quinn: The Animated Series - The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour (2021 Mini-Series)" Comic Book Talkback (Spoilers)

Rate and Discuss this DC Comics limited series!

  • ****1/2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • ***

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • **1/2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • **

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • *1/2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • *

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    3

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
Maybe it's because I'm not as invested in the Harley/Ivy relationship as other people are but I guess I just don't really understand this massive amount of in-universe support and assistance they're receiving as a couple. Like, okay, they're a prominent and cute queer couple, but does that mean it's okay to help them escape (albeit overzealous) justice? I dunno :confused:.
I'm guessing it might also hint at how little they really they know they're known outside of Gotham and could be setting up some interesting interactions in other cities.

I feel like Babs' priorities get really mixed up when it comes to dealing with Harley...when she mentions Stephanie, does she mean Clayface Stephanie :rolleyes2:?
No doubt. Guess Clayface is still going to the university as Stephanie. lol. There's also another subtle callback to "Riddle U" in that Harley and Ivy put on that makeup to conceal their skin color for their date at Blud Garden.

The other cool nod was they went to the theme park Bludhaven Thrill Park that Psycho, Clayface, and King Shark went to in "Bensonhurst".

Hush kind of appeared out-of-nowhere. So his plan was just to harvest their organs? And he thought he could trap them if he flirted with them like discount Bruce Wayne? I mean, Hush is kind of a sleazy guy but it was still kind of random seeing him here o_O.
I guess that was to allude to his medical background origin from the comics. In HQ, I guess his shtick is to kidnap people and harvest their organs on the side to fund his activities. I think the joke was because they had their make up on to conceal their identities, he had no clue who they were at first and was just trying some Bruce Wayne pick up lines but it backfired and he snapped.

Uh...Carmine Falcone? Kind of random, but okay. I'm guessing Catwoman still scratched his face up :eek:.
Yeah, he's in Bludhaven for some reason? Guess he bailed when Joker's tower leveled Gotham and relocated there and set up his empire anew.
 

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
Check out the DC Comics mini-series based on the popular Harley Quinn animated series!

HARLEY QUINN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - THE EAT. BANG! KILL. TOUR #4


Written by: Tee Franklin
Art by: Max Sarin

The Story: After being called out by a new villain known as Mephitic, a toxic sludge aiming to stink up the joint, Ivy and Harley head to Detroit to take matters into their own hands. But Vixen isn't having all this chaos in her city, and she's ready to clean up the place...

Digital First Exclusive Release: November 2, 2021 (DC Universe/Read DC)
Digital Release: December 8, 2021
Print Release: December 14, 2021
Price: $3.99
 

Frontier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
32,110
Location
Temecula California
Mephitic struck me as a more disgusting Plasmus :ack:...

Oh hey, Cyborg :).

This version of Zatanna continues to not talk, even in comic form :p.

Harley and Ivy had more villain friends than I thought...not that it stops them from using said villains' place without permission after getting them incarcerated and having sex there :rolleyes:.

Ivy trying to be more considerate of people even when she's perfectly okay with murder, even using it as part of a plan...just remember at the end of the day these are Supervillains, not good people :shrug:.

Livewire and Nightfall? Uh...okay. I guess Livewire's not major enough that there was probably any pushback to making her into girls now (not that it would really contradict that much with other interpretations of Livewire) but it was kind of random. I guess Harley and Ivy aren't the only Supervillainesses with complicated romances. Nightfall had a lot of portraits of them together o_O.

Referencing the TNBA team-up between the trio :).

Nice showcase of Vixen! I'm glad she didn't job to Harley and Ivy and actually handed Harley her butt and fought off Ivy ;).

"As if I'd let them mosey past me after killing these CEOs - who deserve it." Jeez Mari, that's pretty dark. Like how can you unanimously write off actual human lives just for being CEO's? Maybe they didn't have the best business practices or harmed the environment, but still :sweat:.
 

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
Neat, as it was Nightfall's place, there was Fastball and Black Mass with her in one photo frame then at Cedar Evergreen Inn, there was Shatterfist and Maya. Nice hat tip to Cadre.

Ah, that explains why Nightfall wasn't at the wedding. Broke up with Livewire right before.

Loved the callback to Calendar Man's son Joey bringing in contraband, lol.

I'm gonna guess the Detroit PD may not appreciate Gordon's presence next issue.
 

M.O.D.O.K.

Scientist Supreme
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
May 13, 2006
Messages
6,173
Location
Advanced Idea Mechanics
Another fun issue. I liked a lot of the humor here and there (like Vixen's use of the giraffe and skunk abilities) and it was a nice expansion of Livewire, who was mostly a background character in the show. Cool to see some queer relationships with DC characters who aren't just Harley and Ivy in this show's universe.

I am a bit tired of the push-and-pull between Harley and Ivy, though. I don't feel like a lot has progressed for them, and we're almost done with the series. Mephitic has an appropriately gross design, but not much of an impression so far. I do like that Ivy suddenly caring about children and affected families comes more out of guilt over the wedding rather than just retconning her more ruthless side.

Referencing the TNBA team-up between the trio :).
I smiled when I saw that and made me wish we saw this version of the team-up.
 

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
I am a bit tired of the push-and-pull between Harley and Ivy, though.
Yeah, I did focus more on the easter eggs and the other characters in this issue because of that. It was a little weak sauce the fight with Vixen was only the last 3 pages.
 

Frontier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
32,110
Location
Temecula California
Yeah, I did focus more on the easter eggs and the other characters in this issue because of that. It was a little weak sauce the fight with Vixen was only the last 3 pages.
I guess part of it is that it's trying to carry some "drama" when it seems like their relationship is going well in season 3, so it's trying to build up to that, when they can't have anything too plot significant happen...

If the fight had gone any longer the girls probably would have lost and ended up in prison :p.
 

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
I guess part of it is that it's trying to carry some "drama" when it seems like their relationship is going well in season 3, so it's trying to build up to that, when they can't have anything too plot significant happen...
I suppose but we had enough of that in season 1 and 2, imo.

If the fight had gone any longer the girls probably would have lost and ended up in prison :p.
True, and yes, #4 was basically used to set up Detroit and all its elements so nothing too drastic could happen or else #5 would be pretty boring. I think it probably plays better reading both back to back. And I guess #6 will finally reveal where Harley was planning to take Ivy.
 

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
HARLEY QUINN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - THE EAT. BANG! KILL. TOUR #5


Written by: Tee Franklin
Art by: Max Sarin

The Story: While Ivy starts reflecting on what's been happening these last few months after leaving Kite Man at the altar and joining Harley Quinn for a de facto, impromptu honeymoon across the DCU, new villain Mephitic makes himself known to Harley and Ivy at the Black Cat Lounge.

Digital First Exclusive Release: December 7, 2021 (DC Universe/Read DC)
Digital Release: January 5, 2022
Print Release: January 11, 2022
Price: $3.99
 

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
HARLEY QUINN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - THE EAT. BANG! KILL. TOUR #6


Written by: Tee Franklin
Art by: Max Sarin

The Story: Ivy seeks out Vixen's help to defeat Mephitic and save Harley before time runs out! Meanwhile, Gordon gets an anonymous invitation to Detroit. And a new friend changes the way Ivy views relationships in this series finale!

Digital First Exclusive Release: January 4, 2022 (DC Universe/Read DC)
Digital Release: February 2, 2022
Print Release: February 8, 2022
Price: $3.99
 

M.O.D.O.K.

Scientist Supreme
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
May 13, 2006
Messages
6,173
Location
Advanced Idea Mechanics
This is probably my favorite issue of the series, which is weird since I do have some complaints about some odd decisions. Even when I thought it spent too much time at Vixen's apartment, they still managed to cram a lot of content (Ivy's development, Harley and Mephitic's scenes, the big team-up, Gordon, Clayface and King Shark's surprise appearances, etc.) without feeling too rushed. And then the Season 3 promotion felt very clunky and awkward. It made Joker's HBO Max reference in B:TAC look subtle.

Still, I do like the use of inner thoughts to flesh out the characters, especially Ivy looking over her insecurities and making amends with Harley. Even the nod to Kite Man was cute and made me wonder if we'll see her approaching him to apologize in the new season. Actually, this issue sets up a ton of potential plot points ("Stephanie" and Barbara being BFFs and keeping secrets from each other, Tawny's kids, the secret informant who helped Gordon, etc.) that won't likely be resolved since the comic is over and the show will likely not address any of it. I guess maybe they're hoping for another arc to do something with them?

Mephitic was also kind of a disappointing villain. There was some hinting that they had a past or connection with Ivy that just went nowhere. Or was Mephitic just hoping to join the Cadre by taking down a big-time rogue. Speaking of that, interesting that the Cadre, Nightfall's group, is still being referenced. Other neat Easter eggs include Vixen wearing an outfit resembling her first appearance outfit and Babs fittingly referencing Burrito Bucket, which I believe originates from the DC Super Hero Girls series.

Flawed, but otherwise good final issue. Even if some of the relationship stuff dragged, I liked this comic and how close it stuck to the show's dialogue and spirit. Also, the art is pretty dynamic and expressive.
 

Yojimbo

Yes, have some.
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
54,913
Location
Shahdaroba
And then the Season 3 promotion felt very clunky and awkward. It made Joker's HBO Max reference in B:TAC look subtle.
It looked thirsty. So bad it wasn't even meta.

Tawny's kids, the secret informant who helped Gordon, etc.) that won't likely be resolved since the comic is over and the show will likely not address any of it. I guess maybe they're hoping for another arc to do something with them?
Oh, I thought JT and Reign were the informants. They were under their mom's orders to keep tabs on Harley and Ivy, went to Bludhaven, and Tawny's plan culminated in this issue with her being able to get a scoop on making Jim look like a fool again on TV.

Speaking of that, interesting that the Cadre, Nightfall's group, is still being referenced. Other neat Easter eggs include Vixen wearing an outfit resembling her first appearance outfit and Babs fittingly referencing Burrito Bucket, which I believe originates from the DC Super Hero Girls series.
Yeah, that was neat. There were subtle references with the portraits in Nightfall's house and the cameos in the Cedar Evergreen.

Yup, Burrito Bucket is from DCSHG. There was also the mention of Jitters at the end, considering where they were going, a hat tip to CW Flash (though it originated in the Flash comics a few years prior to the show's premiere). Was bummed they never showed why Harley wanted to take Ivy to Central City, the whole reason for the "tour."

Pretty odd that Elle referenced Rao. Guess Superman shared about his planet's culture to Earth at some point.

Also, neat they referenced A.R.G.U.S. as where Mephitic was being taken, Swamp Thing, and Ivy made a subtle callback to "A High Bar" when Vixen was transporting her over Detroit.

Flawed, but otherwise good final issue. Even if some of the relationship stuff dragged, I liked this comic and how close it stuck to the show's dialogue and spirit. Also, the art is pretty dynamic and expressive.
Yeah, Mephitic was a let down.

I think the flirting got a bit over the top as the series went on like with Harley and Ivy or Vixen and Elle talking about how they couldn't wait to take the other's clothes off.
 

M.O.D.O.K.

Scientist Supreme
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
May 13, 2006
Messages
6,173
Location
Advanced Idea Mechanics
It looked thirsty. So bad it wasn't even meta.
The exit sign was fine by itself, but then Tawny saying it...yeah.
Oh, I thought JT and Reign were the informants. They were under their mom's orders to keep tabs on Harley and Ivy, went to Bludhaven, and Tawny's plan culminated in this issue with her being able to get a scoop on making Jim look like a fool again on TV.
Oh, I see. It seemed pretty formal and restrained, so I didn't know if it was someone else. EDIT: Now that I re-read issue 3, I noticed JT was taking pics of the Hush fight. And now it makes sense why
I think the flirting got a bit over the top as the series went on like with Harley and Ivy or Vixen and Elle talking about how they couldn't wait to take the other's clothes off.
Yeah, I felt the flirting could deflate certain scenes, like some of the Harley/Ivy arguments or the rescue mission in this issue.
 
Last edited:

Frontier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
32,110
Location
Temecula California
As far as comic book cartoon tie-in's go, I would say this was pretty solid and enjoyable in terms of being relatively safe, yet fun, and keeping the shows' tone and style relatively straight (with maybe a little exaggeration here and there) with some nice continuity nods :).

My only thing is that I feel like I would've enjoyed this comic more if I was as into the Harley and Ivy relationship as the intended audience/the actual in-universe cast are where the plot and characters seem to constantly bend over backwards to support and cheer for them and they're talking about each other like the absolute love of their lives like this is a dramatic melodrama...like, they may have murdered some CEO's, but if Vixen's girlfriend supports them, that makes it okay to let them go :rolleyes:.

I get that Tee Franklin is a queer writer trying to promote queer relationships and women in this comic, even to the point of taking established female characters and then having them date women for the first time in this universe, but sometimes it felt like a bit much. I wonder if anyone is going to pick up on the Livewire and Vixen's sexuality as depicted in this comic here or just write it off as an Elseworld :confused:?

I'll always get a kick out of how Zatanna finally spoke in this comic. Although if Franklin had gotten to write her more I'm half-tempted to think she would have gotten as horny for ladies as like 70% of the other women in this book :p.

It was amusing seeing Vixen in her original costume and Ivy wearing an actual costume :anime:.

Nice to finally see King Shark and Clayface :).

Whenever I see how supporting of Harley this version of Babs is, after the Parademon Gotham incident (which I still hold her accountable for), she comes off like the dumbest version of Babs ever (not the least of which that she's genuinely fooled by Clayface/Stephanie). Also it's still weird how short her hair is considering she's Batgirl :shrug:.

Mephitic was...something? I kind of got Blue Snowman vibes with the surprise reveal that it was actually a woman under all that, although it seems like they did the bare minimum to explain the character and what their deal was o_O.
 

Spotlight

Staff online

Who's on Discord?

Latest profile posts

Remember back when people were saying that "Streaming is the (bright) future"?
"I can't wait to eat this baby" - Paramount, presumably looking for tax write-offs
Happy Baseball Opening Day
"I'm probably going to watch Nymphomaniac Part II on Disney+ this weekend" isn't something I didn't think I'd ever say, but here we are.

Featured Posts

Top