Harley and Ivy

This was one of the graphic novels I picked up from Toronto. While the other ones were a bit more serious looking, this one just looked like a lot of fun. So I just had to buy it. I mean, I can't really picture Harley and Ivy together.

Luckily, this was exactly the type of read that I needed: totally different from those magazines! Harley and Ivy are indeed an odd pair, which led to some hilarious antics! This volume collected three different stories about the unlikely duo. The Bet, the first story by Paul Dini, was a hilarious little romp. Harley bet Ivy a dollar that she could get more of the Arkham males to kiss her! Love on the Lam by Judd Winick had Harley kicked out by the Joker, so she enlists Ivy's help for a big score. Ivy attempts to get Harley to go off on her own for awhile, away from the Joker's influence. And finally, there was Paul Dini's Harley and Ivy, a longer story about the pair on their random adventures to South America and Hollywood.

This was a great read! Perfect for any Batman fan who wants a break from the seriousness!

Interlude: Heart of Hush

I was telling a friend how much I enjoyed Batman: Hush, so today he lent me the five part comic series Heart of Hush (Batman Detective Comics #846-850). Heart of Hush is the return of Hush, with another plan to destroy Batman. This time, he has enlisted the help of the Scarecrow to distract Batman's attention while Hush strikes from the shadows.

And what a strike! While Batman is off dealing with the Scarecrow, Hush attacks Catwoman. He kidnaps after catching her completely off guard, and steals her heart - literally! With the help of Mr. Freeze, Hush removes her heart from her chest, delivering her to Gotham General while he has her heart in his hospital! (The scene directly after this had Batman beating up the Scarecrow in Arkham, demanding to know where Hush is; the Joker is sitting nearby, enjoy the show. He remarks at one point that watching Batman work is like Christmas! I thought it was hilarious!)

This story reveals Hush's reasoning for going after Batman. His reasoning is quite flawed, not really making sense, but I guess that's the point: Hush is kind of insane (what Batman villian isn't?) I really liked how Batman managed to get a few steps ahead of Hush, such as when he stormed Hush's hideout, or at the end. And Catwoman's revenge at the end was a nice little "so there." All in all, this was a great story, and I'm really glad my friend lent it to me. Definitely worth the read (after the two part Hush graphic novels, of course!)

Oh, and as a fyi, the picture I chose is of Batman Detective Comics #450 (the final part). I felt it best captured the story as a whole (and I really liked the picture!)