Customer Reviews

Batman Adventures: Mad Love

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When the various "Adventures" (DC's codeword for comics inspired by the animated versions of its heroes) books first came out, i didn't pay much attention.

But then i picked up a copy of "Batman Adventures" and was immediately hooked. The "Adventures" books may well be the freshest and most original takes on the Batman and his friends and foes that i have read in many a year.

But why? i asked myself, and i answered, Because they can use whatever they want from the Batman's 50-year history, but they aren't stuck with a strait-jacket continuity that that 50 years imposes on the "real" Batman titles.

And so we come to Harley Quinn -- though they're trying to put her in the "real" Batman continuity lately, which i think is a BAD mistake, Harley is very much a creature of the animated show -- the Joker's prankish and ditzey henchgrrl, a wise-cracking foil for both the Joker and the Bat, cute and funny and deadly and frightening if you really look.

In fact, Harley Quinn may be more frightening than the Joker himself, and *that* is a good trick.

And why? Because she *loves* Joker and just wants to please him. And to please a murderous, psychopathic clown, you have to be even crazier than he is.

This book, then, is Harley's story. It tells us who she was, what she wanted to be, and how she became what she *is*.

It is a curiously gentle and sad story, as well, considering the violence of many of its events and the madness giggling from its pages in every panel. Harley is rather a sad clown at base; the thing she wanted that caused her to kick over the traces and turn to crime -- Joker's love and approval -- is the one thing she will never have, no matter how desparately she tries to please him, because there's room for only one love object in Joker's life... the Batman, no matter how twisted that love's expression may be.

Watching Harley cold-bloodedly attempting to commit an elaborate and nasty murder, just so Joker will notice her, is chilling. Watching Batman manipulate both Harley and Joker, even with his hands tied, is an example of what makes the Batman the icon that he is.

And reading Harley's final words, which echo the sickest of the old Goffin & King Brill Building songs, is sad and horrifying and ominous all at once.

If you are a Batman fan but have not yet discovered the "Adventures" books or even the animated series, this graphic novel is a good palce to start.

And i envy you.

Based on one of the best of the animated Batman episodes, "Mad Love" tells how Harley Quinn, chief henchwoman and paramour of the Joker, got her warped start. Once, a respected psychiatrist at infamous Arkham Asylum, Dr. Quinn becomes infatuated with her "patient", The Joker", turns her life topsy-turvy, and allies herself with "the clown prince of crime".

After falling from The Joker's favor, Quinn plots to capture Batman, the one that she blames for her "rift" with The Joker. Her "solution" to a backfired Joker prank is priceless.

For fans of both the series and the legend of Batman, this is a visit that one must make.

Don't be fooled by it's cartoonish appearance. "Mad Love" is the best Batman comic I've ever read. Unlike many graphic novels that include great amounts of narration and description, "Mad Love" focuses more on character developement - and does it absolutely perfectly. Each character is protrayed exactly as they were meant to be. Wonderfully written, funny, emotional, and deranged, this book shows us the mysterious past of the Joker's henchgirl, lover, and victim, Harley Quinn. It will take your breath away.

I thought this book was cool as in it showed a whole nother side to the joker and it showed how Harley Quinn met the joker and fell in love with him. I loved it alot. Another book I recommend is Batman: Gotham Adventures. That was a very good book as well. If you like the Joker alot than I recommend Batman: The Killing Joke. I do not recommend Batman: The Killing Joke for readers under the age of 14.

Too little is mentioned in this page of the work of Mr. Timm in this book or BTAS. He is, after all, THE creative force behind the series: his bold designs of the Dark Knight were the seed for the show. His artwork in this book brings the feeling from the TV screen to the page.

Paul Dini is the best Batman writer from the animated series, and he knows how to best write the Joker, with his madcap sense of humor and violent mood. He is the perfect complement for the vision Timm wanted to bring to Batman.

A real must read.

This is the original origin story of Harley Quinn, written years before she made the transition from cartoon character to mainstream DC comic book character. The Batman: Gotham Knights episode "Mad Love" was based on this graphic novel, and they are almost identical in both design and dialogue. There are a few key differences and additions to the story which were not shown in the animated episode however. For example, the ending is basically the same, but worded differently. (Personally, I prefer the wording in the cartoon, but no matter.)

Despite all the character changes, interpretations, and adaptations that have been made from Paul Dini/Bruce Timm's original vision of Harley, accept no substitutes. The original IS the best. This is Harley as she was meant to be characterized. And you will be hard-pressed to find a comic book written and drawn as vividly and engaging as this one; I own hundreds of comic books, and this is one of my very top favorites. Definitely one of Paul Dini/Bruce Timm's best works, and a testiment to why Harley Quinn became the character so intriguing that she did the impossible and made the crossover to mainstream DC continuity.

This off-shoot of the sophisticated "Animated Series" explores the Joker's insanity through his female counterpart Harley Quinn (why didn't anyone think of a character such as her in some 50 years of Bat-history??), written by the quite capable Paul Dini, who is now rumoured to be behind the scenes of the next big-screen Bat-feature. Harley and Joker's relationship is a good metaphor as any for destructive relationships, but Bruce Timm's disarming, effective visuals keep this tale from "Killing Joke" dark.

This story, written by the creator-force behind Batman: The Animated Series, gives the readers the origin of the Joker's psychotic, made-for-TV girlfried, Harley Quinn. Not a children's story, Mad Love is an exquisite story, showing us new, humanistic sides to characters we have all grown to love and hate. This story leaves many die-hard Batman fans asking why isn't Paul Dini writing Batman comics on a regular basis.

Never have I been so utterly pleased by an Item that I've received. Prior to ordering this book I had wathced the Animated cartoon version, and let me tell ya, this is far better - little details are taken out of the cartoon, for good reason, but they really do shape who Harley is. I was surprised, too, that the dialogue is almost per the animated script. This re-release is a good choice for collectors and moderate fans. Personally, I'd say it's a must-have for any Harley fan!

If you're a Harley fan, this is definitely something you've got to have. This takes the view/style of "Batman: The Animated Series" (which is no surprise, since the writers/illustrators of that wrote/illustrated this as well) and really shapes who HQ is in a quick, easy and fun read.

The comic has a companion animated version in Series 4 of B:TAS, but this is definitely much more enjoyable.

Like I said, though... it's really for the HQ fans out there as the base for the modern persona of her.