Harley Quinn and the Suicide Squad April Fools Special One-Shot

It's April 1st and I had been looking forward to a couple of holiday themed comics to celebrate April Fools. I hadn't bought anything for Easter, so I was thrilled to have this book to read. However, I had set it aside and forgot where I put it. After spending 2 straight days searching, I finally located it in time for a holiday read. But now that it's over, I really wish I didn't spend all that time looking for it.

Harley Quinn is invited to head up a support group for super-villains. A former psychiatrist and current villain in her own right, Harley is more than qualified for the job. Her first client is Man-Bat. Only, the former Kirk Langstrom doesn't know that. Harley's attempts to cure the villain in the middle of an assault on Gotham City is rather funny. It's only when Harley gives up on house calls and puts up her shingle does things go downhill and fast!

For one thing, the art changes from the hyper-realistic style of Jim Lee to an uber-cartoony look from Sean Galloway; AKA Cheeks. The story itself goes from funny to absurd to the point that the reader is never sure if Harley really is counseling some of the lower tiered villains of the DC Universe or if it's all in her head. In fact, when the artwork reverted back to Jim Lee's, even Harley is unsure as we find her undergoing some sort of mind control at the hands of that heartless b*tch, Amanda Waller.

The title of this 2016 one-shot is Harley Quinn and the Suicide Squad April Fools Special. For 90% of this book, I was wondering 'where is the Suicide Squad in all this?' Once I got my answer, I really wasn't happy. Poor Harleen Quinzel, alias Harley Quinn, has gone through such a gauntlet of crap in her life story. Abused as a child, mistreated and manipulated by the Joker and now tortured by Waller, man, things just keep getting worse for one of my all-time favorite characters. And it kept making me mad!

Really, this shouldn't have even been labeled an 'April Fools Special'. There is really nothing about the holiday in this book. During the Silver Age, DC would do these occasional April Fools stories where readers were encouraged to find all the erroneous stuff artists hid in the artwork. I was expecting the same with this book. Instead I got to see poor Harley get mistreated again and have to sit through an ending that was essentially a 4-page advertisement for a Suicide Squad series that I have very little interest in reading. 

I guess the joke was on me...

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 2 out of 10 stars.

The Three Stooges April Fool's Day Special #1

On their way to Poughkeepsie, the fellas are kicked off their bus. For bringing a live chicken, of course. Having to hoof it now, the boys find themselves at a renaissance fair. Only they think that they've traveled back in time to 'mud-evil' times. Welcomed as guests, though considered a bunch of bozos, Larry, Moe and Curly make the most of things. And that means getting into trouble! 

Then in a classic issue from the Dell/Gold Key years, Larry, Moe and Curly Joe have car trouble somewhere in the humid desert of the Western US. There the Stooges get mistaken for both bank robbers and US marshals. It's a cartoonish romp that can only be played out by this trio of troublemakers.

I'm really torn over this issue. I liked both stories. The first tale captured the classic Stooges perfectly in a modern, albeit antiquated, setting. The second tale was also wonderful. It hit all the right notes of the Curly Joe era while also following a classic Stooges trope- mistaken identity. 

No, my problem was that I don't understand why this is considered an April Fool's Day special. Having the guys get into a joke war seems a little more fitting. Sure, the guys get mistaken for both robbers and lawmen. But there's no real intentional deception. I'd even enjoy a prank of a serious Stooges story. Or having some sort of impish version of Shemp throw Larry, Moe and Curly for a loop. (Shemp Imp-get it?! Ha!) Something that was an actual April Fool, you know?

Usually April 1st results in a trick. But this issue actually has a surprise treat. If you scan the QR code, you get a full classic episode of the Three Stooges. And I checked! Even though this is a 5 year old issue, the link to the episode on Youtube still works!

I imagine if you QR the above cover image on your phone, it'll work for you!

A fun issue that provides some added enjoyment. Just not the material that I would expect for the occasion in which this issue was to be celebrated. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.