Love Is in the Air (or maybe it's toxic gas?)
Updates from the desk of Stephanie Phillips, including publication news and upcoming projects.
Happiest of Fridays, all!
Last week, a bunch of new covers appeared in December 2021 solicits that deserve all the attention because they’re gorgeous. Harley Quinn #10 has some of my favorite covers of the series so far by Riley Rossmo, Derrick Chew, and Rachta Lin. The official solicit for the issue: “You know those real cheesy rom-coms where two unlikely lovebirds lean in for the same book and knock heads in the poetry section of the school library and fall madly in love? Well, this story is nothing like that. For starters, Kevin met his new muse in the middle of Scarecrow attacking Gotham (how’s that for a meet-cute?). And second, despite planning the most perfect and romantic date night with Ivy, it seems like she might have something else on her mind. Love is in the air—errr, wait…that might be toxic gas…this is Gotham!”
Laura Braga and Arif Prianto are once again joining me on interiors for this issue! It feels really fitting to have Laura draw this issue after we “planted” the idea that we’d have Ivy in this run during Batman: Urban Legends #1 back in March. Ivy’s role in the series starts during Fear State (beginning next week!), so make sure you’re reading that to see where the Ivy storyline is headed. I’ve been pretty vocal about how important I think the Harley/Ivy relationship is to both characters and the DCU. This is something we’ve been building towards since day 1, and I’m thrilled for the Gotham City Sirens reunion in Fear State and this very romantic issue we have planned for Harley and Ivy. Am I the absolute sappiest person on the planet who maybe cried a little at the ending of this issue? My cats will never tell! (But yes… yes, I did. I’m a sucker for the romance!).
Also important to Fear State and beyond… the solicit mentions a new character - a potential muse for Kevin. I’ve talked before about wanting to give Kevin a romance of his own, but I don’t see this as just someone to balance things out on a double-date with Harley and Ivy. This is incredibly important for Kevin to begin thinking about his own journey and whether he’s ready to share that with someone else. He’s grown incredibly comfortable with Harley, but opening yourself intimately offers a whole host of insecurities that Kevin is going to have to navigate. I really think there should be more romance in comics in general, and I hope moving forward we can strike the right balance between action, comedy, and romance, because that’s a perfect spot for our series to live!
As a present, please enjoy Kevin’s face when he sees his new love interest for the first time. I think this might just be “love at first right hook.”
Moving on to Wonder Woman… Wonder Woman: Evolution issue #2 was also announced last week with covers by Mike Hawthorne and Jordie Bellaire, and Meghan Hetrick. The official solicit: “Diana finds herself in the abandoned ruins of Themyscira with no idea how she got there, but that’s the least of her problems as she encounters Steve Trevor, who is determined to kill her. Wonder Woman discovers that while her surroundings might not be entirely real, they can still harm her, as her most cosmic story line unfolds. Harley Quinn writer Stephanie Phillips and acclaimed artist Mike Hawthorne (Daredevil, Deadpool) bring you Wonder Woman: Evolution!”
Wonder Woman: Evolution has been such a tough series to create solicits for! This is a layered story, and we’re only able to give you some of the details without completely spoiling things for you. This is almost a story within a story, with an ending that I hope you won’t see coming. We’ve really tried to create this book as an experience. Once you reach the end and all is revealed… you can re-read the story and find all kinds of clues and hints to the truth sprinkled throughout the book. Mike Hawthorne has been SO sneaky with some of these hints! Since Diana is all about truth, we wanted this book to bend and warp Diana’s sense of truth, as well as yours, dear reader.
Finally, Detective Comics #1046. This issue is the culmination of the backup stories I’ve been working on with David Lapham and Patricia Mulvihill. This series has been such a fun Harley/Batman crossover, blending what we’ve been doing in the Harley Quinn series with the wonderful work of the Detective Comics team (Mariko Tamaki and Dan Mora). Official solicit: “Harley Quinn guest-stars in the culmination of "Foundations"! Must Gotham City have an Arkham facility, and if so…will it be any different, or is doom on its way?”
I absolutely adore Batman and Harley interacting. In this final issue, we’re really asking big questions about how institutions fail, and whether a second chance is warranted. I also wrote the most ridiculous joke I have EVER written in this script and if I am forever banned from comics for this horrible joke… I understand. But I stand by it and I’d do it again!
OUT NEXT WEEK
It’s finally time for Fear State. Grab Harley Quinn #7 next week! Make sure you’re also reading the other Fear State titles. Not only are they just really awesome, but our story is adding to and continuing some of the threads created in Batman and Catwoman. The wait for Waffle Dog is finally over!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I started writing Harley Quinn a little over a year ago (starting with Future State). It’s been an amazing year with Harley, with more to come. Next week I’ll be writing a Harley-centric post about my thoughts after wrapping up the script for the final year. To reiterate my post from last week - I am NOT leaving Harley (neither is Riley!).
I’ll be at NYCC in a couple of weeks and look forward to seeing everyone going! Please stop by to talk and I’d be happy to sign your books.
Spice World is not currently on a streaming platform and I personally think that this is a crime.
Thank you all for reading!
-Stephanie