Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass

by Mariko Tamaki, Steve Pugh (Illustrator)

Overview

Mulitple Eisner Award Nominee, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass features the outspoken, rebellious, and eccentric fifteen-year-old Harleen Quinzel. With five dollars to her name, she's sent to live in Gotham City after battling a lot of hard situations as a kid. But everything changes when Gotham's finest drag queen, Mama, takes her in.

And at first it seems like Harleen has finally found a place to grow into her most "true true," with new best friend Ivy at Gotham High. But then Harley's fortune takes another turn when Mama's drag cabaret becomes the next victim in the wave of gentrification that's taking over the neighborhood.

Now Harleen is mad. In turning her anger into action, she is faced with two choices: join Ivy, who's campaigning to make the neighborhood a better place to live, or join The Joker, who plans to take down Gotham one corporation at a time.

From Eisner Award and Caldecott Honor-winning author Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Steve Pugh (The Flintstones) comes a coming-of-age story about choices, consequences, and how a weird kid from Gotham goes about defining her world for herself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401283292
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	09/03/2019
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	166,891
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	HL430L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Mariko Tamaki is a Canadian writer living in Oakland. Works include New York Times bestseller This One Summer and Skim with Jillian Tamaki, Emiko Superstar with Steve Rolston and the YA novel (You) Set Me on Fire. This One Summer was the winner of Printz and Caldecott Honors in 2015 and received the Eisner award for Best Graphic Album (New).

Editorial Reviews

07/22/2019

Harleen Quinzel pulls into Gotham as a broke teenage drifter in this tale of gentrification and class struggle. After being taken in by a drag queen called Mama, she begins to attend classes at Gotham High. Quickly making friends with ardent intersectional feminist Ivy, carefree Harley finds conflict with John Kane, the misogynistic head of the film club, and with his parents, unscrupulous developers set on gentrifying Harley’s new neighborhood. When a mysterious figure, the Joker, enters the scene, his goals and methods seem initially in line with Harley’s, but it’s unclear whether he is trustworthy. Tamaki (This One Summer) neatly maps DC universe characters—and their wealth, wits, and willingness to get their hands dirty—to high school drama. Harley is a relatively breezy character whose questionable ethics often mirror those closest to her, and pairing her with a found family of drag queens and community organizers directs her chaotic whimsy toward a social justice bent. The diverse cast is depicted in a realistic, frenzied art style by Pugh (Hellblazer), whose dynamic illustrations are particularly suited to the story’s stunning costumes and over-the-top dramatics. Ages 13–17. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"The fast-paced plot enhanced by Harley's trademark style of speech examines the impact of gentrification, and Harley’s character development follows a redemptive arc that will have readers rooting for her and her colorful family. A riotous read." —Kirkus Reviews

"Mariko Tamaki’s voice is absolute perfection in this altogether refreshing spin on a young Harleen Quinzel’s beginnings. Anchored by stunning art by Steve Pugh, readers get to revel in a Gotham City that has drag queens fighting gentrification, a familiar-named practical activist going against an all-consuming corporation, and an endearing delinquent just trying to find the fairy tale that fits her remarkable life. Shantay you stay (on my bookshelf for decades to come), Breaking Glass."
—Sina Grace, GLAAD Media Award nominated author of Iceman
 
"Breaking Glass is a standout achievement that demonstrates the unique blend of words, pictures, and color that comics offer. With its diverse cast and respect for the essential natures of long-beloved characters, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass should appeal to comic book newcomers as well as longtime fans.” —Foreword Reviews

"A modern, funny, and satisfyingly fresh take on the origin of a superhero revolutionary." – School Library Journal Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School, Brooklyn

From the Publisher

★ 08/01/2019

Gr 9 Up—Teenager Harleen Quinzel is from everywhere and nowhere—the type of kid who wanders the world with just five bucks and a knapsack. The story begins when she steps off the bus in Gotham, a city experiencing rapid gentrification led by the ultra-rich Kane family. Harleen is taken in by Mama, a club owner whose cadre of drag queens embrace the teen and her manic enthusiasm for life. While joining new friend Ivy's protest to get the school's film club to screen movies by women and people of color, and hanging out backstage at drag shows, Harleen grows to love dressing up as a clown. When someone calling themselves "the Joker" tries to enlist her on a mission to take down the Kane family, Harleen must choose between joining a rebellion to protect her new community and staying on the right side of the law. Tamaki's reimagining of Harley Quinn's origin as a teenager deeply embedded in countercultural movements is thought provoking. Through Harleen's evolution, readers engage with complex ideas of community action, gentrification, and protest. The author also explores drag culture and identity politics and even makes nuanced references to the AIDS crisis. Tamaki's Harleen is no white savior, nor is she a manic pixie dream girl—she's curious, funny, and deeply original. Pugh brings this unique character to life with moody shadows and wildly expressive eyes; his artwork shines at emotionally heightened moments. VERDICT A modern, funny, and satisfyingly fresh take on the origin of a superhero revolutionary.—Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School, Brooklyn

School Library Journal