BATMAN: PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING - HARLEY QUINN VS. THE JOKER #1 BY TIM SEELEY AND SAMI BASRI Art Characterization Plot Summary BATMAN: PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING - HARLEY QUINN VS. THE JOKER #1 is an exciting ending to the PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING series. Tim Seeley delivers a real wedding present of a grand finale. The Joker lives up to the hype. The complicated relationship between him and Harley Quinn is center stage in this issue. Sami Basri's artwork is bright and playful and perfectly captures the craziness of these characters. BATMAN: PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING - HARLEY QUINN VS. THE JOKER #1 is an exciting ending to the PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING series. Tim Seeley delivers a real wedding present of a grand finale. The Joker lives up to the hype. The complicated relationship between him and Harley Quinn is center stage in this issue. Sami Basri's artwork is bright and playful and perfectly captures the craziness of these characters. 90 % SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLODDY

Here comes the Joker, all dressed in… purple? That’s right you guys, the Joker is joining in on the festivities in BATMAN: PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING – HARLEY QUINN VS. THE JOKER #1.

Can Harley Quinn stop the Clown Prince of Crime from ruining Batman and Catwoman’s big day? Written by Tim Seeley, this is the final installment in the Prelude to the Wedding series. What an exciting ending to the series with brilliant artwork by Sami Basri. Since this is the grand finale, let’s go out with a bang.

A Death Trap For a Wedding Present

The story begins with the Joker, dressed quite dapper, escaping from a storage container filled with teeth. So that’s one way to start your morning, stuck in a death trap. When the crown prince of crime is walking away, he is hit by a car. Who’s behind the wheel? None other than the Joker’s plus one, Harley Quinn.

She smashes him over the head with her over-sized hammer. Later, the Joker wakes up in a new trap. With Harley dressed in a cute chef outfit, she proceeds to drown her puddin’ in his least favorite kind of pudding, tapioca. As he escapes the giant mixing bowl, she explains her motives for torturing him. She wants payback for all the pain she suffered when they were together.

Onto The Next Death Trap

And yes, there’s another one. This one involves wholesome cartoon characters and Harley Quinn dressed as a princess. Other than revenge, she traps Joker in order to stop him from ruining the wedding. According to Quinn, the wedding of Batman and Catwoman is like a real fairy tale, something she has always dreamed of having. While Joker is chained to a bean bag chair, he admits Harley is his “death trap muse,” which is sweet, for a serial killer.

With the wedding coming up, Joker admits having a lack of inspiration when coming up with a plan to ruin the big day. In a surprise turn of events, he claims he allowed Harley to capture him and escapes, yet again, from her trap. Instead of killing her, he knocks her out. The final page coincides with the events happening in BATMAN #48 and BATMAN #49. With Joker standing outside the church, feels like everything has come full circle for the Prelude to the Wedding series.

Mistah J and Miz Quinn

BATMAN: PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING – HARLEY VS. THE JOKER #1 gives us some in-depth insight into Joker and Harley Quinn’s relationship. For Harley, there is this heartfelt declaration of her feelings towards the Joker in this issue. She confronts Joker on how trapped and beaten down she felt when they were together. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right? Well, in this comic, we feel her fury.

On the other hand, there is a kind of strange affection between the two of them. No, I’m not condoning the Joker’s abusive nature towards her, I’m just saying there may be a part of him that actually cares for her, in some capacity. I’m no psychiatrist, but the Joker being unable to kill Harley, in the end, must count for something. BATMAN: PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING – HARLEY QUINN VS. THE JOKER #1 does a great job at exploring their complicated relationship.

Charming Artwork

I fell in love with Sami Basri’s artwork. As a whole, the entire issue looks charming and playful. The character designs look fantastic, especially Harley Quinn’s many adorable costume changes. Overall, the color scheme is bright and vibrant, unlike past issues with characters that were shrouded in darkness. The imagery captured the demented lunatic sides of both characters, with such attention to detail on facial expressions and body language.

Interestingly enough, the art style fits the personalities of these two characters perfectly. The visuals have a fun energy about them, even while Harley Quinn is torturing the Joker. Truly, the artwork made BATMAN: PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING – HARLEY QUINN VS. THE JOKER #1 even more of a delight to read. Someone save Sami Basri a seat at the Batman-Catwoman wedding.

Final Thoughts On BATMAN: PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING – HARLEY QUINN VS. THE JOKER #1

BATMAN: PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING – HARLEY QUINN VS. THE JOKER #1 is a fantastic story with great characters and even greater artwork. This issue was really a grand finale for the series, especially since the story connects to the events happening in the BATMAN comics. Tim Seeley delivered an exciting ending that lived up to all expectations. The Joker lives up to all the hype and delivers a real wedding present of a comic.

Even though Joker and Harley Quinn’s relationship is like watching a train wreck, there is something captivating about their complicated dynamic. With bright colors and a playful mood, the artwork by Sami Basri is simply eye-catching and such a treat. The visuals really did capture the comical and crazy sides of the Joker and Harley Quinn.

So THE PRELUDE TO THE WEDDING series was interesting, to say the least. With Tim Seeley’s storytelling abilities, each character was highlighted in the best way. Some plot points were muddled by weak villains or poor reasons for conflict. However, it was a wild roller coaster of a series, and I did enjoy the ride. I feel extra prepared to celebrate the upcoming royal wedding of comics.