Another of the 4 pages of Harley Quinn I drew in the spring of 2001. Written by Karl Kesel, penciled, inked, and hand lettered by me. It's neat to see these again. I don't think I've really looked at them since DC FedExed the originals back to me when the comic hit the stands.
As I mentioned in my notes for page 37, (
http://etsy.me/1lJ2t1f )
I drew these in Pittsburgh, where my mom was hospitalized because of a traumatic brain injury. I'd just flown across the country from Portland to help out however I could. Things were incredibly hectic. There were decisions to be made, family issues to be dealt with, forms to fill out, crucial errands, appointments with various experts.
So of course I accepted the offer to draw a 4 pager in an annual that was part of a big DC Comics crossover event. With unexpected medical and travel expenses falling on my family, I certainly needed the money, but I had a lot of other responsibilities, I was far from my studio, and I only had a crappy travel set-up to draw with. It should've been the straw that broke the camel's back. Instead it was exactly what I needed: one bright bit of goofiness and fun I could focus on without feeling guilty. This goofball material I'm burying myself in? IT'S MY JOB.
I remember feeling like I'd made this page into secret autobio. I added those odd sight gags of Harley going through all sorts of contortions and desperate gymnastics trying to bring someone back to consciousness.
Autobio aside, the gymnastics elements added big fun to what could've been a downer page of two survivors in a ruined city. I love working with athletic figures, and drawing a show-off hyperactive athlete like Harley is a huge treat.
I think it was my idea to have her pick up the circular metal rim from the rubble and turn it into a hula hoop. And I'm pretty sure I stole the idea for nervous Jimmy Olsen's multiple arm gestures from a Jaime Hernandez panel in Love and Rockets. I wasn't sure how old Jimmy was supposed to be in this story, and DC didn't have any official model sheets, so I went with an ambiguously teen look. Regardless, I was happy to get to draw Jimmy, though I just wish he was wearing the iconic green sports-coat and bow-tie instead of the futuristic space suit the story called for. I snuck in Lex Luthor too, giving a thumbs up on that sign in panel 5.
While I was inking this page, my wife Sara, who'd flown out to help with family stuff, looked over my shoulder and told me I needed to give Harley a bigger butt. "If she can do those kind of moves, she's gonna need way more funk in that trunk."
