Review by Karl Verhoven

Almost all of Verdict is occupied with the title story, although inside it’s ‘The Verdict’, making this an adjunct to the whole “is it Batman or The Batman” discussion, as Verdict is a person, as introduced in Keepsake. They’re muddying the waters for Harley, who’s decided to put right some previous wrongs by doing good. It’s sort of what Verdict is doing by targetting criminals who’ve avoided justice, but extremely viciously. We know Verdict isn’t Harley, but the costuming is similar, and the authorities have Harley in the frame for Verdict’s crimes.

By this third volume of Stephanie Phillips defining Harley you’ll have made up your mind whether you find Riley Rossmo’s art a consistently interesting stylistic diversion accompanied by wit and imagination or whether it’s so far beyond expectations for Harley’s material that it’s unpalatable. That’s now an old discussion, so how about looking for the flow of action on the sample art as Batwoman helps out Harley in jail? The chaotic jagged sequence of panels beneath is a characteristic device, here oblongs placed higgledy-piggledy, but sometimes smaller diamond panels or circles, and he’ll often use large illustrations with Harley pictured several times moving through the panel or spread.

While Verdict’s identity isn’t too difficult to figure out, Phillips compensates with one hell of a backstory. It involves Harley, explains why Verdict might want to frame her, and has a powerful enough betrayal at its heart to credibly motivate what she’s been doing. “I’ve had enough bad relationships to know when I’m being gaslit”, is where it starts, and by the end you’ll have some sympathy.

In keeping with the darker tone of the art, Phillips writes Harley as a different character to the one seen over the years. The motor mouth, impulsiveness and disassociation is still present, and there are flashbacks to the old Harley, but consideration shines through. While no longer a joke a panel, Harley remains funny, and it’s still a joy seeing her bumble her way to the right solution.

Verdict closes with a matter you might have forgotten. A while back Harley had a pair of hyenas, so what happened to them? Phillips and Rossmo supply the answer ten comical pages, and there are consequences in Task Force XX.