When DC announced Harley Quinn Fartacular: Silent Butt Deadly #1, I groaned along with some, if not all. Certainly, when someone tears a really good fart joke I love it, but certainly doesn’t there enough gas in the world to really sing a 40-page special? But I began to see early reactions like this guy. And then I knew I had to get out of my path and give Harley the opportunity to loosen up and cut.
And then there came a smell like boys, boys, roses.
This book helps you know that it is clearly a gimmick. But then I’m reading all the new Punisher books, hoping to make you feel like you did when you were 11 years old. (Spoiler: Not so.) But writer Joan’s starrer can make something with a lot of emotional resonance as he has to find a way to get Ivy back when a small fart brings a fight that shakes the relationship.
Provided by DC Comics.
And certainly, along the way, there’s the true Hindenburg of farting jokes. In particular, the page featuring the deluge of clever farts is a proper gas, with plenty of visual gags courtesy of the art teams (Ted Brandt and Ro Stein). But what we are getting is a serious tale of what we are actually doing for love, the value of communication, and why we should not be afraid to be ourselves. It’s certainly a stupid book, but then comics are a stupid medium, a way for us to enjoy ourselves and learn about ourselves, and a way of learning an imperfect but joyful life with others.
It’s really an art style and aesthetic that does a lot of heavy lifting. This is a more cartoony dash than would be expected in mainstream DCU stories, but it is also a way to contextualize farts of different sizes and better manage other hijinks (including the hilarity around famous authors as well as the odd cameos from B-tier DC heroes). It creates a little distance and a certain kind of context – fully contextualized, as if what you see is stupid and strange, and perhaps you are willing to engage with it a little more sincerely.
Provided by DC Comics.
From comical faces to Harley’s inventive use of gas as a propulsion system along the way, you’re meant to laugh in a way that reminds you that the comic is even more of a cheesy nachos.
That overall dynamic sets the stage for the book’s larger final goal. As mentioned before, it is actually another truly affectionate look of the comic’s true biggest couple, with Harley and Ivy having the opportunity to solve important communication issues that seem to bother all lovebirds everywhere. But it’s just a pleasant surface, like a quiet but deadly fart, waiting for the bigger purpose of the matter to hit.
The creative team knew that everyone would turn their noses in a book about women’s farts. At the heart of it, Father is a solid way to dismiss the fart’s stigma, as he is stupid and sexist. Everyone farts all the time, and the fact that it is comfortable or disgusting is not the point. The point is that we should be casually embarrassed to laugh at it. Otherwise, anyone who is trapped in a stupid, old-fashioned system, should all be able to celebrate the best and worst parts of our bodies, or just be comfortable. Men look at Terrance and Philip and do damn damn things – and feel rather mean and regressed to deny others.
Provided by DC Comics.
But fortunately, in this respect, the story doesn’t exactly beat you above your head. Rather, it made me know the idea, then melted or smelled the walls like::Checknote::Fast food. And that’s how it should be: comics are one of the best mediums to sneak into big ideas (along with visual or other subtle techniques/creative decisions). It is a medium created to make us think and entertain us regardless.
A person like Mr. Tiktok in the intro would forget about that Tidbit and assume there is only one story to tell. fartacular reminds us that there is space in the table for the stupid and transcendental things. In telling all these stories, we are better, more balanced people.
So, no, you don’t have to like your father. But my question is why isn’t it? Do you think farting is stupid? Ask yourself why this is the case. Are you ashamed to laugh at yourself? Again, it seems you have some deep introspection to reflect on. Do you think comics should probably be more serious? Is there any talk about making love work and dismantling unnecessary gender stereotypes seriously enough?
Open your heart and mind, take a deep, deep breath and really take this. The resulting smell? Why it’s a sweet perfume with a great story.
‘Harley Quinn Faltacal: Silent Bat Fatal’ #1
Harley Quinn Fartacular: Silent Butt Deadly #1
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Some of the fart jokes are a bit stinky, but who’s the best for 40 pages?
