Part of an ongoing series revisiting graphic novels and collected editions from days gone by....

The topsy-turvy world of Harley Quinn continues in Joker Loves Harley, the second collected volume of books from the Rebirth era of DC Comics (which is not demonstrably different from Harley Quinn in the New 52 era that preceded it). As before Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti are at the project's helm, with John Timms as the book's primary artist.

All of the usual elements are present and accounted for, including the cheesecake factor -- in fact, the book begins with Harley and Poison Ivy taking a vacation to a Caribbean nudist colony, so look for plenty of artfully placed hair, leis, pool noodles and other people's heads. (There's also Harley in a bikini, Harley taking a shower, Harley in a sheer negligee, Harley in a skin-tight white bodysuit identical to the color of her pale skin, so she looks naked at a quick glance. In other words, the cheesecake factor is well covered -- much more so than the protagonist in this book.)

Then it's back to Coney Island, where Harley has an unusual, Wizard of Oz-themed dream, then decides to burn off some steam at the local head-crushing roller derby, where a mysterious but somewhat familiar figure shoots her opponent from the shadows. There's another dream, this one with a technicolor hentai theme, and a brief brawl at a local pizzeria, where Harley gets to be the hero.

And then, you know, the Joker -- Harley's ex and persistent Achilles heel -- shows up in her apartment. Or does he?

(Overall, the art in this book is pretty good, but I have to say this is one of the ugliest depictions of the Joker I've seen in a mainstream book.)

Anyway, the collection ends with a throwaway one-off holiday issue, in which Harley beats up a department store elf, gets crushed by a giant candy cane and dives into the dark psyche of a coma-ridden Santa Claus, where she interrupts a feast on dead Rudolphs and discovers an abattoir of slaughtered elves and ruins St. Nick's vacation on yet another tropical island.

This run of Harley Quinn is fun in a light, frothy sort of way (despite the high kill count), but it's not a groundbreaking storyline, and it's unlikely to have much effect on the larger DC universe. Basically, if you like the character of Harley Quinn, you'll enjoy the book.