WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Detective Comics#1014 by Peter J. Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Mark Irwin, Christian Alamy, David Baron and Rob Leigh, on sale now.
In the annals of DC history, and comics in general, few couples have come close to the chaos and bloodshed caused by Harley Quinn and the Joker. So much so that, whether it's the Suicide Squad movie, the mainstream books, the Injustice Universe, the cartoons from the minds of Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, or the multitudes of Elseworlds stories depicting their dysfunctional relationship, they stand head and shoulders above the rest as a true killer pairing.
However, this changes drastically in Detective Comics #1014, which heralds the arrival of a new couple that leaves us with chills down our spines, and it's one that's ready to rival what we've seen from the Clown Prince of Crime and his broken psychiatrist.
Mr. and Mrs. Freeze have arrived in Gotham, and they're ready to become the "it" couple of DC -- but not in a good way at all. Freeze was able to manipulate Nora's DNA, as well as various other kidnapped victims, to come up with a strain he seeded out to lookalike women. He'd later use his thugs to harvest these ladies so he could resurrect his wife, a plan Batman uncovers way too late. However, one more compound's needed, causing Freeze and Nora to head to WayneTech for their first heist.
The cunning Freeze hid the chemicals there just before Bruce Wayne fired him for his experiments on Nora's revival. As they destroy the lab, Nora surprisingly enjoys the chaos. She's embracing the criminal life, something Freeze told her earlier helped him to keep the dream of resurrecting her alive. And as she takes that plunge into the cold, dark side, it's apparent the Nora of old's gone.
It's when they depart with their prize, leaving an intimidated Bruce and Lucius Fox in their wake trying to salvage the lab, that we see how sadistic Freeze and Nora are. At a different location, Nora's in her ballet costume once more, her skin blue like her husband's, on stage dancing and rekindling the fire after years of love and romance got taken from them. The twist is, as she gets her ovation from her hubby, he's shown to be in a crowd that's been frozen to death. The couple went to a recital, murdered the crowd and took the show over to remind them how much they enjoyed Nora's dance sessions.
This intimate but deadly piece of nostalgia shows how cruel Nora has become. When the duo exit, they scare people on the streets in their new suits, making it clear it's time for even more murder. Even Freeze is a bit surprised that Nora's gone full-on villain and that she enjoys her new role. You can tell Nora simply wants to kill for the fun of it, a la Harley. Ironically, she might not even be willing to follow Freeze's lead like Harley did with Joker. And while Freeze wouldn't mind if she's her own woman, future solicits do hint she's going to get so out of hand, even he won't be able to control her.
Freeze played God and it seems he's now unleashed a monster on Gotham even he didn't anticipate. Still, the way he loves Nora, we wouldn't be surprised to see him give in and cut loose with her brand of anarchy. Move aside Harley and Mistah J, because with their freeze-guns out and a debt owed to Lex Luthor, Freeze and Nora are salivating at the potential destruction they can inflict on a city that never treated them right. And from what we've seen so far, it seems Nora will be leading the way.
Detective Comics #1015 goes on sale Nov. 13.