WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Harley Quinn #72, by Sam Humphries, Abel, Hi-Fi and Dave Sharpe, on sale now from DC.
Harley Quinn has had a tough time lately, with several people close to her dying. Most recently, the mysterious death of her friend Alicia spurred her into a murder investigation. Along the way, she encountered Michael Jon Carter/Booster Gold, with whom she had a run in at Sanctuary during Heroes in Crisis. The two have now teamed up, and there were instantly some sparks. However, in Harley Quinn #72, the Clown Princess of Crime realizes she might just have feelings for the time-travelling hero.
At the start of the issue, Harley Quinn and Booster Gold are looking into Baby Face, the wrestling commissioner with whom Alicia had a spat prior to her death. Booster and Harley take on a gaggle of super-powered wrestlers and are eventually forced to flee due to the danger the fighters pose to them. Still, Harley has accomplished her mission: Publicly accuse Baby Face of murder. However, she's still unable to prove he actually committed the crime.
As the two continue their investigation, they look into a crate of Nazi bullets, and Booster dubs their team-up "Goldie Quinn," much to Harley's chagrin. The two then arrive at a fancy party in Gordita Beach, where they pose as a couple. Eventually, they make their way to the basement, where they're confronted by a guard who has also recently lost someone. She and Harley commiserate, which eventually leads the Clown Princess of Crime and Booster to a construction site in North Hollywood. They realize the Nazis they've been pursuing, Baby Face and a developer named Jonathan Wittleston are all connected. Harley deduces Wittleston may have killed Alicia, though Booster isn't convinced.
Booster and Harley then argue, and the art indicates they nearly kiss. However, Booster chooses to leave rather than help Harley in the next stage of her quest. While at first Harley tries to insult Booster, talking about how she doesn't need him, she eventually says, "Do I have a crush on Booster Gold?! Ew!" Harley then goes to confront Wittleston, falling into his trap, alone and without Booster.
While on the surface, Harley and Booster seem like a mismatched couple, they did both go through a mutually traumatic experience at Sanctuary during Heroes in Crisis. In that story, they investigated the mysterious deaths of several prominent characters at the place for recovery. Still, Harley and Booster may not be a particularly popular ship, as the Clown Princess of Crime has in recent years been a major love interest for Poison Ivy. Still, the events of Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy indicate they may have broken up. However, that doesn't mean people weren't still holding out hope for a reconciliation of some sort. For now, though, they'll just have to settle for Booster Gold as Harley's newest love interest.
Harley Quinn #73 is on sale now..