The Harley Quinn Annual #1 comic book, on sale October 29, will be a “scratch ‘n sniff” comic with scents of leather, suntan lotion, and pizza, plus one unnamed scent of a “mysterious compound.” Those smells will be in the U.S. edition; a second variant edition that will be available in all territories features the same smells with the exception of the mysterious compound, which will be replaced with fresh-cut grass.
Due to legal reasons, DC Comics is promoting this as a “Rub-and-Smell” comic instead of “scratch ‘n sniff,” but whatever you call it, it’s hard to remember the last time a major publisher did an old school gimmick like this. With Harley Quinn becoming more comedic and self-aware than ever thanks to writers Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, her series seems prime for such comic book hijinks.
The comic will feature four different covers — a regular cover and Bombshell variant for the U.S. edition (pictured below), and then an international variant cover. It will be completed by a team of artists including John Timms, Paul Mounts, Stjepan Sejic, Joe Quinones, Ben Caldwell, Rico Renzi, Kelley Jones, and Michelle Madsen.
