I'm embracing my inner geek, and loving comics and superheroes (and villains) again!
And throughout my chronological quest into the far-reaching spaces of pop culture - coupled with a feminist critique - I can say with upmost confidence that I have rarely encountered a more fascinating, more riotously entertaining, multi-layered and complex female character than Harley Quinn, aka Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for 'Batman: The Animated Series' in 1992 as the Joker's henchwoman, she became a definite breakout character, and has grown so much in popularity that DC Comics included her as part of their canon near the end of the millennium.
The story of Harley's character conception, and her resulting huge fanbase, is quite remarkable. Because the idea of the Joker - Batman's most famous long-time adversary and one of the top villains in comics - having a female sidekick who also acts as a sort-of girlfriend should never have worked at all. But I think, due to the complexities of the relationship between Harley and the Joker, as well as Harley's infectious and wonderfully mad-capped personality (for a villain), it did work. Splendidly.
Plus, can anyone name any other famous clown woman? She's a breath of fresh air (no laughing gas required!) indeed.
Harley Quinn, despite what she might show on the outside, is a smart woman. Savvy and quick-thinking. However, her eccentric and overconfident streak got her tragically pulled into a cycle of abuse by the manipulative Joker. She fell madly in love with him when she was his psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, and would do anything to make him love her just as much, even be his partner in crime. This is despite the fact that the egotistical and sociopathic Joker clearly only loves himself (heck, he shows more affection towards Batman than he does Harley), and uses his obsessive fanatic like a puppet for his schemes. Even if it appears he might love his dearly devoted Harley for real, he would sooner kill her than develop any feelings that to him are a disease, a weakness.
Yet even as Harley takes the upper hand on Joker - in revenge for all he has done to her and insisting she is finally over him - she will keep coming back to the Clown Prince of Crime at the slightest gesture of niceness. And nothing changes in this never-ending cycle of destruction.
It reveals just how thin the line is between crazy and tragic, and how anyone - regardless of intelligence or background - can become a victim of abuse. It’s one of the things that makes Harley Quinn so tragic and bewitching a figure in popular culture.
Well anyway, time for my thoughts on the Harley Quinn DC comic, 'Batman: Harley Quinn', and the ten separate issues contained within it, which all have Harley in the spotlight:
1. 'Batman: Harley Quinn #1' - A retelling of Harley's origin, with fairly good artwork that is rich in detail (maybe too much when it comes to women’s bodies =sigh=). Harley can look madly cartoony yet cute and colourful in spite of her dark circumstances. (Awesome cover art by Alex Ross, by the way). It's nice to see her interact with her soon-to-be best friend Poison Ivy as well, who gives Harley a super agility and jumping formula (she doesn't have any powers in the cartoon as far as I can remember). I still prefer her tearjerker 'Mad Love' backstory, however.
2. 'Batman: Gotham Knights #14, "The Bet"' - A cute Harley and Ivy comic strip, with the most cartoony artwork out of the other issues. Nothing special, and nothing makes sense, especially the ending.
3. 'Batman: Gotham Knights #30, "Punchline"' - Heh heh. Very short and contains no dialogue, but subtly demonstrates Harley's morality curveball when it comes to her teasing and playing pranks.
4. 'Detective Comics #831, "Kind of Like Family"' - While I'm not a fan of the more realistic style of artwork, this is a great Harley story. It shows her kicking arse, being a solid negotiator, and able to outwit anyone. Joke's on everyone else; she isn't a dumb blonde, and isn't to be underestimated at any cost. It also shows her sympathetic side towards those who are as lost in life as she is, while she is remorseless towards her enemies whose deaths are on her hands. One of Harley Quinn's first depictions as an anti-heroine.
5. 'Detective Comics #837, "Honor Among Thieves"' - My least favourite of the issues. It seems that any comic I read that involves a reformed Riddler turns incredibly mediocre and just has him be completely inconsequential to his own story/detective case. He kind of disappears to make room for Harley Quinn, who is part of the goddess Athena's women's help shelter here, but surprisingly her role could have been filled by anyone. She doesn't even change into her costume once. I feel you need to have read a vast number of other DC comics at the time in order to understand what is going on, and it doesn't work as a standalone.
6. 'Joker's Asylum II: Harley Quinn #1, "The Most Important Day of The Year”’ - Such fun! My favourite issue in this collection. Harley is determined to rescue the Joker from a mobster gang so she can be with him on Valentine's Day. Funny, clever, and boy can Harley pack an arsenal of weapons!
7. 'Batman: Black and White #1, "Justice is Served"' - A very strange short one. Still, there are some funny moments, Harley’s pet hyenas are in it, and Harley and Ivy together is always a treat.
8. 'Batman: Black and White #3, "Role Models"' - My second favourite, simply because I can relate to the young girl who is a fan of DC's superheroines, including Batgirl. She is kidnapped, then she escapes her abductor and runs into Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, seeing them as good guys - just as they were going to rob a bank. They end up saving her before Batman can. It’s short, but I love it. The golden-age black and white artwork mirrors the morality complex that Harley has. She does whatever she wants, whenever she wants, and as it turns out, she isn't above saving children from paedophilic creeps. Plus, any Harley story that can work without the Joker appearing in or being mentioned at all is worth the highest praise.
9. 'Legends of the Dark Knight 100-Page Super Spectacular #1, "Dr Quinn's Diagnosis"' - A great concept and interesting angle to approach, with Harley using her background in psychology to try to get into Batman's head and find out his weaknesses. The issue came out in 2014 and I'm surprised no one had thought of this idea before, as far as I know. True, Batman the world's greatest detective outwits the psychotic and lovable clown lady, but the journey is unbeatable. Harley is especially goofy and childlike here, but not necessarily in a bad way.
And finally...
10. 'Detective Comics #23.2, "Harley Lives"' – The darkest issue in the collection, rivalling ‘Batman: Harley Quinn #1’. It’s a new take on Harley Quinn, in between her time as a member of the Suicide Squad. She is gothic and brooding here - more like a teenager than a grown woman - and more unhinged; even showing signs of schizophrenia in how she talks to two sides of herself. A deadly sociopath who has no trouble killing innocent people, she's been made into an exact copy of the Joker, only female. I have mixed feelings on this one. It is an introductory character study, with only the beginnings of a plot. But Harley's psychoanalysing narrative, as she tries to justify her actions and way of thinking, is interesting. Her intelligent and insightful side is most prominent. The artwork is fluid and colourful in contrast to the grim, explosive events that happen in the issue, though I really do not like Harley's new revealing outfit (that corset - urgh! It's not even practical for what she does!). It does seem that the more popular a female character is, the less clothing she's left with. Funny, it should have had the opposite effect with how much money she's made and so could afford all kinds of clothes...
That's all folks! Cheers for the Clown Queen of Crime and her many interpretations! I can't wait to read more about her in other comics.
Final Score: 4/5
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