Harleen - Harley Quinn Done Justice

I was going to review The Suicide Squad, but after 20 minutes of burial hardcore violence, I decided I may need to take a different direction (I still absolutely LOVED it, but I can't recommend it to anyone with any kind of sensitivity; I'm just a monster.). So instead I'm going to review another Harley Quinn work, DC's Black Label Harleen. 

The Darkest Label

For non comic readers, DC's Black Label line are comics that are specifically not suitable for children. The authors are given  free reign to go as dark, gory and naked as they want. For the most part this has given writers an excuse to go berserk with content, usually with mixed results. Harleen is an example of what a writer can do without restraints with a character, but is not an example in excess. The book itself is like the film Joker, where the R rating gives permission to go into disturbing topics but it's not used for a gorefest. 

So to summarize it's like how some people will watch The Patriot or Saving Private Ryan despite them being R because they're historically significant and just really good movies. 

Okay, onto the comic. 

Fleshing out Dr. Quinzell

Harley Quinn as a character has been explored extensively through film, TV shows and comics, but we usually only get snippets of the woman Harleen used to be before she met her Puddin'. Harleen starts before Harleen has been hired at Arkham Asylum and builds until she runs away with the Joker. Harleen is a psychiatrist with a theory that violent psychosis may have a common brain defect that, if treated, could deter criminal behavior, if only she had more funding for research. On her way home from a lecture she is accosted by an escaped Joker, and witnesses a battle between him and Batman firsthand, an event which will haunt her throughout the story. Given a grant by the Wayne Foundation (Yeah, THAT Wayne), she begins researching in Arkham. 

We get from the comic a more complete picture of Harleen. She's brilliant and hopeful, if a bit naïve believing that she could cure psychotics with a single treatment. She has a broken past, finding out that in college she had a romantic relationship with one of her professors, something that was only hinted at before, but that the relationship didn't work out and despite that she still graduated with honors. 

PTSD

Harleen's first confrontation with the Joker was extremely traumatic for her, which leads to her psychosis throughout the comic. Remember, the Joker in the DC Universe is a terrifying monster, despite not having any super powers. He has the highest body count out of all the Batman villains and his method of killing with his body changing Joker gas is a terrifying way to die. One of my favorite parts of Harley Quinn is that her villainous origin has nothing to do with superhuman nonsense. She is a person in a toxic relationship that has infiltrated every portion of her life. Her PTSD from her first encounter is exacerbated when she has to start studying and interviewing the Clown Prince of Crime, aided by the Joker's own mental manipulation. 

As Harleen's research continues, her fear of the Joker slowly turned into an unhealthy obsession, which then became an unhealthy attraction. Joker knows this and plays it like the master manipulator he is, but the comic hints that he may be falling for Harleen as well, making the relationship even more fascinating as it is unhealthy. 

Where's the R

Harleen earns its Black Label status from a generous use of swearing and sexual innuendo. The scenes between the Joker and Harleen tastefully fade to black while the swears are usually fewer and further between, but because they do exist the comic does require a discerning eye. 

If however, you want to see a compelling story about how a person slowly broken down by a literal toxic person and see it all beautifully illustrated, pick up Harleen.

Fanboy Moment - Harley Quinn

It's a simple fact of the universe: Batman is cool. He's got the suit, the martial arts, the millions of dollars worth of gadgets, but one of his key coolness factors are the villains he has to face. They can range from being tragic figures to silly gimmicky characters that Robin can beat on when Batman doesn't care. The best known of these characters is his arch nemesis, the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime creates a stark contrast to Batman's Dark Knight image by being the loudest, most colorful, and most dangerous of all of Batman's villains. So, what could make this clown even more interesting? Give him a girlfriend/sidekick. Hence the birth of Harley Quinn.

Of all of Batman's villains, Harley Quinn is probably one of the least dangerous. Usually assisting her "Mistah J" in his evil schemes, she's usually either overlooked or quickly dispatched by Batman or his own sidekicks. But as a character, she deserves much more. Having grown up on the Batman Animated Series myself, I fell in love with the Joker's favorite henchgirl, with her bubbly, almost naive personality, big smile and giant hammer, she won me over instantly.

If you're not familiar with the character, you may be thinking back to The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger's Joker and wondering "Who on Earth would want to be his sidekick, much less date him?" The answer is as sad as it is brilliantly written. Harlene Qunzel (comic book names, I know) was once a fresh young psychiatrist starting new at Arkham Asylum. Wanting to write a tell-all book about the super villains housed inside, she began working very closely with one particular inmate-the Joker. Seeing not only an opportunity to cause trouble but a chance to have some fun, the Joker began confusing and manipulating the poor girl during their therapy sessions, until she was convinced she was desperately in love with him.

The cartoon says it was a break out, and the comics say it was during the earthquake in Gotham City (Don't ask, it's complicated), at one point though Dr. Quinzel ditched the sane world, donned a red and black suit, called herself Harley Quinn, and the rest was history.

What's really interesting about this character is how and where her psychosis runs. Where with Two-Face you get a split personality disorder, or the Joker with just being beyond insane, Harley is basically just in a bad relationship where things have gone too far. It's something that a lot of people have either seen or been in, which makes it a lot easier to relate to. At different points in both the cartoon and comic she finds herself taking a serious look at her life and how the Joker truly treats her. As mentioned before, he doesn't really love her but just drove her mad for fun. He's usually seen as abusive, physically, emotionally and psychologically, and will happily use her as bait to lure the cops and Batman off his tail so he could get away, leaving her to rot in Arkham until he returns. The only times he seems to be happy with her is either when he needs her or when they're current scheme is going to plan.

During Harley's brief moments of relative sanity, she's sometimes able to break away from him and try to have a different life, even if it's just teaming up with Poison Ivy or even Batman on occasion. But like any bad relationship, no matter what's happened in the past, she always goes crawling back to the Joker.

This dichotomy is sick and twisted, but it forms this weird romantic sense to it, like Romeo and Juliet or Bonnie and Clyde, like two criminals who fell in love due to their life of crime. It's a tragic love story in it's own sense of it. If nothing else, it gives you something to look at and say "At least we're not as messed up as those two, aren't we, dear?"

In the brilliantly written Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, Harley is portrayed as a much tougher character, exchanging her clown outfit for something a bit more revealing. In Arkham City, criminals loudly worry that if Joker dies Harley will take over and that she at times seems even crazier than the Joker. That's certainly a frightening thought, that Joker may have actually created something even worse than him through his games.

So there she is. Creepy, cute, romantic, or sad, however you see Harley Quinn you can't deny that she adds her own special brand of crazy to both the Joker and Batman's lives. She's the evil clown you can't help but love, in the relationship you can't help but watch.
-JOE

P.S. In case you're wondering, that's me and my girlfriend Katie Ecker as Joker and Harley Quinn for Halloween. To answer your questions: No, we're not as messed up as they are; Yes we really are that cute; and No, you and your significant other can never be as cute as we were in that picture.
Sorry.