Harley Quinn
"Normal is a setting on the tumble dryer. Guys like us will never be!"
- Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy have a band!
The headline really says it all, but we still need to explain. Because in actual DC canon, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy don't have a band. Would be too good to be true. But they do in the comic "Elseworlds 80-Page Giant". The whole thing is a short story collection from 1999 in which Harley and Poison Ivy form a folk duo. It gets even better: in the story "Rockumentary" by Bronwyn Carlton, Greg Luzniak and Anibal Rodriguez, head villain Lex Luthor is the most famous music producer of all time. Weird. But fits.
The Meteoric Rise of Harley Quinn
Sometimes villains are just too good to stick with. (And constantly lose to the heroes.) Because they're too layered or popular. Or both. So what to do? Either become an anti-hero or switch sides altogether. Enter Harley Quinn! Since her first appearance in 1992, the lovable madwoman has developed enormously, made it from an insignificant sidekick to one of the most important DC characters ever and has long since ceased to be a simple villain. We trace how she managed to do that.
Insignificant beginnings
Comic book characters that have made the leap from the printed page to the moving picture, even to the big screen, exist like Batman stories that include his Origin story (yawn!). Even here, Harley Quinn is an exception, as she made her first appearance in 1992's Batman: The Animated Series. And from then on she appeared again and again as a lackey fascinated by the Joker, whose love was not returned. Fun Fact: Writer Paul Dini created the character after seeing his old college friend and actress Arleen Sorkin on the soap Days of Our Lives while she was wearing a Harlequin costume. Her look inspired him so much that he even hired Sorkin to voice Harley!
Seven years after her TV debut, Harley Quinn officially became part of the DC cosmos with her own comic book series. Yes, she appeared in stories now and then even before 1999, where her origin as the treating psychologist of the Joker was also established, but these comics were all set in the world of the animated series. However, even in her own comics, Harley was initially defined predominantly by her love for the clown prince of crime.
Emancipation from the Joker
In the late 2000s, Harley gradually made herself independent of her Mr. J. Poison Ivy, in particular, helped her see through the Joker's façade and eventually push him away. In 2009, the two even started their own comic book series Gotham City Sirens, along with Catwoman. The comics only managed a run of 26 issues, but they were an important step for the evolution of Harley Quinn. And a prophecy of sorts, as she also teamed up with other important ladies of the comic book world in the later feature film Birds of Prey .
But first up was a return to Arkham Asylum and a brand new look. We are talking about the great video game Batman: Arkham Asylum, in which Harley Quinn, once again voiced by Arleen Sorkin, plays an important role. It was her first really big appearance without a classic court jester costume, and also established her now signature hairstyle with two ponies.
From 2011, in the wake of DC's big reboot The New 52, she became a regular part of the Suicide Squad. Three years later, she got a new comic book series in which writers Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti presented a very different Harley. Everything became less gritty, funnier, wackier. Most importantly, fans got the most definitive breakup to date with the Joker, and the relationship with Poison Ivy was also, shall we say, intensified.
Breakthrough on the big screen
In 2016, Harley Quinn made her big screen debut. Played by the then up-and-coming (and now so established) Margot Robbie, she was part of a formidable ensemble cast that showcased superstars like Will Smith (Deadshot), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) and Jared Leto (Joker). The film was a financial success, but gentlemen, no critic on this planet could find anything good to say about it. Well, except this: Margot Robbie was great as Harley Quinn! And so she inadvertently became the star of the flick and consequently got a solo cinematic adventure: Birds of Prey: The Emancipation of Harley Quinn showed us in moving picture form what we already knew from the comics. A Harley who has broken away from the Joker and is going her own way.
When a new Suicide Squad was announced by James Gunn, which could be described as either a sequel, a gentle reboot or a reimagining (depending on who you ask), one topic in particular was discussed from the start: Would Margot Robbie be in it again? Fortunately, the answer to the question is "Yes, damn it!", otherwise the film would definitely not have been received so favourably. By the way, also by critics.
The merchandise phenomenon
At the latest since the release of the first Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn has also become an integral part of the Elbenwald cosmos. We would almost go so far as to say that she can rival Batman in our speciality. Sure: all the Harley Quinn merchandise stands out from the crowd visually alone, she's just wonderfully colourful and crazy. And thanks to the films, she has a recognition value that is unparalleled.
Our Harley Quinn merchandise is a must-have.
In our Harley Quinn shop you'll find just about everything you could want in Harley Quinn fan merchandise: Harley Quinn-T-shirts, most notably the famous "Daddy's Lil Monster" longsleeve from the first Suicide Squad. Harley Quinn-mugs from both Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey. figures, posters, keychains, costumes. But we saved the biggest highlight for last: A movie replica of her baseball bat, including the slightly distressed version of the lullaby "Hush, little Baby".