ComicsHarley QuinnAfter years as an anti-hero, is Harley Quinn about to become a full-on supervillain again?When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ComicsHarley QuinnAfter years as an anti-hero, is Harley Quinn about to become a full-on supervillain again?When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: DC)
Dr Harleen Frances Quinzel is a complicated character - one who has operated on both sides of the law since she was first introduced to the world in Batman: The Animated Series back in 1992.
While she started life as a villain, and a lovesick foil for the Joker, she has grown, matured and changed a lot in her 32 years of publication. She’s dumped the Joker entirely and, these days, is pretty firmly established as more of a heroic type. She’s a core part ofthe current line-up of Birds of Preywhile her own title focuses on her life and adventures with her love, Poison Ivy.
Spoilers for Harley Quinn #38
(Image credit: DC)
The issue begins lightly enough. Harley is going about her daily routine: she washes, takes the hyenas out, gets her coffee, goes to work. “Schedule’s good for someone like me,” she muses to herself, while a clock ominously counts down in the corner of each panel.
To get her out of her funk, Ivy arranges for the two of them to do something a little bit naughty: a nighttime raid on Golly Gotham’s Chocolate Factory, a company that has been ravaging the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, while simultaneously greenwashing their reputation. Ivy and Harley break in, battle some robots, then put the factory firmly out of operation.
(Image credit: DC)
It feels good to be back in the field and this makes Harley realise that she misses studying criminals, even if she doesn’t want to get back into the villain business herself. So she decides to tag along with her friends Carmen and Bonny - AKA The Body Doubles as they take on Dominic Temper, Golly Gotham’s owner, who has come to inspect the ruins of his factory. There’s another fight, this time with some human goons, but there are more serious consequences this time: Carmen is injured in a shoot out, and the Body Doubles blow up Temper’s yacht, presumably killing him and his men.
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Harley for her part appears to feel little remorse about this - she didn’t plant the bombs or trigger the detonator, after all. Still, word gets around about her return to criminality and that in turn leads her to a new potential collaborator, Mr. Freeze, who shows up in the story’s final pages with an offer to work together.
(Image credit: DC)
It’s a funny old issue this. The humor is on point, but the characterization feels a little disjointed. Harley seems both happy and perhaps a little frustrated in her life as a teacher, which makes sense, but her sudden switch back to being totally fine with murder and mayhem at the end feels perhaps a little sudden. The Harley we’ve seen in previous issues of this comic, and especially in Birds of Prey, is usually more empathetic.
This isn’t the only example of Harley being bad in currentDC comics, of course. Suicide Squad Kill Arkham Asylum (which is set in the universe ofthe Arkham games) featuresthe full-on skull-cracking Quinn of days past. Even so, it feels a little jarring here to have her seem so callous in the main comic, especially when just a few pages before she was worrying that she causes too much trouble for people. Then again, when has Harley Quinn ever been consistent?
So are we about to see the return of a fully evil Harley as she re-enters the world of the supervillain? Or is this merely a flirtation with the dark side that will rapidly come crashing down? Harley may tell herself that she’s only studying the likes of Freeze, but we can’t help but think that a nasty wake up call is on the way…
Harley Quinn #38 is out now from DC.
Check out our interview with Tini Howard and Sweeney Boo aboutbringing Harley Quinn into the Dawn of DC era.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”