Every Batman fan associates the character of Harley Quinn. Her story is also quite famous – a psychiatrist in Arkham Asylum who unhappily fell in love with the Joker, then donned a harlequin costume and became his partner in crime. However, the details of this transformation are rarely discussed. The origins of Harleen Quinzel’s relationship with the criminal clown are usually fragmented and summarized. As the poet sings: “how it happened, I don’t know.”
Two comic book stories stand out in this field: Crazy Love , where Harley Quinn’s fathers – Paul Dini and Bruce Timm – first introduced her origin story, and Stjepan Šejic’s Harleen taking up the same theme in the DC Black Label series, according to the publisher , for more mature readers.
Harley for fun
Dini and Timm designed the Joker comedy helper character for one episode of the Batman cartoon, and initially had no plans for her. However, they quickly changed their minds when they saw how fantastically dressed in a black and red rogue was presented in the finished animation. The Harlequin came back in subsequent seasons, and its creators decided to present the genesis of Harley in a comic book kept in the convention of a series (later adapted for an episode).
Batman. Crazy Love and Other Stories ”- a frame from the comic
If you’ve watched Batman’s animated adventures from the 90s, you know what to expect from Crazy Love . We have almost all (except for the musical setting) advantages of the famous TV production: Timm’s cartoon drawings, neo-noir Gotham placed outside of time, action and a lot of humor. At the same time, the 64-page story is more elaborate than the 25-minute episode, and also more detailed in terms of graphics. The story is kept in exactly the same light and funny tone. In the Harley-Joker relationship presented by Dini and Timm, you will certainly not find psychological depth, although the authors try to delicately signal the toxic nature of this relationship (which is quite an achievement, considering the comic book spin-off of the series for children).
Harleen seriously
Stjepan Šejic approached the subject in a different way. Its heroes do not inhabit Gotham from the cartoon, but the world presented in a quasi-realistic way. Of course, it’s still quite a stretch realism like Nolan’s trilogy, but still much closer to reality, gloomy and brutal than that of the animated Batman . The author of Harleen focuses on the story of a psychiatrist who tries to help his patient, develops an unhealthy relationship with him and slowly falls into his trap, finally assuming a new identity and entering the path of crime. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this is the most credible version of Harley Quinn to date. At the same time, it must be made a reservation that it is still a psychological portrait in the pop version, similar to what we saw in the filmTodd Phillips’ Joker .
“Harleen” – a frame from a comic
The character Harleen Quinzel has grown in importance and popularity in recent years, so it is even more worth getting acquainted with the comics that put her in the foreground. The charming cartoon version of Paul Dini and Bruce Timm makes you realize how Harley Quinn has undergone evolution since 1992. In turn, a more serious and darker interpretation of Stjepan Šejic is an example of one of the latest, quite successful stories about this heroine.
