I realize this specific topic has been run into the ground… be it both the positive and the negative responses to DC’s new reboot of Harley Quinn, everyone’s favorite crazy-in-love villainess; however, now that I have the platform to do so I am going to throw in my two-cents on the topic. Harley isn’t exactly my favorite character, but she is the best friend of Poison Ivy aka Red who IS my favorite and therefore I pay attention to her more often than the other Gotham heroines/villainesses.
She’s often shown as an energetic and fun-loving, neurotic, yet driven, and ambitious individual. Her deep love of the Joker is often a defining quality of hers, but she has also worked to get herself out of his shadow (see Gotham City Sirens). 
While yes there are times she can be annoyingly ditzy, deep down she’s just as twisted a criminal mastermind as her former would-be-boyfriend, The Clown Prince of Crime.
The beginning of her rather extreme costume change from Bruce Timm‘s original design for her which is the now iconic red & black jester suit came with the release of the Arkham Asylum video game. Her “nurse” outfit didn’t fit the image of Joker’s honey in the slightest in my opinion and looked more like something someone would see at EDC (or any other rave for that matter)… maybe a bit more coverage… but none the less. Red & Purple!?
What the hell were they thinking?
I eventually diffused about this particular change in costume when I realized that it was only for the game and her comic version was left intact. That is until DC announced they were rebooting their universe (again)… they said repeatedly the new looks would be “making characters more identifiable and accessible to comic fans new and old” but when the first edition of Suicide Squad was released, I lost it. I was furious, disappointed and disgusted. I literally ranted for a good hour to my best friend who essentially embodies Harley the way I do Ivy. Everything about her new look infuriated me.
Here’s a summary of what I said originally:
- her hair… Red & PURPLE?! Where’d the blonde go.
- Why does she have a giant dagger & what looks like a hammer Thor would wield, as opposed to her giant mallet and gun that shoots out a joke flag?
- a cape… o.O
- that “corset”… we won’t be seeing her do ANY acrobatics in that scrap of clothing.
- or those “shorts” for that matter.
- thigh high hooker boots…
- her face looks triangular, evil and morose. Where is the cute, bubbly madly in love girl we know and love?
I mean really, did they hire a Juggalo to design her new costume? She looks like an evil slut. If someone would’ve randomly shown this to me and I had no prior knowledge of who this was a reboot of I don’t think I’d identify this as Harley in a million years… the only thing she’s retained is diamonds on her, which are not exactly the first, or even fifth things noticeable in the picture.
Honestly… the costume ranting aside where is the cute, chirpy, happily psychotic Harley Quinn madly in love with the Joker? She’s been replaced by this dark, cynical, battle-hardened criminal. All through-out the Suicide Squad issues she displays… extremely slutty behavior, coming onto and seducing Deadshot and flirting with Mad Dog.
What are your thoughts? I’d love to read what you think about my take on this subject or your opinion(s) on it. Let me know in the comments section below and as always #getyourfix at Cosmic Comics! in Las Vegas.
I understand Harley is an established character but what people don’t understand is that all these comics are part of a different universe it’s like earth two compared to the new 52 universe
No people understand that but compare the change in costume that an Iconic male character gets (Superman, for instance) compare to Harley…Superman’s iconic look (without the red pants) is intact and he is slightly more covered than he was before!
Harley on the other hand is basically walking around in lingerie…one of the few female comic character’s that wasn’t sexualised is now wearing less than Power Girl! (Even Amanda Waller has been given a drastic make over)
In this day and age comics should be working away from treating their female characters as little more than sex objects, not turning the few women that aren’t sexualised into a couple of teenage fantasies!
I have to agree with Natalie. I love Harley Quinn. But hate her reboot. DC just slaughter a good character. I wish they wood quit trying to fix things. If it is not broken dont fix it.
I gotta go with nat on this one, where is the mallet wielding crack pot (and I mean that as a compliment) that we grew up with..? I understand new universe means you have to tweak the character a little, done in costume primarily but to change the personality so completely is just taking a great character and trashing the name and continued likability of her… If your gonna change that much just introduce her as a new character in this whole new universe…
Yep, you got this one pretty much locked up. Harley was one of the characters that needed no revamp. She was iconic, recognizable, all while being hot. She was the crazy girl you knew was bad news but had a crush on anyway. Now she’s a harlot with bad hair. Utterly disappointing, her new look. One of the many things I miss about the old DCU is classic Harley.
I totally agree. I LOVED the old Harley. She was fun, loveable, but still a crazy psychopath. She also wasn’t overly sexual like she is now. I hate how they’ve basically turned her into a whore. And where’s the Joker in all of this? She’s suppose to be his right-hand girl! I may not be a harcore comic fan, but this is still upsetting. Revamp or not, I don’t think they should have changed her so drastically.
ugh. harley is my fav since growing up watching batman:TAS. i don’t know why, she’s a block head, but i love her none the less. i can forgive the arkham asylum costume, because i think it kinda works for her based on the setting and artistic direction they were going for the game. if she was real, not comedic cartoon based, in a gritty realistic setting, i can her choosing that fashion. arkham city…not so much just cause they made her a goth girl…with pig tails. don’t get me started on SSquad. UGH. but that’s NOTHING compared to injustice the game. if you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll crap your pants and lose all faith in dc. i’m starting to hate harley :(
but side note – check out harley’s concept art for arkham city. i looooooove it! such a brilliant take on her icon look, being both faithful and updated for the setting.
I have to admit I was a bit thrown by the new harley she was slutty and replacing joker oh no!! That would never happen and shouldn’t even be attempted but I guess dc wanted to try something new drawing in a new audience but I won’t stop reading suicide squad purely because she is in it
Harley is one of my favorite characters, and I HATE her new outfit >.>
I really can’t see any of the old Harley Quinn in her. I dealt with her costume changes in Arkham City and Arkham Asylum, over time- hated them, but got over them- but the new costume in Injustice, and the reboot?
Ugh, these aren’t even Harley anymore. I completely agree. They’ve just turned her into a whore.
This is what I think
http://blogsofalek.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/the-harley-quinn-lobotomy/comment-page-1/#comment-451
DC ruined the entire DC Universe, not just Harley Quinn… though speaking about Harley specifically ,they ruined her in every way conceivable. her new hooker costume ,her sluttyness .. she’s only Harley in name as far as i’m concerned.. it’s just like how they ruined Raven in the new 52.. DC needs to scrap the new 52 universe and proclaim it was just a shitty alternate universe, so they can go back the original pre-52 universe of the characters.
Ok im late, but i dont know.
I still found elements of her old self in the newer comics. She still holds her terms of endearment, and her comedy close. New 52, and especially Suicide Squad. The only things that changed is, she started to stand up for herself, to the joker, and a wardrobe change. Yeah i wont lie either, she is a bit sleazy, but she’s emotionally unstable.
I honestly, could care less about her outfit. I was just really suprised and happy to see what happened between her and the joker. People romanticize it so much, and that’s f’d up.
Suicide Squad is gonna be hit movie of this year due to Harley Quinn, her fans are getting patient-less to see her in the big screen even they are getting ready to watch her with same look as Harley Quinn looking.
Famous-Jackets .co .uk
I love harley