HERO WORSHIP: HARLEY QUINN

 Hero/Villain: Harley Quinn

Ranking: 6 out of 10

Breakdown: Harleen Quinzel studied hard for many years to become a psychiatrist. She wanted to help people. Her drive and ambition led her to Arkham Asylum. If she could help but one of these tortured souls then all those years of school would have been worth it. Her patient: John Doe. Real name unknown. Alias - The Joker. He terrified her. Nothing she had seen or heard or learned in school could have prepared her for the twisted mind of the Joker. But she did not give up. Day after day she tried. Each glimmer of progress proved to be yet another lie, yet another joke. As the sessions continued she began to realize who was studying who. Slowly the Joker worked his way inside her head. His words, beliefs, philosophies, breaking down everything she thought about the world and about herself. Instead of fixing his mind he damaged hers, driving her insane. She became his biggest fan and number one accomplice, helping him break out, and going by the alias Harley Quinn.

Review: Harley Quinn first appeared on the Batman Animated Series of the early 1990's. An original character for the show that gained popularity fast. The character was adopted into the official DC comic universe soon there after and has continued making waves and growing in popularity. She started off as the Joker's sidekick but has since separated herself and grown into a character all her own and an indelible addition to Batman's rogue gallery.

Now I'm not the biggest DC fan but I do love the Batman side of  that universe. Batman is the best character DC has as far as I'm concerned and I'm drawn even more to his enemies. Bane, Ra's Al Ghul, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Man-Bat, and of course the Joker. But there's just something about Harley.

Could it be that she's dressed like a tramp? Yes. Could it be her crazy, happily go lucky attitude that kinda reminds me of Jenny McCarthy? Yes. Could it have something to do with the way she can go total crazy psycho at the drop of a hat? Yes.

I've liked Harley since the cartoon. She was funny and not so crazy as the Joker but just enough to go along with him. She's definitely not as damaged as the Joker and occasionally has lucid moments adding a sub-layer to the character.

Lately she's been forced to work for a government program that attempts to rehabilitate criminals and sends them out on missions. This ragtag team of villains forced to be heroes is called THE SUICIDE SQUAD. When DC comics relaunched their entire line of books, Suicide Squad  was one of them and featured Harley as one of the lead characters. Now I didn't know much about her in the comics. Most of my knowledge came from the animated series (which is still awesome!). On a recommendation I jumped aboard the Suicide Squad and loved it for about two years.

The book was funny, action packed, and overall badass! Harley became not just some henchwoman sidekick but a total badass! I always liked the character but now she's kinda become a favorite. If you want a really good example of how awesome Harley Quinn is just read the first few volumes of the New 52's Suicide Squad.

Buy them here!
Suicide Squad Vol. 1
Suicide Squad Vol. 2
Suicide Squad Vol. 3
Suicide Squad Vol. 4