Harley Quinn has a problem. Everybody still thinks of her as either the Joker's girlfriend, or as his ex, and she's sick of it. She's her own person and it's time to move out of his shadow. Luckily, she has a plan...
Harley Quinn: Black + White + Redder #2 (spoilers from here on in) opens with 'Origin Stories for Dummies' by Kelly Thompson and Annie Wu. In the story, Harley kidnaps Zatanna and coerces her into using magic to grant her a new origin story. Never one to think small, she chooses to become Batman.
It goes about as well as you might expect...
Harley gets her wish, but finds the reality of being Batman pretty depressing. Sure, she can do the voice and people cower from her in fear, but she feels absolutely terrible all the time - plus the Batsuit itches. Worse, the local goons still only see her in terms of her relationship to the Joker.
Oh well, time to try something different. How about becoming Superman instead?
With an H on her chest ("it stands for Hunk!"), Harley enjoys feeling like a god amongst men... but still, all people talk about is how she's not fought the Joker because "they don't have villains that intense in Metropolis". It's infuriating.
Harley then goes on a whistle-stop tour of different hero origin stories, trying her hand at being Wonder Woman, Green Lantern ("not that Guy Gardens one"), and finally Aquaman before giving up. This whole idea is clearly not working.
Luckily, both Poison Ivy and Zatanna (who is feeling pretty chill about the whole kidnapping thing) are on hand to give her a confidence boost, reminding her that no matter what people say about her, she is an independent woman now and she's much happier than she ever was before.
Shaking herself out of her funk, Harley takes this ego boost to an extreme, declaring, "I am… the greatest origin story of all time. I defeated and escaped a villain that not even Batman can handle. I not only survived, I thrived! I am livin' proof that the Joker has limits, and I am that limit."
It's a bold statement, but not an entirely incorrect one. Harley is living her best life and she'll bash anyone who says otherwise with her baseball bat. Business as usual, then...
Harley Quinn: Black + White + Redder #2 is out now from DC Comics.
Tini Howard and Sweeney Boo talk bringing Harley Quinn in the Dawn of DC era in this exclusive interview.
