Sexiest Harley Quinn Comic Book Covers
A Clinically-Challenged Psychologist Becomes a Wildly Criminal Sex Symbol
Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn, is unquestionably DC Comic’s most popular female villain and anti-hero. Paul Dini and Bruce Timm created the character as a foil for the Joker, DC’s most popular villain, for Batman: The Animated Series, Episode #22, “Joker’s Favor”, which aired on September 11, 1992. Originally intended to appear in just one episode, Harley quickly became a recurring character in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) as Joker’s sidekick and love interest. She moved to comics a year later in September 1993 in Batman Adventures #12, and in October 1999 made her first in-canon appearance in Batman: Harley Quinn #1. She has starred in two self-titled animated series, appeared in several animated films (alongside Batman, of course), and headlined three live-action features.
Harley Quinn is the perfect criminal alias for Paul Dini and Bruce Timm’s character.
Harley Quinn is a play on Harlequin, a 16th-century stock comedic character from the Italian commedia dell’arte. A Harlequin was a zanni character – an astute servant and trickster. A Harlequin was 1) a subordinate clown or acrobat in old comedies who mimics ludicrously the tricks of the principal; 2) one who acts the buffoon to amuse others; and 3) a foolish, eccentric, unpredictable or crazy person. A Harlequin often wore a checkered costume, was light-hearted, nimble, and astute as a servant, but often acted to thwart the master’s plans. The English word zany is derived from the Italian zanni., as in “My brother’s friends are zany!”
Harley Quinn’s thematic red and black checker-themed costumes, comically super-sized mallet, world-class gymnastic abilities, and questionably requited early role alongside Joker are, thus, appropriate. In her first appearances, she was completely devoted to the Joker while totally oblivious to his psychotic nature and obvious lack of affection. This characterization has remained more or less consistent since she first graced the small silver screen.
But there's more to Harley's creation...
than borrowed elements from the 16th-century Harlequin character from Italian theater. Paul Dini, a budding television writer, desired a female character as a foil to the Joker for his script for “Joker’s Favor.” He was having difficulty deciding on details for the character. Should she be a tough-as-nails street thug? Maybe a henchman? Should she be street-wise? Smart? Pliant? Creating a character such as Harley, though intended for just a single episode at the outset, is decidedly difficult if she will have any depth, any personality.
The inspiration for Harley, however, came to Dini in near full bloom in the guise of his college friend, Arleen Sorkin, and was several years in the making. Sorkin was a regular comic-relief actress on the popular daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives. She was also a skilled and experienced comedy writer, and developed a fairy tale dream sequence for an episode for the soap opera. For the episode, she plays a court jester who roller-skated into a throne room and performed hackneyed gags for the royal court. Sick at home in 1991, struggling with scripts for Batman: The Animated Series, Dini popped in a VHS tape Sorkin had given her friend years earlier. Harley Quinn as a silly little sidekick suddenly fell into place and he sketched out an idea for her appearance for the series’ lead artist, Bruce Timm. Timm, a perfectionist, researched traditional harlequin costumes and in the end provided the simple but satisfying super-villain version of a harlequin who would appear in Episode #22: a red-and-black full-body jumpsuit adorned with playing card diamonds, ruffled cutts and a two-pronged jester’s cap.
Dini’s friend Arleen likewise inspired the voice of Harley Quinn as well. A few hours in a recording studio, using a voice which came easily – essentially, her own natural voice – she produced the high, nasally, sing-songy dialogue with a heavy, Brooklynesque accent viewers have now long associated with the character. As Harley says in her first line in Episode #22: “It’s to laugh, huh, Mistah J?” Her recording for the episode became the iconic voice of Harley Quinn and she continued to voice the Joker’s love interest throughout Batman: The Animated Series.
One might also suggest that Harlequin well-known romance novels influenced Harley’s otherwise-appropriate alias as well. By the time of Harley’s debut, Harlequin romances were very successful, i.e. lucrative and formulaic paperback novels available at newsstands, book stores, drug stores and groceries across the U.S. and Canada. The layman or laywoman might believe that Harlequin romances are, as defined by the MacMillan dictionary, “any of a series of romantic novels with simple stories about romantic relationships between men and women.”
In actuality, though formulaic, a Harlequin romance is quite sophisticated with nearly scientific selection and follows very specific rules and guidelines. Harlequins for decades, for example, were quite prim and for most of their pages practiced unconsummated love between the hero and heroine. A situation which creates tension pseudo-suitable for children’s cartoons such as Batman: The Animated Series, one might say. Harlequin in the 1980s finally evolved and began to relax the rule concerning unconsummated pre-marital love to keep pace with the times and the advance of feminism. Like Harlequin romances, Harley’s film and animation appearances have become increasingly mature and sophisticated, keeping pace with social norms as well. The 2019 animated series, for example, is rated Mature for an adult audience.
One omnipressent rule from Harlequin romances reverberates with audiences even today: the “Alphaman,” a rule which insists that heroes be strong, top-of-the-heap types, paragons of stereotypical masculinity. In the case of Joker and Harley, that might in fact be “criminality.” There’s no doubt that the Alphaman for Harley for a long time was simply Mistah J.
Harley continued to be Joker’s sidekick and love interest for some time – both on screen and in the comics – but the character would eventually stand on her own and leave her relationship with the Joker behind to become a super-villainess in her own right. Over the course of time, Dini, Timm and Sorkin, along with the early comics which featured the character, built Harley into a rich, provocative, powerful character. That is no mean feat on its own, and certainly not in the shade of Batman’s 50-year-long shadow full of other noteworthy villains. Along the way, Harley builds friendships and romantic interests with other DC characters such as Catwoman and perhaps most notably Poison Ivy, who replaces Mistah J as Harley’s primary love interest – acquaintances which become a shaky alliance in 2009’s Gotham City Sirens. In 2011, Harley would join the new Suicide Squad as part of DC’s New 52 line-wide reboot of comics and thereafter become a frequent anti-hero, á la Marvel’s Deadpool.
Harley immediately captured the hearts of viewers of Batman: The Animated Series. Harley’s origins, however, are only hinted at during the show. The answer to how Harleen Quinzel became Harley Quinn is finally answered in February 1994 in the unassuming 68-page one-shot comic, The Batman Adventures: Mad Love #1. The book would be reprinted three times in 1994 alone, and the tale would be reprinted again in Batman: Mad Love & Other Stories in May 2009. Readers – and viewers – are now more than familiar with Harleen Quinzel’s troubled life. Harley’s origin story proved to be so popular that The Batman Adventures: Mad Love would be republished in a deluxe hardcover edition in April 2015, which features exclusive extras and bonus material related to the villainess. Harley’s origin story would also be published in novel form by Paul Dini (with Pat Cadigan) in both hardback and paperback as simply Mad Love in 2018.
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HARLEY”S ORIGIN SUMMARY
NOTES ON CHANGES IN APPEARANCE
story features her as a former psychiatrist at Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum named Dr. Harleen Quinzel who fell in love with the Joker, her patient, eventually becoming his accomplice and lover.
Harley Quinn’s abilities include expert gymnastic skills, proficiency in weapons and hand-to-hand combat, complete unpredictability, immunity to toxins, and enhanced strength, agility, and durability. Quinn often wields clown-themed gag weapons, with an oversized mallet being her signature weapon. The character has a pair of pet hyenas, Bud and Lou, which sometimes serve as her attack dogs. As a trained psychiatrist with a genius-level intellect, she is adept at deception and psychological manipulation.
Harley Quinn has become one of DC Comics’ most popular and profitable characters, and has been featured in many of DC’s comic books and adapted in various other media and merchandise. DC Comics Publisher Jim Lee considers Harley Quinn the fourth pillar of DC Comics’ publishing line, behind Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
More info coming soon…
Popular artists who have rendered some of Harley’s most memorable covers:
Frank Cho
Amanda Conner
Adam Hughes
Shannon Maer
Lucio Parrillo
Natali Sanders
Bruce Timm
Sources: Wikipedia (Harlequin); Jezebel.com (“How Harlequin Became the Most Famous Name in Romance‘); AllAboutRomance.com (“??“); Vulture.com (The Hidden Story of Harley Quinn and How She Became the Superhero World’s Most Successful Woman)

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #29 (Natali Sanders Nightgown Virgin Variant) – June 2023

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #29 (Natali Sanders Nightgown Trade Dress Variant) – June 2023

Catwoman (Vol 5) #50 (Nathan Szerdy Tattoo Virgin Variant) – February 2023

Harley Quinn: Uncovered #1 (George Perez & Ryan Sook Homage Variant) – February 2023

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #25 (Natali Sanders Lollipop Variant) – February 2023

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #24 (Warren Louw Virgin Variant) – January 2023

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #24 (Warren Louw Trade Dress Variant) – January 2023

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #23 (Will Jack Trade Dress Variant) – December 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #23 (Nathan Szerdy Tattoo Virgin Variant) – December 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) Annual 2022 (Ryan Sook Variant) – October 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #18 (Rob Csiki Trade Dress Variant) – October 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #21 (Ryan Sook Killing Joke Homage Variant) – October 2022

Harley Quinn: 30th Anniversary Special #1 (Shannon Maer Trade Dress Variant) – September 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #16 (Sozomaika SDCC San Diego Comic Con Foil Variant) – August 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #16 (Sozomaika Virgin Variant) – August 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #16 (Sozomaika Trade Dress Variant) – August 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #15 (Natali Sanders Virgin Variant) – July 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #15 (Natali Sanders Magazine Trade Dress Variant) – July 2022

Catwoman (Vol 5) #43 (Sozomaika Polaroid Minimal Trade Dress Variant) – July 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #14 (Riley Rossmo Cover) – June 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #13 (Will Jack Trade Dress Variant) – May 2022

Harley Quinn (Vol 4) #13 (Will Jack Minimal Trade Dress Variant) – May 2022

Harley Quinn: The Animated Series – The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour #3 (Max Sarin Cover) – January 2022

Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Eat, Bang, Kill Tour #1 (Natali Sanders Magazine Variant) – November 2021

Suicide Squad (Vol 6) #6 (Tiago Da Silva Minimal Dress Variant) – October 2021

Suicide Squad (Vol 6) #6 (Tiago Da Silva Virgin Variant) – October 2021

Suicide Squad (Vol 6) #6 (Tiago Da Silva Trade Dress Variant) – October 2021

Suicide Squad (Vol 6) #6 (Natali Sanders Minimal Dress Variant) – August 2021

Suicide Squad (Vol 6) #6 (Natali Sanders Trade Dress Variant) – August 2021

The Batman Adventures #12 (Fan Expo Canada Bruce Timm Color Virgin Variant) – 2016

The Batman Adventures #12 (Fan Expo Canada Bruce Timm Color Variant) – 2016

The Batman Adventures #12 (Fan Expo Canada Bruce Timm Sketch Variant) – 2016

The Batman Adventures #12 (Fan Expo Canada Bruce Timm Sketch Virgin Variant) – 2016

Batman (Vol 3) #100 (Natali Sanders Maskless Virgin Variant) – December 2020

Batman (Vol 3) #100 (Natali Sanders NYCC Movie Costume Virgin Variant) – December 2020

Batman (Vol 3) #100 (Natali Sanders Trade Dress Variant) – December 2020

Batman: The Adventures Continue #3 (Nakayama Harley Pows! Cereal Variant) – October 2020

Harley Quinn #75 (Alex Kotkin Harley Quinn Virgin Variant) – October 2020

Harley Quinn #75 (Alex Kotkin Harley Quinn Trade Dress Variant) – October 2020

Harley Quinn (Vol 3) #75 (Natali Sanders Trade Dress Variant) – September 2020

Birds of Prey (Vol 4) #1 (J Scott Campbell Variant) – August 2020

Batman #613 (Hush Part 6; Dollar Comics Variant) – March 2020

Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1 (Nathan Szerdy Minimal Sketch Variant) – February 2020

Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1 (Nathan Szerdy Trade Dress Variant) – February 2020

Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1 (Shannon Maer Minimal Dress Variant) – February 2020

Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1 (Shannon Maer Trade Dress Variant) – February 2020

Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1 (Lucio Parrillo Classic Minimal Variant) – February 2020

Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1 (Lucio Parrillo Virgin Variant) – February 2020

Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1 (Lucio Parrillo Trade Dress Variant) – February 2020

Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1 (Natali Sanders KRS Exclusive Variant) – February 2020

Batman Who Laughs #1 (Greg Horn Joker Virgin Variant) – February 2019

Batman Who Laughs #1 (Greg Horn Virgin Variant) – February 2019

Batman Who Laughs #1 (Greg Horn Trade Dress Variant) – February 2019

Harley Quinn (Vol 3) #50 – November 2018

Batman (Vol 3) #50 (J Scott Campbell Harley Quinn Singles Connecting Variant) – September 2018

Batman & Harley Quinn Trade Paperback (Rick Burchett Cover) – March 2018

Batman & Harley Quinn Hardcover (Rick Burchett Cover) – March 2018

Harley Quinn: 25th Anniversary Special #1 (Ken Hunt Variant) – November 2017

Harley Quinn: 25th Anniversary Special #1 (Warren Louw Modern Harley Virgin Variant) – November 2017

Harley Quinn: 25th Anniversary Special #1 (Warren Louw Modern Harley Virgin Variant) – November 2017

Harley Quinn: 25th Anniversary Special #1 (Warren Louw Classic Harley Virgin Variant) – November 2017

Harley Quinn: 25th Anniversary Special #1 (Warren Louw Classic Harley Trade Dress Variant) – November 2017

Harley Quinn: 25th Anniversary Special #1 (Natali Sanders Virgin Variant) – November 2017

Harley Quinn: 25th Anniversary Special #1 (Natali Sanders Partial Sketch Variant) – November 2017

Harley Quinn: 25th Anniversary Special #1 (Natali Sanders Color Variant) – November 2017

Batman Day 2017 (Ryan Sook Harley Quinn 25th Anniversary German Edition) – October 2017

Batman: The Killing Joke – Harley Quinn 25th Anniversary Spanish Edition – September 2017

Harley’s Little Black Book #5 (Neal Adams Variant) – February 2017

Harley Quinn (Vol 3) #8 (Frank Cho Bikini Variant) – January 2017

Harley Quinn (Vol 3) #1 (Lupacchino Zapp Comics Exclusive Color Variant) – October 2016

Harley Quinn (Vol 3) #1 (Lupacchino Zapp Comics Exclusive Sketch Variant) – October 2016

Suicide Squad (Vol 4) #1 (Lee Bermejo Variant) – October 2016

Harley Quinn (Vol 2) #22 (Amanda Conner Looney Tunes Variant) – January 2016

Harley Quinn (New 52/Volume 2/Power Outage Trade Paperback) – December 2015

Harley Quinn (Vol 2) #21 (Amanda Conner Cover) – December 2015

Harley Quinn (Vol 2) #19 (Bombshells Variant) – October 2015

Batman: Harley Quinn Trade Paperback – July 2015

Batman Adventures #12 (Rick Burchett Wizard World Con Box Virgin Color Variant) – November 2014

Batman Adventures #12 (Rick Burchett Wizard World Con Box Color Variant) – November 2014

Batman Adventures #12 (Rick Burchett Wizard World Con Box Sketch Variant) – November 2014

Harley Quinn (Vol 2) #3 (Amanda Conner 3rd Print Variant) – April 2014

Harley Quinn (Vol 2) #3 (Amanda Conner 2nd Print Variant) – April 2014

Harley Quinn (Vol 2) #3 (Amanda Conner Cover) – April 2014

Harley Quinn (Vol 2) #4 (Robot Chicken Incentive Variant) – March 2014

Gotham City Sirens Vol. 1 (Guillem March Trade Paperback) – April 2011

Joker’s Asylum II: Harley Quinn #1 (Joe Queseda Cover Art) – August 2010

Gotham City Sirens #1 (Guillem March Hardcover) – April 2010
