Warning: Spoilers for Harley Quinn #43!Harley Quinnmay look like a jester - and she may have the name of the archetypal jester - but she’s no laughing matter. She’s come a long way from being a sidekick villain to becoming a hero in her own right, but still the heroes of the DC Universe don’t often give her much credit. Seeing as she’s a licensed therapist, not to mention a brilliant fighter, one Gotham hero is finally starting to take notice of her skills.
Up against a Gotham rogue that once upon a time used to be an ally,Harley Quinnuses more than just her fighting prowess to save the city inHarley Quinn#43by Tini Howard,Natacha Bustos, Sweeney Boo, and Steve Wands. With Robin’s help, Harley Quinn is able to eliminate the problem of Mr. Freeze, but she does it in a way that no Bat-Family member would ever think possible: through talk therapy. Afterwards, Tim Drake pulls her aside to tell her something that sends her reeling:he’s now beginning to take her seriously.
The scene is especially poignant given how hard Harley had been trying to “woo” Robin as a friend in the past few issues. WithTim Drake now firmly on Harley’s side- as a hero and as a friend - there’s no telling how high Harley could go in the Gotham hero ranks.
Harley Quinn Is Finally Taken Seriously - by Tim Drake’s Robin
A New Dynamic Duo
Harley has had a long road, and though she’s never really minded that she’s a joke to other heroes, she proves them wrong every once in a while. After all,she outfought Batman when she first met himand can bring low DC’s Trinity even today. But she’s more than just a superb fighter, as Robin is the one to say exactly what sets her apart: psychology. In the words of the Boy Wonder, “You may not be a…good guy…but you aren’t a bad person.” Robin tells her what DC fans may have forgotten:Harley Quinn has a secret superpower, and it’s her PhD in Psychology.
Harley Quinn Completely Betrays the Bat-Family - But It’s Not Her Fault This Time?!
Harley Quinn may get along great with the Bat-Family, but when a GCPD officer wants to use her to take Batman down, what is Harley to do?
Instead of beating him into submission, Harley Quinn tries to talk Mr. Freeze off the cliff of his icy hold on Gotham.She’s not just a joke-slinging acrobat, but a brilliant physicianwho understands the minds of the criminals of Arkham Asylum, probably better than Batman. She’s even called outthe biggest superhero problem: their desperate need to punch each other instead of just going to therapy.
Harley Quinn Is Here to Save the Day
With a Little Talk Therapy
Harley’s psychological expertise means that she has a password into the inner lives of the villains she faces.She understands them more than just as Batman’s punching bags.Even from her past abusive experience with the Joker, she understands how these villains work - and more importantly, she knows how much pain they are in. Harley Quinn has decided to meet the villains of Gotham on their level and as a psychologist. In this arc, every fight she finds herself in is fought in her style: talk therapy - with a little bit of kicking on the side.
This issue marks the end of Howard and Boo’s run onHarley Quinn. Check back in on October 23rd when Harley goes “all in” with a new arc and a new creative team, Elliott Kalan and Mindy Lee, inHarley Quinn#44.
It’s about time Harley Quinn got the recognition she deserves in DC Comics. Robin is the first to notice her as ajustified member of the Bat-Family, and the rest of the DCU will soon follow. Long gone are the days of Harley Quinn as a sidekick, or even as a joke.Harley Quinnis finally being taken seriously.
