Harley Quinn is a rare character who didn’t debut in comic books but instead made her debut on an animated television series before making her move to the printed page. What makes her so unique is that she ended up as one of the most popular characters in DC Comics, even with her unique debut. Harley Quinn made her first appearance in Batman: The Animated Series as Joker’s sidekick villain, and she has since moved into comics, headlined her own series, been a key member of the Suicide Squad, and even had her own solo movie and an animated series on HBO Max.
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For a character who was just part of Joker’s story when she debuted, Harley Quinn has now been involved in some of DC Comics’ best storylines, and most of them had nothing to do with Joker at all.
10) Harley Quinn Vol. 4
Harley Quinn Vol. 4 by Stephanie Phillips and Riley Rossmo was released in 2021, and it followed the events of “The Joker War.” Harley returned to Gotham City as a probationary Bat-Family member, working to atone for her time as a criminal working with the Joker. She was protecting the city with her reformed sidekick, Kevin. This ended up as the longest-running ongoing Harley Quinn series in the character’s history, but the best storyline here was the first six issues (“No Good Deed”), with Harley setting out on a collision course with Dr. Hugo Strange’s S.A.F.E. program and a wave of new Joker-traumatized villains.
9) Old Lady Harley (2018-2019)
Old Lady Harley was a five-issue miniseries by Frank Tieri and Inaki Miranda released from 2018 to 2019. This is set in a dystopian future where an aged Harley leaves retirement and confronts the Laughing Boys gang to learn more about the possible return of Joker. This story has a lot going on, including President Power Girl, Mayor Lobo of Las Vegas, a decrepit Aquaman, and Arkham Asylum as a retirement home run by Eggy. This series was pitch-black satire, and it offered up a fun and dangerous version of the character.
8) Harley Quinn (New 52)
In 2013, Harley Quinn got her first New 52 solo series by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Chad Hardin, and it ran for 30 issues from 2013 to 2016. Tacking place directly after “Batman: Death of the Family” and the New 52 Suicide Squad, Harley moved to Coney Island, inherited an apartment block above a freakshow, and joined a roller derby team. The best part of this storyline was when Harley accidentally placed a bounty on her own head in a sleep-deprived internet posting, and a plethora of assassins came gunning for her. The book was a consistent New York Times bestseller, and it made Harley one of DC’s top-selling characters.
7) “Hush”
“Hush” is one of Batman’s most iconic storylines, released in 2002 to 2003 by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee that ran from Batman #608-619. The series had a new mystery villain show up named Hush, who sucked in most of Batman’s rogues’ gallery into his plans. At the time, Harley was based in Metropolis with Poison Ivy, and “Hush” brought in aspects from that storyline. This was the storyline where Harley really began to evolve visually, thanks to Lee’s art, as he helped transform her animated look into more of a mainstream comic book look that still stands today.
6) Gotham City Sirens
Gotham City Sirens was a 26-issue series that ran from 2009 to 2011 from Paul Dini and Guillem March, with Tony Bedard and Peter Calloway later contributing to the title. After the events of “Batman: Reborn,” Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman all moved into a hideout, and their first story arc has them going up against Hush and a twisted imposter Joker, who turned out to be Gaggy. This is the series that helped define the relationship between Harley, Ivy, and Selina Kyle as friends and allies, and this was the series that really helped pay off what happened later in the HBO Max animated Harley Quinn series. The series ended with Flashpoint.
5) Suicide Squad (New 52)
Before Harley Quinn got her own New 52 solo series in 2013, she made her New 52 debut in Suicide Squad by Adam Glass and Federico Dallocchio. As expected, this means that Harley debuted in the post-Flashpoint world as a new recruit for Task Force X, along with Deadshot, King Shark, and El Diablo. This was where DC debuted Harley’s corset and pigtail look from the Batman: Arkham video games. The first story here was “Kicked in the Teeth,” which drops the team into a plague-ravaged football stadium and ends with “The Hunt for Harley Quinn,” where she breaks from the squad to find the Joker’s stolen face. This reimagined Harley as an A-list DC Comics antihero.
4) “Preludes and Knock-Knock Jokes” (Harley Quinn Vol. 1)
“Preludes and Knock-Knock Jokes” collects Harley Quinn Vol. 1 #1-7 by Karl Kesel, Terry Dodson, and Rachel Dodson. The story kicks off with Harley breaking the Joker out of jail, their violent break-up when he tries to kill her, an attempted partnership with Two-Face, and a slumber party with Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Big Barda. This was the first time that Harley was shown to be a successful leading character separate from Joker, and the series ran for 38 issues and received hardcover rereleases in the 2010s.
3) Batman: Harley Quinn (1999)
Batman: Harley Quinn was a one-shot released in 1999 by Paul Dini and Yvel Guichet. This was released during DC’s Batman event “No Man’s Land,” and it was the first introduction of Harley Quinn into the mainstream DC universe after her debut on Batman: The Animated Series. This story sees former Arkham psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel transformed into Harley Quinn thanks to the Joker. She then turns to Poison Ivy for help after her partnership with the Clown Prince of Crime leaves her shattered. This is a very important series because it bridges her BtAS stories and her comic book arcs.
2) Harleen (2019-2020)
Harleen was a three-issue miniseries by Stjepan Sejic, and it was part of DC’s Black Label line in 2019 and 2020. This brings Harley Quinn into a story inspired by Greek tragedy, with a story told in three acts about the young psychiatrist as her work at Arkham draws her into a doomed romance with the Joker. With painted artwork and a first-person narration, this really showed how slow and tragic her fall was once she met Joker. The hardcover collected edition earned high acclaim, and it was considered one of the best Harley Quinn storylines of the decade, and it stands up with Mad Love as one of her best ever.
1) Mad Love
The best Harley Quinn story ever released was in 1994 with The Batman Adventures: Mad Love in 1994by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. While Batman: Harley Quinn was her introduction into mainstream continuity, Mad Love was her first origin story appearance, although it was set in the continuity of Batman: The Animated Series instead of DC Comics. This offers up Harley’s official origin story, with her a psychiatrist that Joker seduces and manipulates, allowing her to break him out and become his sidekick. Mad Love won the Eisner Award for Best Single Issue and the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story. It was also adapted into The New Batman Adventures episode “Mad Love” (1999), the Batman: Arkham Asylum video game, the 2016 Suicide Squad film, and a 2018 Pat Cadigan/Dini novelization. This is the most influential Harley Quinn story ever.
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