DC Announces New Harley Quinn Creative Team, NYCC Plans

DC Comics is going all-out to celebrate Harley Quinn’s 30th anniversary. In addition to this week’s 30th anniversary oversized one-shot, which celebrates Harley’s first appearance in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, the publisher announced further plans to honor the Clown Princess of Crime. This includes news of the newest Harley Quinn creative team, who are set to take over the title beginning with March 2023’s Harley Quinn #28. The new book will be written by current Catwoman writer Tini Howard, with art by Batman: Urban Legends’ Sweeney Boo. This serves as the first major creative change for Harley in several years, with Stephanie Phillips operating as writer since early 2021 alongside a rotating group of artists.

Additionally, DC announced plans to celebrate Harley through a pop-up celebration at New York Comic Con, which will be happening in New York the weekend of October 7th. On Friday, October 7th from 9:00am ET through 3:00pm ET, DC will be holding a pop-up outside of the Javits Center, offering free Harley Quinn comics, swag, and breakfast, as well as cupcakes to celebrate.

Readers of the current Catwoman run have already been seeing Howard’s penchant for Harley Quinn, with the character cameoing in an arc of the book earlier this year. That storyline saw Harley and Selina Kyle going on an unpredictable girl’s trip, which placed them in the crosshairs of Batman: The Animated Series villain Red Claw.

“The thing about Harley is, I love that character a lot,” Howard told PopVerse earlier this year. “I think she’s like Selina in that she’s important and special as a really visible woman in comics, in a way that’s not visible all time. I have a lot of fun writing her because I think that she’s brilliant, that she’s a genius, and can go on a road trip with her friend, talk with her cat, and play with her ice machine. I don’t think that she’s secretly dumb, but that women can contain multitudes. [laughs] If you know any real women and go on trips with them, it doesn’t matter if she’s a psychiatric doctor, when you’re a road trip with your girls, everyone is allowed to be stupid, silly, fun, and themselves.”

“It was really fun to give Harley the journey of going on a road trip with Selina for a blast and then, when something happens, we see these women kick into high gear,” Howard continued. “We see Catwoman and Harley quickly put aside any roller derby-related differences that might’ve come up during their trip right away. [laughs] Which seems [obvious] but, for me as a woman, it’s really important to see Selina and Harley be fun, casual, and flirtatious with one another. All of those things, to me, make them more like real women.”

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