Nobody can agree on anything within comics. Whether you prefer Alan Moore or Grant Morrison; reckon Archie loves Veronica and not Betty; or remain convinced that Wonder Man beats Wonder Woman (for some reason) – the one thing we can guarantee is that somebody disagrees with you.
But while it’s fun to argue…some debates simply must be resolved.
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And so to deal with the greatest controversies to ever hit the printed page, we’ve formally set up a Comic Book Court to finally reach a definitive verdict on the cases you’ve always wanted closure for. Each court session will see Christian Hoffer take on a case against Steve Morris, as they go back and forth over some of the biggest issues in the history of comics. Also…some silly ones.
With that in mind…
Will You Please All Rise for: Harley Quinn vs. The DC Universe AKA “Is Harley Quinn DC’s Most Popular Female Character?”
Yes, Harley is DC’s Biggest Female Draw
I’m sure Harley Quinn herself would get a laugh at her meteoric rise to fame. Paul Dini created Harley as a one-off character, a throwaway accomplice to help the Joker kidnap a group of Gotham City cops. However, Harley proved to be so popular that Dini and co-creator Bruce Timm kept bringing her back in future episodes.
Harley was an excellent antiheroic foil and contrast for the Joker. She had the same vicious edge as the Joker, but also a humanity that the Joker lacked. Harley was capable of empathy, redemption, and love. Her obsessive devotion to the Joker proved she was hopelessly flawed, but Harley was also relatable in ways that the Joker never could. Harley wasn’t a sociopathic two-dimensional character. She had feelings, she could be hurt, and she could exist independently from both the Joker and Batman.
Fast forward to 2011, when DC decided to add Harley Quinn to the Suicide Squad cast. The New 52 Suicide Squad book wasn’t particularly good, but it did definitively prove that Harley could exist independently of the Batman universe. Because of Harley’s popularity (despite many fans complaining how Suicide Squad had trashed Harley’s character), DC tapped Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti to write a Harley Quinn solo series, which immediately took off and became one of DC’s top sellers.
Harley Quinn is the Deadpool of the DC Universe. She’s a goofy, wacky, violent character with ties to DC’s most popular franchise. And because Harley is a relatively recently created character, she lacks the continuity baggage that other comic book characters (like Wonder Woman) lack. Ask five comics fans about Wonder Woman’s origins and you’ll get three different answers. But Harley’s origin has been kept unchanged since her first appearance in 1992. You don’t need to know much about Harley to enjoy her character, you can just sit down and read her latest misadventures.
Harley is also refreshingly modern, a bisexual character in an open and loving relationship with another woman. There’s no forced drama to Harley’s relationship with Ivy, no pandering to horny teenage boys, nothing overtly gross that would turn off fans.
DC knows the score with Harley Quinn as well. There’s a reason that Harley is a spotlight character of Suicide Squad, while Wonder Woman was limited to just a few minutes in Batman V Superman. People WANT to see Harley, and she’s poised as the breakout character of the DC Cinematic Universe.
I think, on some level, Harley has been the most popular female DC character for some time. You’ll see as much Harley cosplay as you will Wonder Woman cosplay at a local convention, especially since DC moved her away from the full body jester’s outfit. She’s a modern character that engages people in a modern world and doesn’t rely on stuffy Greek mythology or a deep knowledge of DC lore to appreciate. And, at her core, Harley Quinn is FUN, in a way that most comics characters can’t compete.
No, Harley is NOT DC’s Biggest Female Character
Harley Quinn has seen a huge surge over the last few years – but then, she’s always been popular. DC didn’t have a comic for her, but she’s long been one of the most cosplayed characters at conventions, and appeared in all the spin-offs, TV shows and video games. Having her own ongoing series, which then split into several different titles, has seen her profile go through the roof. Soon she’ll be played by Margot Robbie in what is clearly the standout role within Suicide Squad.
But the biggest female character in superhero comics? No.
Even leaving aside the actual Wonder Woman movie we’re seriously going to get next year – but don’t think for one second that I’m leaving it aside, ladies and gentlemen of the jury – I want to look at Harley Quinn herself, and who she is. Is the character manic, cruel fun at times? Yeah, she is – she’s DC’s version of Deadpool, nowadays, complete with duelling narration boxes and obsession with sex and violence. But she’s also something which completely rules her out of being the biggest female character around: she’s not for kids.
Kids are the core audience. They’re the ones that comics are trying to inspire. Not us lot, buying the comics and toys and cinema tickets, but them: the ones asking for those things. And kids have a huge amount of choice now for heroes. They have Squirrel Girl, and Kamala Khan; Batgirl and Lunelle Lafayette. This is the biggest boom time for all-ages friendly superhero comics since the genre first began! You can see it every time you walk into a comics store, or go to a convention. Awesome inspiring heroines are the future.
Look at Melissa Benoist as Supergirl, walking down the street with a group of young girls, all of them beaming with delight at getting to hang out with their favorite superhero. Then compare that to Harley Quinn. Where does her fanbase start? Certainly her comic isn’t suitable for anybody under the age of twelve, even though I know there’s nothing kids love more than breaking an age-rating. Her comic is nasty, and violent, and absolutely crammed with scenes of torture and death.
The battle for superhero supremacy isn’t won by being somebody that older fans love. It’s in being somebody that everybody loves. You can’t give a Harley Quinn comic to children, but you absolutely can – and should! – pass an issue of Supergirl to anybody in sight. If you want to know who the biggest female character in superhero comics is? Ask your daughter who she likes best. Unless something has gone ‘wildly’ off-course… I’m guessing it’s not Harley.
Closing Arguments
For those unfamiliar with Comic Book Court, each side will get a brief chance to make a final closing statement to sway the jury (that’s you!) to their side:
Christian’s Closing Statement:
Counselor Morris points out that children are the core audience for comics. In a perfect world, he’d be right and maybe then his argument would hold water. But I would remind Mr. Morris that there is a kids friendly DC cartoon out right now, DC Superhero Girls, which features Harley Quinn as prominently as Supergirl and Wonder Woman. But unfortunately for both Mr. Morris and the comics industry as a whole, children are not the core audience for DC. The bulk of DC’s product is aimed at adults and adults love Harley. Wonder Woman and Supergirl may benefit from being pop culture symbols, but Harley is the more relevant and popular character for DC today. Maybe that will be different next year when the live action Wonder Woman movie FINALLY puts that character back in the spotlight she deserves, but for now, Harley is DC’s top draw, in both comics and film.
Steve’s Closing Statement:
As my esteemed colleague Mr Hoffer says, and I agreed, Harley Quinn is the Deadpool of the DC Universe. And while that comes with a lot of good, it also comes with a lot of bad. Is Deadpool the biggest male character in superhero comics right now? He is not, despite Ryan Reynolds’ best efforts. And if Harley Quinn is merely the Deadpool of comics, how can she compete to Wonder Woman – who is the Wonder Womanof comics? There’s no competition. Harley’s good, but she’s limited. Characters like Kamala Khan and Supergirl are filled with endless possibility and inspiration, and that’s why they are the biggest characters in comics right now – male or female!
So which side do you think made the better argument? Vote in the poll before to decide!
