Harley Quinn
(Queen of crime or DC’s Deadpool)
by Phil Perich for the Legends of DC Blog
It’s been all over social media for the last week or so. Not only is Harley Quinn a big part of the upcoming Suicide Squad movie, but she will also star in a future team up movie with other popular DC female characters. With her popularity at an all time high, I figured this was the perfect time to pose a question that i’ve been pondering for awhile now. Is Harley one of DC Comics most popular characters right now just based on her own, or is DC trying to increase her “it” factor by making her their version of Deadpool? Let’s check the facts:
Origin story
While it’s true that both Harley and Deadpool started out as villains, Harley first appeared on a cartoon (Batman: The Animated Series) and was the sidekick/girlfriend of the Joker. It could be argued that Harley wasn't evil but was just led astray by a (very) bad influence. Meanwhile, Deadpool was a mercenary who was hired to kill Cable in New Mutants #98. No one appeared to be forcing Deadpool to act against his will. But then no one was forcing Harley either.
Star of the Show
Both characters proved to be so popular that both became anti-heroes and the stars of their own ongoing solo series. Deadpool starred in 2 miniseries before he got his own ongoing in 1997. Harley followed suit 3 years later in 2000, when she got her own ongoing after she was introduced into the main continuity of Batman comics during the “No Man’s Land” crossover. Similar situations in the span of a few short years?
It’s all merchandising
The popularity of these characters has reached such high levels that their merchandise is everywhere, from online sellers to stores such as Hot Topic and Spencer’s. You can find everything from clothing, to phone cases, to pretty much anything you can think of. Sounds like company mascots to me!
Do clothes make the woman?
While Deadpool’s appearance has remained pretty similar to his early appearances, Harley has so many different versions of her costume now, in just about any colors you can think of. Seems like there’s a difference here? So which one has the advantage in wardrobe? The onewho stays consistent? Or the one who can adapt to any situation?
Big time Star!
2016 is the year that both Deadpool and Harley hit the big screen for the first time. The first Deadpool was such a triumph that the studio announced a sequel before the movie even hit theaters. Harley also accomplished this. As I stated before, Harley has already scored a second movie, a team-up, before her first is in theaters. Sounds like two birds of a feather!
So what do you think? Is my theory credible? Or am I as crazy as Mister J? Let me know:
@nightwingpdp on Twitter
You can hear me and my friends discuss all things Harley Quinn, Batman, and Suicide Squad on Before the Bat: the Gotham Podcast. I also write another blog, True Believers where I discuss all things Marvel. You can find all of my podcasts, blogs, and those of others at www.southgatemediagroup.com. If you want one stop shopping for all of my creative endeavors, you can find it at www.philperich.wordpress.com.
It’s a great time to be a comic book fan. The crazies are dominating our stories, large and in charge!